Apartment in Palazzo Branca Aria della Ripa

This luxury apartment is located in a 19th century palazzo in the heart of Florence, and can accommodate up to 7 people. It features a bright living room, a kitchen/dining room, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a laundry room. The apartment preserves intact the refined elegance of an aristocratic home and the warm hospitality of a true Florentine house. The price is 230 euro a night with a minimum stay of three nights. More information can be found on TuscanyRentDirect.com

Apartments for rent in Florence

Tuscany Rent Direct invites you to rent an exclusive apartment in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Florence Italy.

November is the time to visit Tuscany for world famous truffles

The most prized truffles in the world are harvested in Italy during the fall. San Miniato - in the heart of Tuscany - has its famous truffle festival every November. All year long people prepare for this event, restaurants plan truffle inspired menus, specialty products are developed and truffles are carefully harvested.

Truffles are rarely farmed and in most cases have to be hunted by dogs or pigs (truffle hogs). While dogs have to be trained, they are easier to handle than pigs. Truffle hogs have an innate ability to sniff out the infamous truffles - but they also like to eat them. Some hunters secretively hunt at night, so others will not find their techniques and trails. In many cases, truffle hunting has been in specific families for generations; the secrets, land, recipes and truffle dogs stay in the family.


You may already know that a truffle is a tuber - in Italian it is called 'tartufo' (or plural: tartufi). If you read a menu or see a jarred product that boasts of truffles or tartufo - they are referring to the same mythical fungi. That said, not all truffles are created equal: the infamous white truffle is the most sought after, and shows up on prestigious menus all over the world.

A truffle hunter - called a trifolau - can theoretically hunt year round. January - March is the season for dark winter truffles, March - April is time for tan truffles or bianchetto (which may be sold as the more expensive white truffles to uninformed buyers), June - November is time for the summer black truffle, and September to December is the season for the prized tartufo bianco.

Tuscany's San Miniato (province of Pisa) produces one quarter of Italy's prized white truffle crop. The trifolau gather these gems during October, November and December. Truffle markets and festivals are held in San Miniato during the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th weekends of November (this year you can still go Nov 21, 22 and Nov 27, 28). The National White Truffle Market is bursting with truffle oils and spreads, truffle laced cheeses and meats - and nearby restaurants featuring truffle dishes.

Although the main tent for the festival is in the historical Piazza del Duomo at the foot of the Rocca, every year events and entertainment are added last minute. If you go to the festival, stop by the tourism office in Piazza del Popolo for an updated program. The office will also have a list of restaurants that feature special truffle-based menus for the duration of the festival. Ristorante Canapone on Piazza Bonaparte is known to feature truffle inspired dishes during the event.

A fun fact: San Miniato also boasts the largest white truffle specimen ever found (over 2.5 kilograms); it was presented to President Truman in 1954. While at their famous festival, you can taste and purchase all sorts of truffle products including truffle cheeses, meats, salt, honey, salsas and spreads. If you buy truffles, don't pay a lot for clinging dirt - and smell them before you buy.

If you buy truffles, here are a few hints. Just as new olive oil is best eaten straight - and old oil is best used for cooking - white truffles are best eaten soon after purchase and enjoyed fresh (uncooked), shaved or grated over pasta, eggs or salad. The black truffle's flavors and aromas come to light when they are lightly cooked. Feel free to ask the truffle vendors their opinions, no doubt they will have some brilliant recommendations for how to best enjoy their beloved truffles.

The National White Truffle Market Opening hours: from 9 am to 6.30 pm Via Vittime del Duomo, 8, 56028 San Miniato (PI) Tel: 0571.418739
Email: soc.cons@cittadisanminiato.it
Web: www.cittadisanminiato.it

You can rent a luxury apartment near San Miniano for the truffle festival, or anytime of the year - like this one, Leccino, in Peccioli, where you'll have easy access to the truffle festival. This apartment - in the heart of an organic farm - is nestled ideally between the cities of Pisa, Siena and Florence.

Via Cerretani 5, Florence

This splendid apartment is in the heart of Florence. It features a beautiful living room with fireplace, kitchen with wonderful views of the cathedral, a bedroom with double bed, a bedroom with 2 single beds and sofa bed, a bathroom with shower and a bathroom with tub.

Want to taste just-pressed olive oil - straight from Tuscany's olive groves?

When you think olive oil, you think Italy - and for good reason. Italy produces some of the most flavorful and highest quality oils in the world. While they are the second largest producer (behind Spain) of olive oil, Italians are the number one consumer of this 'liquid gold.' It is a precious heirloom, and just-pressed oil tastes unlike any other.

Tuscany opens its doors during the harvesting and pressing of oil. Festivals pop up in small towns, families living on orchards post 'open' signs along the road. You can often help pick olives, watch them be pressed and learn how to taste and compare the complexities of olive oils. This 'taste of Tuscany' is unlike any other.

The olive oil trees are harvested just once a year, primarily during the month of November. In most cases, the olives are combed or handpicked off the trees and fall into nets on the ground below. The olives are then gathered, put in slotted containers and pressed within 24-72 hours.

While there are many tree varieties, the four most common are frantoio, leccino, moraiolo, and divastro. Each of these trees determines the oil's distinct flavor; some orchards will have more than one variety. Quality depends on the trees used, the pressing process and growing region. It also depends on time, heat and light. Made with great care, the best quality oils have a shelf life of 2 years; they should be kept in the dark (note dark bottles) and away from heat. The color of the oil is due to the variety of olives used---and has no bearing on quality. Tuscan oil has a distinct green color and ranges from naturally spicy to sweet and mild.

Olive oil is as unique as wine in terms of care, harvesting and flavor profiles. One olive orchard owner lamented the fact that restaurants don't have 'olive oil lists' to accompany traditional 'wine lists.'

Tuscany boasts some of the best olive oil in the world; many associations, cities and cooperatives are organizing special itineraries and opening olive oil pressings to the public. November is a great time of year to visit olive mills (frantoi), to observe the crushing and to taste first-hand, just pressed olive oil. There is nothing like the flavor of new oil; it is used directly on salads, sandwiches and for dipping bread. 'Old oil' is primarily used for cooking - last year's harvest is considered old. Think of cookies: they are amazing just out of the oven. Even though they are still delicious a few days later, they lose that fresh, just out of the oven quality. The same is true of olive oil: you will never forget the mouth-feel and novelty of tasting new oil - while staying in the heart of Italy.

Tuscany's Reggello region is situated southeast of Florence, borders Arrezzo and Umbria to the east and the Chianti hills and Siena to the west. Reggello has 'Oil Routes' that you can follow; this year in Florence's Piazza Santa Croce they had 'The Extra Virgin Olive Oil Fair of Reggello' - an event with over a dozen olive oil producers, where visitors could taste as many olive oils (as well as sample Vin Santo, wine, and olive oil lotions and soaps). If you drive through Reggello's hilly landscape, you can visit many mills. A few of the mills are Frantoio Pasquini, Frantoio di Santa Tea and Terre di San Gorgone.

To soak up Reggello's oil routes and more, consider renting a villa in olive country from Tuscany Rent Direct. Tuscany Rent Direct offers many well-appointed country homes - here are a few that are ideally situated to enjoy Tuscany's annual olive pressing events:

Villa Leopoldina

Casa del Torrente

Podere Castelli

Apartment Maria

This apartment is in the Poggio Imperiale area, close to the Boboli Garden. It sleeps 2 adults + 2 children. This charming, completely furnished flat is situated on the ground floor, where it faces the 3000 sqf. terrace of the Villa. It includes living room with fold out sofa-bed and breakfast nook, kitchenette with electric stove, sink, refrigerator, microwave oven, bathroom with shower, gas heating, TV, and Internet DSL connection. Price includes all taxes, utilities, Internet connection, use of the laundry room and final cleaning.

Villa Caprera, Siena

We added a new property recently, Villa Caprera, near Siena:

Charming apartment in Liberty-style farmhouse at only 3km from the historic center of Siena in the village of Caprera, built at the end of the 19th century by Garibaldi's doctor. The apartment is surrounded by green hills and faces the walls and the bell tower of the city. Three double bedrooms including one on the "tower". Two bathrooms, dining room, kitchen, living room, garden, parking, garage on request. Fully furnished and with linen linen included. Weekly cleaning and linen change. All the comforts, satellite TV, wireless net.

Your perfect holiday in Tuscany