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HILLS
>> FLORENCE HILLS
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INTRODUCTION
The "noble" hills of Florence were already plotted
with churches, castles, towers and courtyards in the 14th century
which made it look to visitors like it was much bigger than it actually
was.
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 Today
the green rolling hills which surround the city offer the tourist
the possibility to stay at just a few kilometres from Florence without
having to cope with the chaos of the city. The hills preserve beautiful
landscapes and architectonic monuments and offer relax and tranquillity.
A visit to Florence which doesn't include a stop at the surrounding
hills, deprives the visitor of the charming and relaxing atmosphere
which is actually worth to try.  The
inhabitants of the Florentine hills live among parks and gardens,
kitchen gardens and villas, restructured cottages, tabernacles and
churches, forests and farmed land. A small group of privileged people,
with a huge sense of beauty and lots of money, such as magnates, famous
artists, sportsmen and fashion designers, have chosen to live here
as they can afford to live in an open-air museum, where the delicious
details of the landscape and the architecture are worth to be seen
without hurrying.
The balanced relationship between man and nature, which here
goes back to the Middle Ages, the deep sense of respect that the privileged
inhabitants show towards the beautiful landscape and historical tradition
that surround them, gives the visitor an extraordinary chance to discover
one of the most magnificent landscapes of Tuscany.
 Apart
from the history, the Florentine hills also share with the nearby
city the pleasure of eating well. If you travel around along the steep
hill roads around Florence, you find restaurants and inns where you
can taste the real specialities of the Florentine kitchen. A simple
cuisine with dishes prepared with poor ingredients such as bread,
olive oil and vegetables, but also a cuisine with exquisite specialities
which have been prepared since the Renaissance when the chefs of the
Medici court taught all the world how to eat. Hare in "dolceforte",
orange duck, crespelle alla fiorentina, the artisan ice-cream are
only some of the delicious dishes that the Florentine chefs brought
to France when Maria de' Medici got married to the king of France
in 1600 and some of these dishes are still served.
If you decide not trying these particular dishes you can always
choose a more classic cuisine with dishes such as the Florentine T-bone
steak, ribollita (thick vegetable soup), pappa al pomodoro (thick
tomato and bread soup), toasted bread with liver topping, beans all'uccelletto
with sausages. All dishes should be accompanied by the local wine,
such as Chianti dei Colli Fiorentini, and the extra virgin olive oil
from the Florentine hills which is absolutely excellent. |
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