My tour starts in via de’ Rondinelli, continues in piazza Antinori and, through via de’ Tornabuoni, ends in via di Porta Rossa.

My first stop is at the flagship store of an historical brand of Florence, the Richard Ginori, established in 1735 by the marquis Carlo Ginori as Manifattura di Doccia and renamed in 1896 Richard Ginori as a consequence of the buy-out by the businessman Augusto Richard from Milan. The brand has a long- lasting, complicate,  and sometimes economically unhappy history. Anyway in 2013 it has been bought out by the Gucci group. As a consequence of that the store in via de’ Rondinelli 17r has been completely renewed and refurbished: in the modern store they have re-created the different rooms of a house. You will find the kitchen, the dining and the living rooms, a winter garden equipped of porcelain cups, plates, vases, bottles, pitchers, jugs, bowls, … If I had to choose, I might have some difficulties: anyway I really love the so-called “Italian Orient” collection: they make me think about the 18^th century productions renewed using very charming colours. I have to mention even the collections designed by Giò Ponti: the vases and plates decorated with women, architectures and mythological figures or with the chains. To visit this store really allows to enjoy the history of a brand, which from the 18^th century to nowadays makes our tables looking  beautiful with sober or coloured objects, always keeping them refined and elegant.

In the next days I’ll tell the rest of my tour!

L'articolo The Florentine art of setting the table sembra essere il primo su  | Florence Tourist Guide.

Passing through Greve in Chianti and going towards Panzano, I reached a crossroad with the indications for Vignamaggio. After some gentle curves, winding as a ribbon among the rounded Chianti hills, I arrived at Vignamaggio.  I willingly climbed the short street framed with cypresses leading to the villa, in order to discover this incredible estate made of the a harmonious jigsaw puzzle of the villa, the vineyards, the olive-groves , the Italian garden and the wood.

The villa, around whom everything was then established, has very ancient origins: the original core dates back to the XIV century. Till the first half of the 1800s it belonged to the Gherardini family which, among its most famous members, has Monna Lisa Gherardini, who became famous as the Leonardo da Vinci’s Monnalisa or Gioconda. Later the villa belonged to the Castelbarco Albani Sanminiatelli family. Since 1988 the owner is Gianni Nunziante.

The villa has the typical look of the a Tuscan manor house: it’s covered with  a reddish layer and it has massive doors framed by solid stones (bugnato); it stands on a system of strong buttresses  safely keeping it on the hill top. Its shape is rectangular: at its centre there’s a courtyard, while the two long sides,  looking west and eastward, face huge open spaces. The west face looks towards a fenced lawn, almost invisible from below; the east one faces the Italian garden with the short and geometric flowerbeds, the green arches through which you can reach the Pomario, the secret garden. Everything is surrounded by vineyards and olive- groves.

Today the villa is the centre of the farm, where they produce a superb Chianti Classico. I recommend to follow a guided wine tasting tour to the cellars, to appreciate the d.o.c.g wines, riserva, vinsanto and grappa. It’s worthy staying for a culinary stop: the restaurant, well-groomed but not formal, offers dishes of traditional inspiration: I enjoyed the salumi and cheese starters, the flans; the chestnut flour crespelle dressed with burrata cheese and spinaches, the stracotto in Chianti wine or the stuffed rabbit; not to mention the desserts, as the gorgeous tiramisu and the chocolate cake.

All this can be really enjoyed even thanks to the kindness of the staff: Sandro and Giovanna’s courtesy and competency, Rahamani’s helpfulness. They all were really friendly with Ettore, my poodle, gently giving him a refreshing cup of water; you know, he doesn’t like wine!!

L'articolo A day in the Chianti region: Vignamaggio. sembra essere il primo su  | Florence Tourist Guide.