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Buy tuscanian houses is not just an investment but a wise and profitable way of life!
Hints about this region to get an overview
Tuscany is one of the largest Italian regions and population size with the regional capital Florence. The Tuscan territory includes vast plains and major mountain ranges. Both the north and east of Tusc. is surrounded by the Apennines, but the territory is mainly hilly. Other important findings in the region are the hills of Chianti, which soften the countryside between Siena and Florence, the Metalliferous Hills, which separate the interior from the southern Maremma  Pisa, Monti Pisani between Pisa and Lucca, Monte Amiata, an ancient volcano off that stands between the provinces of Siena and Grosseto and the Pratomagno, which is almost completely surrounded by the Arno and divides the Apennine dell'aretino, Casentino, Valdarno from Florence. The main river is the Arno.
The region is known worldwide thanks to the many works of art in its cities and the history of these. Florence, Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Pistoia, Prato, Massa, Arezzo, Grosseto, Livorno are the provinces.
Tourism flows, especially in cities, led by the numerous hotels in Florence, on the coast and islands. Also important are the marble quarries of Carrara, Versilia, Lunigiana, Garfagnana the Alps, the Maremma, Casentino. In 'European collective imagination and even of' overseas the stone house as the farmhouse or the simple rustic, old villa in Italy is always represented by a Tuscan home.
With about 11 million arrivals and the average attendance over 40 million a year, the Tuscany is one of the best known and most sought after tourist destinations in the world. Thanks to its cultural heritage, not just real estate, its landscape and the variety of environments and ecosystems, is able to satisfy a wide range of needs and present to visitors several offers: With homes upgraded to B & B, Villas, farmhouses and cottages, These range from art tourism to the resort, the spa at the sport, from the mountains to the campaign. It has more than 10,000 facilities of any kind and holds the national record of cottages, with approximately 4,000 properties including houses, farmhouses farms, cottages and villas.
Today, tourism accounts for more than 10% of regional GDP and is one of the areas that has coped better than others in the global economic crisis.
CURIOSITY OF THE HISTORY OF TUSCAN COOKING
Tuscan Cooking in Roman Period
In Roman times until the age of the barbarian invasions that heralded the fall of the Western Roman Empire (476), the kitchen, which coincided with the Roman to the first century AD was essentially based on sparing and frugal pulmentum (barley cooked in broth), pulsar (a sort of polenta made with farro, millet and potato starch), on fish, vegetables and cheese.
From the third century, we witness a substantial increase in the use of food, not only in terms of quantity but also quality. Many entire families squandered fortunes in banquets with the intent to impress the guests, appeared on the tables with impressive choreography and special foods also absurd as peacock brains, flamingo tongues, parrots, dormice, badgers and even sow vulva of a virgin.
With the decline of the Roman Empire  the taste of food and the pleasures of the table were displaced ostentatious wealth, the desire to impress guests and make itself heard.
But the kitchen was not only that the big events, lavish banquets. Testimony of the table every day we passed by the work of Marcus De re coquinaria Gavio Apin, gastronome lived at the time of Emperor Tiberius (30 AD). In this work contains 500 recipes, there are many tips to make sauces and sophisticated food. None of these recipes have survived, but we do not regret thinking that almost all foods were sprinkled with garum, a sauce made of stinking entrails of fish preserved in brine.
The Barbarian Invasions to the Lombard domination by the wise government of the Frankish king Charlemagne, founder of the Holy Roman Empire (crowned emperor on Christmas night in the year 800) promoted the depopulation of cities and the consequent phenomenon of feudalism. The feud was a small country that gravitated around the castle, working the land was reserved for the serfs who lived in very precarious conditions and fed on nettle soup, acorns, lizards, mice, and the food on the tables of castles abounded everywhere, roasts, game, fish, some vegetables. All served in a rude way, without order or differentiation of cooking, a uniform food eaten without plates and silverware, with just one large glass of wine served to all diners.
It was during the feudal period, the various cuisines of our country began to differentiate, the subdivision of the country, lack of communications, the manorial economy (ie autarky) of the feud forced to use only local resources, so every place had its specialties, its dishes, which still largely characterize the various areas of our land, the Italian food is in fact still is almost exclusively regional products used for food preparation, and this for obvious reasons both historical and geography.
As for today and in the history of this cuisine, we suggest you buy a house to the tuscanian territory, and personal witness of what you could tell that one day it will be tuscanian history.
Hints on wine.
"Toscana" is by type of land, hilly, by tradition and by the presence of good houses and... wines (take for example a Chianti or Brunello di Montalcino), one of the greatest reality in the field of Italian and world.
In fact, the Piedmont alone, the peninsula can boast such a high number of wines that are able to express themselves at the same time a top level. The production is protected over most of the territory is also distributed throughout the region, starting from the hills of Chianti, between Florence and Siena, home of the homonymous wine, "created" (as we drink it today) by Baron Ricasoli at the end of the last century, the Maremma, near the border with Liguria in Montalcino, Bolgheri from the hills of Arezzo.
Increased expression of this region are mainly red wines, including Sangiovese is the (almost 80% of spread) the undisputed ruler. Just from a variety of Sangiovese (known as "big", although in reality the berries are smaller), in Montalcino, near Siena, was born on Brunello, undoubtedly the most famous and quality of the region, while among the grapes is the most common white grape Trebbiano Toscano, who together with Sangiovese and Nero is Canaiolo (small percentage) to form the blend of Chianti.
Next came the Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Malvasia, Vermentino, Sauvignon, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Grechetto, Ansonica Argentario, the Biancone Portoferraio (among those white grape), and the Ciliegiolo Merlot, Aleatico, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pollera Nera among the red grapes.
Tuscanian history hints of wine:
Until the beginning of the twentieth century (and the rest of this culture) still recommend buying your home and test it for yourself the good wines from this region.
Some significant dates and events in the history of wine.
Seventh century BC Etruscans -> only news is about the type of cultivation, married lives in the Etruscan period.
The wine business continued with the Romans, but did not attract the attention of the great Latin authors who are silent on Tuscan wines. [Source "Encyclopedia of Wine", Boroli editor]. During this time the screw is a sapling.
VI century This teritory as it becomes self-sufficient production and launching the first export of wine. [Source AIS "Italian wine, grapes, enografia and regional cuisine"]
Following period of decline, no written record.
Ninth century, records of Badia a Coltibuono, or "the abbey of the good harvest." In 1051, the monks of Vallombrosa monastery began building this "Good Harvest" at the same time planting the first vines in this area.
The recovery takes place in the year 1100, more tightly spaced vineyards even in the city center of Florence (S. Maria delle Vigne, today S. Maria Novella).
1141, when the castle came into possession of the Counts Brolio Ricasoli
Thirteenth-century legend of Gallo Nero "popular law according to which the Mayor of Florence and Siena, Chianti worn out by constant war, decided to entrust the definition of the borders in a race between two riders, who were supposed to start at the first crowing of the cock , and another one from Florence to Siena. At the junction of the border was fixed. The Florentines chose a black rooster, lean and hungry, singing all the time by his hunger for this, the morning of the race, the Florentine cockerel threw his hand well before dawn, allowing the rider to leave Florence and to the great advantage of long way to go before the meeting, which took place almost in sight of Siena, Fonterutoli. [Source site Mazzei]
Art of Vinattieri - building the wool
1276 - orders toll of S. Gimignano mentioning greek vine.
At the turn of 1300 was founded "The Art of Vinattieri. (Some sites give the founding date to 1292, others 1288, is the first statute of 1339 [Source Wikipedia].
1307-1321. Even Dante's "Divine Comedy" cites the Vernaccia di San Gimignano.
1385 - Giovanni di Piero Antinori became part of 'Art of Vinattieri Fiorentina.
1394 - Ser Lapo Mazzei writes to Francis Datini "do not you care spending of the wine, although he was dear goodness restores, with an invitation to win her care and appreciate quality.
1404 - first reference to the Chianti (Vignamaggio letter from the owner of a merchant Francesco Siena Datini) 1469 - Marriage of Lorenzo the Magnificent. "... Deeply loved good food and good wine. In 1469 he married Clarice Orsini on June 2. The Florentines were admired by the many dishes prepared for the occasion, there were whole barrels of Malvasia and Trebbiano, cooled and placed in special coolers filled with water taken from wells and continually renewed
XVI century - Sante Lancerio (bottles of Paul III Farnese) the wine list includes the Greek of the papal court, the Vernacciuole S. Giminignato, the Muscat of Porto Ercole and Montepulciano "... the Pope's personal wine adviser, in its letter order of 80 bottles to the town of San Gimignano, he regretted his lack of production:" ... it is a perfect drink to lords and it is a great pity that this place does not face very ... "(from" the nature of the wine and the journey of Paul III, described by Sante Lancerio his bottles
Leandro Alberti speaks of good Vernaccia di S. Gimignano, Montepulciano and of good red wine of Montalcino.
1511 to 1574. Giorgio Vasari writes, "This, sir, and Chianti, with the river of the Pesa and Elsa with horns full of fruit, and have a a'piedi Bacchus more mature, for the excellent wines of that country, and back in the picture, I Castellina, Radda, and the orchard, with their signs, and the Arno in the shield held by the young, which is Chianti, is a black rooster on a yellow field.
1595 - Andrea Bacci's authorship of De historia natural vinorum, spends praise for Trebbiani Valdarno, highlighting the features of Tuscan wine on the tables of nobles of Italy and Europe.
Call 1716 Cosimo III de Medici
September 24, 1716 - Cosimo III de 'Medici, Grand tuscanian Duke , established by decree of the first names of origin, dividing areas, boundaries and rules for Chianti wines, Pomino, Carmignano and Valdarno di Sopra, effectively establishing the first DOC "ante its time. "
1865 - In The Greppo his estate, St. Clement studying the formula of brunello di Montalcino.
1868 - During the same period the Muscat of St. Clement was awarded the Universal Exhibition in Paris (recognition oenologically extraordinary because at the time the French regarded themselves as the only producers of quality wines in the world). 1872 - was founded on the Chianti: After more than thirty years of research and experimentation, Baron Bettino Ricasoli (producer and member of Brolio Georgofili) sets a formula in a famous letter to Prof. Cesare University study Pisa: "... I I confirmed the results obtained in the very first experiences that the wine receives from Sangioveto the main dose of her perfume (which I am aiming particularly) and a certain sense of vigor, by the kindness Canajuolo tempering the hardness the first, without detracting from its scent even though it has to be, and the Wicked, which could be done at least in the wines to be, it tends to dilute the product of two first grapes, enhances the flavor and makes it more lighter and more readily usable daily use of the table ...
1896 - significant improvements have made them the Academy of Georgofili, who worked in the field of agriculture and viticulture, so that in 1896 the Ministry of Agriculture says that Toscana is the first among the Italian regions, to produce a red table wine with the characteristics and taste that consumers demand.
1924 - The Consortium was formed for the protection of the Chianti Classico, which took as its emblem the Gallo Nero
A tip for the more modern history: Buy a home or a farmhouse to this region in person and try to enjoy the last bit of the history of winemaking for this territory !
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