A Family Farm in Tuscany

The Pasta Making Begins

We arrived at the family farm, Fattoria Poggio                              

Alloro where we were introduced to our                    
pasta chef and guide, Sarah. She's extremely
proud of her father's hard work and success in building this farm. 

Two handfuls of white flour, two handfuls of semolina flour and one or two eggs slowly mixed into the ring of flour and we were ready to roll out the pasta dough. I will never use a pasta machine again. With the right tools we were soon making an assortment of shapes. By the end of the morning, everyone was an expert pasta chef.

Our Disney guides had some fun with the 

leftover flour and eggs.

 Before lunch we took a walking tour of the farm. We met the moo cows, learned about the vineyards and wine production. Everything the family produces is grown on this farm. The beautiful rose bushes at the edge of the rows of grapes have a purpose. If they get infected with some kind of bug, it's a warning and they can act to protect the rows of vines.

Wine Tasting, Olive Oil Making, and Lunch

 

 The saffron pasta with peas and zucchini
was one of my favorite dishes on this trip. No, this is not the pasta we made. That was feed to the animals.
The recipe for this delicious dish is in Sarah's cookbook which I ordered when I got home. Some of the adventurers bought it at the farm, but like I said before, there's only so much you can carry back. I did buy a small package of saffron.

Rest and a Swim

Back to the hotel for a rest and swim before a medieval dinner and entertainment high on the historic town of Certaldo.

 

The meal started with a sample of olives, cheese, battered basil and battered zucchini leaves. The basil leaves were unique and amazing. I'll try to make them, but have my doubts that I'll succeed in capturing the flavor and crispy consistency.

Once again, another wonderful day had us in awe of of our Disney guides. There's more to come - on to Florence and Venice.

Ciao Bellas,
Zelda