Greetings from Sergio Porcellotti & A Taste of Tuscany

My name is Sergio Porcellotti and I am writing to you from deep within Arezzo’s Piazza Grande. If you’ve ever seen Roberto Benigni’s “La Vita è Bella,” you have a perfect idea where I live. Arezzo is a highlight on any trip to southern Tuscany and I’m proud it is a spotlight on Ciclismo Classico’s A Taste of Tuscany bicycle trip.  Fortunately, this year I will be in my home region for multiple departures of this tour. Whether you’re a seasoned Ciclismo Classico alum or a new guest, A Taste of Tuscany is a rich and exciting experience in one of Italy’s most popular regions.

Let me explain a few reasons why:

Gabriele and Maria are two long-time friends of mine living in the south of Tuscany. Their hobby is making amazing food and their passion is sharing it with our guests. Pici was once a popular Tuscan “poor dish.” It is a long, thick spaghetti, most known in the area around Siena. This thick pasta holds delicious sauces (whether its ragù al cinghiale or a hearty salsa al pomodoro) magnificently well. The ingredients are simple: flour, water, salt, and a dash of olive oil. What goes into the pici is the same for almost every pasta you’ll find in Tuscany. What changes is the process: it’s how you move your hands that makes all the difference. But to teach you that, you’ll have to join me in Tuscany!

The Etruscans were a rich and powerful civilization preceding the Romans. They ruled a territory that stretched from the Po River Valley all the way to present-day Rome. A polytheistic people with interesting gods: Flufuns, for example. He was the god of happiness, wine, and health. This is an important name to remember when I take you to Cortona. Cortona was originally an Umbrian city but was conquered by the Etruscans and joined the Etruscan league in 700 B.C. The name itself means “walled city” and some Etruscan walls surrounding the village are astonishing. Tons of stone boulders layered one atop the other with no mortar or cement to hold them in place. And they still stand today in many of the city’s archways.

This quiet and solitary hillside of the Via dei Sette Ponti holds several natural wonders. Hundreds of thousands of years ago there was a saltwater lake in this corner of Tuscany. As the African plate pressed into the European plate, the water drained off into the Tyrrhenian Sea. The flowing rivers created “crags” – strange Grand Canyon-like grooves – all around the hillsides. Today these crags and their rich sea bottom soil are home to thousands of olive groves. And we’ll be in Castello dei Bonsi for a taste of some of the best olive oil in Tuscany. Built in 1400, the Tenuta I Bonsi has a long interesting history in the Pratomagno. Initially built as a protective fortress, during the 17th C. it became a monastery for a local ecclesiastical order. After many generations, it passed into the Bonsi family, where today you can get lost in this small hamlet and experience the real Tuscany of hundreds of years ago.

How could I take you through Tuscany without a stop in my town of Arezzo? This city has it all: painting by Cimabue; a Roman amphitheater; a Medici Fortress; the house of Giorgio Vasari;  the music of Guido d’Arezzo; and much more. One of the most fascinating festivals in Arezzo is the Saracen Joust. The joust happens twice a year (once in the spring; once in the fall) and was originally intended for military training during the 16th and 17th C. I’ll tell you it is a contest that involves a lance, a mannequin, and a ring. Today, it is a reenactment of the dress, the style and the fanfare of that age. And the party never ends! But if you want to know more about the festival, you must come see for yourself!

Tuscany never gets old. No matter how many times you go there, you’ll always find something new. And what better way to see Tuscany than with a Tuscan! The A Taste of Tuscany is the perfect trip that fits into any travel you may already have planned to Europe. Like Tuscany itself, this experience is timeless.

See you in Tuscany! Ciao a tutti!