HOSPITALITY TRADITION FOR ALMOST 150 YEARS…WHILE WAITING FOR 2021, FOR THE 700 YEARS FROM THE DEATH OF DANTE ALIGHIERI THE FAMOUS ITALIAN POET WHO VISITED GARGONZA IN 1304.

We like to remember the Marquis Bardo Corsi Salviati, the last descendant of the Corsi family who, thanks to the marriage of his daughter Francesca, passed the Farm of Gargonza to the Guicciardini family.

Around the early 1880s he received in Gargonza Sarah Freeman Clarke, an American painter who made an illustration of an interior of our medieval tower (the third floor to be precise) for an American magazine to remember the stages of Dante Alighieri including Gargonza .
Here’s what he wrote almost 150 years ago! Note how he appreciates the view from the terrace of the Tower.

Next to it a photo of the interior of the tower nowdays.

“The Marchese receives me with much courtesy, and he and the Marchesa make me kindly welcome. After learning what he can tell me of the history of the castle, some items of which he writes out for me, I am conducted into the old tower, and into the very chamber in which, according to family tradition, Dante lived some months. […] the view across the Val di Chiana to the hills where Arezzo stands is full of airy sunshine, is Italian and intoxicating. In other countries one may look on a wide and beautiful view with a certain coolness; one criticises its features and finds it better or poorer than other views; but in Italy, though it be but a level plain, the transparent curtain of the air, traversed by threads of golden light, makes an enchanted veil in which the spectator is caught and hel as in a net. He cannot criticise or compare; he can only yield to the magic spell.”

The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, November 1883 to April 1884, vol. XXVII, The Century Co., New York: Sarah Freeman Clarke, Notes on the exile of Dante, illustrations by Harry Fenn after sketches by the author.

This weekend we had the pleasure of having the final presentation of Gargonza Arts entitled “Facts Machine”

Gargonza Arts was born from the idea of ​​ Michael Faust, solo flutist of the “Sinfonieorchester” of Cologne. For almost 10 years now, the association has welcomed young artists from various disciplines to the Castle of Gargonza for a stay of several weeks in our “Casa degli Artisti”. Each artist carried out his work during the period of stay in Gargonza. Over the years we have had writers, composers, architects, painters and photographers who have found their inspiration within the medieval walls and the authentic atmosphere of the village to complete their work.

This year we had the pleasure to welcome Daphné Hejebri, Liat Fassberg, Dachil Sado and Thimo Franke who carried out the presentation in their respective disciplines in the ancient Arsenal. This late nineteenth century building was abandoned for many years until even the roof, tired of this abandonment, gave its signals! Last winter we started the restoration of the roof and the floor and it was a real thrill for all of us to see this building revived with this presentation.

You can find all the information about Gargonza Arts on the website https://www.gargonza-arts.de/1/Home.html

Discover the rolling hills of the Tuscany, the Chiana Valley and the Chianti with the famous Vespa scooter. The lunar landscape of the Crete Senesi with it’s green fields, The gold yellow of the wheat crops, sunflowers along the fields of the Chiana Valley…
these are just few of the landscape you may see during your tours with Vespa starting from Gargonza. You may rent a Vespa directly from Gargonza and visit the medieval hamlets of the Val di Chiana, Val D’orcia and Sienese Chianti. Prices starting from Euro 65,00 per person for 4 people tour.

You may rent the Vespa directly from Vintage Tours in Montepulciano or you may have the Vespa delivered directly in Gargonza.

Check on: Vintage Tours – Web Site info@vintagetours.it

Pic nic and light lunch at bivouac (only for groups of minimum 20 people)
Walk in the woods of Gargonza with paths to choose from our marked trails. Accompanied by our staff.

Buffet with sausages cooked also on the fire, ribollita or pappa al pomodoro, salami and pecorino cheese, fruit tart, wine and water and bread.

€ 38,00 per person.

Wine and Tuscan cheeses are two of the best things in the world!
As delicious as they are, however, they must be combined in the right way to best savor all their nuances and organoleptic characteristics. When mixed correctly, both products will literally bring out the best in each other.

So here is a brief journey through Tuscan wine and cheese pairings that know how to enhance the taste of each other.

Wine and cheese pairings: general guidelines

Let’s start with the premise that it is always the right time to bring wine and cheese to the table! You can enjoy them as a tasty appetizer or entrée, but also as a dessert. It is therefore a versatile dish suitable for any occasion. The general rule is that neither the wine nor the cheese should overpower the flavor of the other element.

The two tastes should go hand in hand, so a young cheese should be paired with young wines, and a mature cheese with a full-bodied, structured wine. By the same logic, a fatty cheese needs a wine with a round taste, and a cheese tending toward saltiness should be paired with a wine with good tannicity. For those with wine knowledge, it will not be difficult to find the right wine and
cheese pairings by following these general guidelines.

What wine to pair with Tuscan Pecorino

Let’s start precisely with a typical cheese of our land, Tuscan pecorino. This delicious cheese made from sheep’s milk, with the addition of salt and rennet, can be more or less aged. The most classic pairing for a seasoned or semi-matured pecorino is definitely with Chianti Classico or a Chianti dei Colli Senesi.
These wines, with their velvety, dry and savory flavor, know how to give the right balance to the intense taste of Tuscan pecorino, enhancing its characteristics.

Vin Santo and cheeses: the right pairings

Vin Santo is undoubtedly the most drunk and loved dessert wine in Tuscany. Made from raisin grapes, which dehydrate causing the sugars to concentrate and the sweetness of the wine is literally amplified. Harmonious, fine and elegant, it is soft and persistent in the mouth while still maintaining its typical acidity.

Precisely because of these characteristics, it goes well with blue cheeses such as those of the De’ Magi refiner. Its “alchemy” is achieved with blue cheeses made from goat’s milk and cow’s milk.

Wine and cheese pairings at Gargonza Castle

At Gargonza, you can book tastings and discover the most delicious wine and Tuscan cheese pairings. We will discover together what wine to pair with cured meats and cheeses of different ages.

In addition, the menu at Torre di Gargonza always features cheeses typical of Alchimia di Formaggi De’ Magi: fresh and aged pecorino, cow’s and goat’s milk cheeses, blue cheeses and many other varieties. The restaurant’s wine cellar also offers more than 70 labels of the main Tuscan DOC and DOCG wines, as well as wineries from the territory of the Arezzo Wine Route, which runs around the Val di Chiana hills.

We will tell you what wine to pair with Pecorino, Parmigiano and many other cheeses from the area, discovering the right pairings with white, red and sweet wines.

Write to us if you would like to book a tasting.

You will be accompanied in the wonderful world of the “underground mushroom” with a truffle hunter and his dogs. He will tell us how the truffle is born, the various species and the life of the undergrowth. You will then be given a demonstration of truffle hunting with what is found in season.

Truffle hunting takes place in the park adjacent to the village.

Then follows lunch with truffle menu at € 45,00 per person with truffle menu (3 courses + dessert + 1 bott wine every 3 people. Extra cost per truffle hunter to be quoted on request.

On reservation

A Tuscan cooking class is a very fun and engaging time of sharing. Even those who don’t particularly like to cook or don’t feel very gifted will surely get hooked on making traditional Tuscan homemade dishes. Our region is rich in ancient recipes that come from the peasant culture and tell the story of the area better than anything else.

Traditional Tuscan dishes are poor, made with leftovers from the garden and the less noble parts of cuts of meat. Starting from scraps, Tuscan peasants have managed to create dishes that have survived over the centuries and still speak of an authentic, straightforward region with character, just like its cuisine.

Why take a Tuscan cooking class?

Taking a cooking class is not only fun, there are many positive spin-offs from this activity. Here are some benefits of taking a Tuscan cooking class.

• It helps to create a strong and close-knit team. This is why it is often chosen as the theme of team building days. Working in the kitchen means coordinating, helping each other and creating an engaging, informal, friendly environment.
• It offers great satisfaction because, by the end of the Tuscan cooking course, you will have accomplished something concrete and tangible (as well as delicious!). Achieving a goal after making a commitment is always a source of personal satisfaction.
• It allows you to learn even more about the culture and tradition of the area where you are. A Tuscan cooking class not only teaches you how to make fresh pasta but also helps you immerse yourself in the history of this region and its peasant origins.
• It is fun! Last reason but no less important than the others: taking a cooking class is really fun, especially for food lovers.

And at the end of the Tuscan cooking class you will take home a beautiful memory but also the secrets to perfect fresh pasta or cantuccini made to perfection!

Tuscan cooking class at Gargonza Castle

At our Castle we have been organizing Tuscan cooking classes for many years now. In fact, we are convinced that offering our guests the opportunity to put their hands to pasta and learn more about the Tuscan culinary tradition is a way to make their stay even more unforgettable. The typical Tuscan cuisine served at La Torre di Gargonza Restaurant reflects the authenticity of our Borgo.

We gladly share it with our guests through group Tuscan cooking classes.

• Minimum number of participants: 6 people.
• Maximum of participants: 50 people.
• The location will be our panoramic hall.
• Lunch or dinner is included, subject to availability.
• We also organize culinary team building designed for companies in collaboration with outside corporate chefs and trainers.

Rolling out the pasta sheets for a tasty noodle or whipping eggs for a dessert are some of the things you will learn, but that’s not all. You will take home the memory of a fun time spent together.

Write to us if you would like to learn more about our Tuscan cooking classes.

With great pleasure we had a very nice yoga group organized by the teacher Ivana Caffarati (professional dancer, Yoga and Contemporary Oriental Dance teacher, graduated in Psychology).

The 34 participants were able to relax in the well heated, south-facing, south-facing hall of the Oil Mill, which allowed the sun’s rays into the large windows of the hall.
Our participants were able to enjoy an environment enveloped in silence and tranquillity so that they could recreate themselves for two days together. Walks in the woods and exercises in the common areas and then the possibility to meet in the other common areas of the village.

The guests stayed inside our houses, almost all of them with fireplaces, to be able to fully relax and recover from the hardships of everyday life. It was also organized an afternoon at the Terme di Rapolano, located 18 km from Gargonza, for a further moment of relaxation. Also our kitchen, under Ivana’s advice, prepared vegetarian dishes, light but always tasty and tasty.

See you next time and thank you all for your numerous participation. If you are interested in taking a course with Ivana you can contact her through her website www.ivanacaffaratti.com.

Immersion in nature and wellness, on Sundays in the Lemon Garden.

Sweet Movement – Mindfulness
Walk
Breakfast in the Salone del “Frantoio di Sotto” (Oil mill of Sotto)

Date and time:

Every Sunday, from 7 June 2020, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

What to bring:

water, comfortable clothing, suitable shoes and mat or towel.

More info:

In case of bad weather the activity will be carried out inside.