"There's this region called Casentino. It's an unknown region. But it's magical. It's up in the mountain range area of Tuscany. And there are huge, huge forests of chestnuts. And so the culture of harvesting chestnuts is very big. In November, in every little town, you smell the chestnuts roasting and just eat them on the road."

Francesco PIATTELLI

"You drive up this mountain and through a millenary forest – so the trees are huge – and there’s this monastery there. And the monks, over many years, developed cosmetics made with plants and herbs found in the mountains. Now it’s really famous and it’s really good stuff."

Francesco PIATTELLI

"This is a Tuscan mountain town, and the food culture is really connected to what grows around there. They go mushroom foraging and animal hunting, and they mix these two in a very interesting way in their cuisine. It also has an incredible view of the whole Valdarno Valley."

Francesco PIATTELLI

"There’s no menu and Christina, the owner and chef, specializes in researching ancient local recipes from the Monte San Savino and Arezzo area. Her partner Paolo serves everything — you ask him what you feel like for wine and he’ll bring them out."

Francesco PIATTELLI

"In Populonia, on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, there’s this ancient Etruscan site calledBuca delle Fate.You have to walk about 20 minutes and you go down where there’s all these cliffs, and you can jump in the water from the cliffs. It’s hidden from most of the touristic sites, but it’s a magical castaway experience among Etruscan ruins."

Francesco PIATTELLI