Florence Italy accommodation as far as hotel and farmhouse are
concerned, let your imagination go from richly furnished five
star hotels either in the hub of the city or smaller town
accommodations, hidden away in the green hued countryside. From
palaces to castles exquisitely decorated and pensions or
guesthouses owned by friendly local people. These all year round
lodgings have a wide price range but you can assured that good
bargains are to be found in the low season. Florence welcomes
everybody to be comfortable and caters to everyone's budget.
Wealth and Comfort in Florence Italy The Savoy Hotel is a
favourite for those wishing to fulfil a desire for luxury
sleeping, not forgetting the shopping gallery and excellent
cuisine at the restaurant. The Hotel II Guelfo Bianco on the Via
Cavour right near the San Marco Square has antique art treasures
and original paintings and excellent commodities. Or maybe a
stay at the Grand Hotel Baglioni with its sweeping grey stone
stairway so typical of many Florentine monuments and wooden
beams decorating the ceiling all which give you that special
feeling of peace and relax.
Florence city needs to be visited during an extended period of
time and if this is not feasible, then short visits are ideal to
take in all the museums. And for me, one of the best ways to do
this is by staying in a small town farmhouse near Florence and
with your Florence car rental, enjoy small joints into the city.
One of the cutest medieval towns nearby is San Gimignano,
situated in the triangle of Siena, Florence and Volterra. San
Gimignano is undoubtedly known for its thirteen remaining towers
of the original seventy-two which once existed. Here, you can
have sweet dreams sleeping in a mansion from the 14th century
and have breakfast in a precious patio. Or in a rural house with
high ceilings and worked iron beds. Praise Good Italian Cooking
At some of these farmhouses there are cookery classes and it is
here where I learned to cook Stracotto or 'Pot Roast'. This is a
very popular weekend Sunday meal in Italy as well as in Great
Britain and North America. The Italians serve it over a
delicious noodles bed of pasta enriched with the Chianti wine
sauce where the others serve it with potatoes. Here goes......
Stracotto (serves 4-6 persons)
- 3 to 4 lbs. top round beef - 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves - 3
medium thinly sliced carrots - 3 medium diced onions - rosemary
leaves - 2 cut up celery stalks - 2 cups water - 1 lb. ripe
tomatoes ( peel, seed and cut them ) - 1 fourth cup olive oil -
1 and a half cup Chianti or dry red wine - 1 tbsp. melted butter
- 1 tbsp. flour - salt and pepper as you like - 1 lb. pasta of
your choice
Roll and tie up beef and then make small holes to put the garlic
into.
In a saucepan, heat the oil and slowly cook the carrots, onions
and celery until soft and add in the rosemary. Push these
vegetables to one side and put the beef roll in the middle and
brown on all sides at the same time as you are sautéing the
veggies. Add in the tomatoes and when they are getting soft, add
the wine. Boil until the wine liquid has been consumed to about
one half cup and add 1 and a half cup of water and let simmer
for about 1 hour more. Separate the meat and vegetables from the
broth and let the meat cool. With remaining half cup of water
mix the flour and the melted butter in with the broth and cook,
constantly stirring it for 3 minutes. Slice meat and put the
pasta and the sauce in the middle of the plate and two or three
meat slices to one side and top with some more sauce if desired.
Bon appetite!
This is just one of the Florence Italy recipes that I learned.
Stay tuned for more!
About the author:
Peter Wilson publishes for the
http://www.florence-it
aly-guide.com internetsite. Peter is working on topics such
as sightseeing tours
around Florence
and around Italy.
