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il Tau Tour operator<br />
NOT TOURISTS BUT TRAVELERS<br />
<br />
CATALOGUE<br />
2021<br />
GOLD<br />
BORDER LANDS
NOT TOURISTS BUT TRAVELERS<br />
WELCOME IN HOLIDAY<br />
il Tau<br />
Licensed Tour Guides for <br />
La Spezia - Lucca, Massa-Carrara &<br />
their Provinces<br />
IL TAU is composed only of<br />
licensed tourist guides operating<br />
in the provinces of La Spezia,<br />
Lucca and Massa - Carrara.<br />
What unites us is the desire to<br />
share the love for our land, to<br />
present a polymorphic region -<br />
rich of history and art, local<br />
products and unexpected<br />
fascinations - and not to offer<br />
cold information, but deep<br />
knowledge and passion for our<br />
land.<br />
Let us guide you to discover<br />
the historical Lunigiana, let be<br />
surprised by the marble<br />
quarries of CARRARA, enjoy<br />
the Ligurian Levante, from the<br />
CINQUE TERRE to the Val di<br />
Vara and Portovenere, and<br />
discover LUCCA and here<br />
province on a time travel along<br />
the ancient pilgrimage routes<br />
b e t w e e n R o m a n e s q u e<br />
churches, medieval villages,<br />
castles and ancient forests.<br />
It is the beginning of your journey searching for true and lasting emotions,<br />
firsthand enjoyed experiences and slowly relished, with your private travel expert.<br />
<br />
<strong>The</strong> tourist decides the destination of a trip, he imagine exotic places, he wants leave the<br />
work’s monotony and he dreams the relaxing away from home, lying hours after hours on<br />
a pool edge or on a remote beach; you can see him on the ski slopes with fashionable<br />
sunglasses and a warm Rum punch-glass in his hands, while he took pictures of children<br />
close to famous monuments or in some oriental bazaar looking for souvenirs for the<br />
friends. <br />
<strong>The</strong> traveler is more willing and, perhaps, more humble, he’s interested by the journey,<br />
not by the destination, he likes the comparison with different cultural realities and to<br />
judge it, he prefers to take pictures with the eyes and mind, he seeks experience and<br />
emotions not necessarily pleasant and relaxing but certainly unique and different. <br />
<strong>The</strong> traveler wants to follow the paths of large and small local memories<br />
and he gladly follows who’s able to show him the scent of wild herbs or<br />
the typical, true kitchen, one who knows every single stone, proverb or<br />
overview of its region; he is happy to feel himself as a part of a territory<br />
which his guide proudly shows and reveals him, he knows that he<br />
understood he didn’t just seen.<br />
If you are a traveler, is just you we are expecting.
gold<br />
CARRARA <br />
& the<br />
MARBLE<br />
il Tau<br />
Licensed Tour guides of <br />
La Spezia - Lucca & Massa e Carrara<br />
Come to experience a different and charming reality, made of fatigue and<br />
cleverness, old sweat and modern technology.<br />
<strong>The</strong> world of marble is not only the extraction or the processing of a stone,<br />
but the history of a region and its population which have always been<br />
synonymous with the marble. <br />
<strong>The</strong> quarries, the techniques and the “History”, of course, <br />
but also the ancient villages of the quarrymen, its customs, <br />
its language, the food and the daily “history”.<br />
Our guided tours in the marble quarries, sculpture workshops, <br />
saw mills and laboratories are giving you, in absolute safety, the direct<br />
contact with the places, the people, the tools, the machines and the daily<br />
activities of an ancient wisdom.<br />
Come with us in the quarrymen villages to taste the typical dishes of the<br />
local tradition or in the historical center of Carrara, unexpected and unique,<br />
to discover where the sculpture of Michelangelo and Canova was born.<br />
Private tours by 4x4
“<strong>The</strong> Marble EMOTION”<br />
Meeting-point ℅ our head office: <br />
https://goo.gl/maps/TtQioeuaUDnQwmVHA - (Strada comunale per Colonnata, 9 - Carrara)<br />
Start of the excursion towards the marble quarries with your private driving guide aboard one of<br />
our Land Rover Defender (8+1 seats) exclusively for you reserved. <br />
During the trip all the social and historical information about the area will be provided. <br />
Crossing tortuous and very steep roads, we’ll reach in few minutes the highest quarries, up to<br />
1000 mt. altitude. You’ll enjoy a lot of stopovers inside many different kinds of active quarries<br />
(open sky quarries, as a well developed quarries etc.), for further explanations, to see the<br />
different systems of excavation, to take spectacular photos etc.<br />
Panoramic visit of the 2° Valley (Miseglia) with stopover inside a terracing quarry to …<br />
OPTION 1<br />
…enjoy a taste of the famous Lardo of<br />
Colonnata IGP with an ice-cold Prosecco glass<br />
or a refreshing soft drink, before to come back<br />
to the starting point.<br />
OPTION 2<br />
…make a toast with an ice-cold Prosecco glass<br />
or a refreshing soft drink, before to come back<br />
to the starting point and enjoy a plentiful cold<br />
lunch with Colonnata’s Lard IGP, local cold<br />
cuts & cheeses, vegetable pies, tomatoes,<br />
water & wine.<br />
private tour package<br />
(max. duration 1 hour and 40 minutes) <br />
available every single day <br />
with our 4x4 vehicles Land Rover Defender<br />
8+1 seats each.<br />
Possibility of pick up/drop off in hotel or at<br />
La Spezia / Leghorn ports or at airport of Pisa<br />
(supplement to be agreed upon booking).<br />
N.B.: payment by PayPal or bank transfer in advance otherwise<br />
in cash at the end of the tour. NO CREDIT CARDS.<br />
N.B: the guided tours HD must necessarily end by 13.00 if ante meridiem, and start not before 1.30 pm if post meridiem. Invoices subject to the special<br />
regime (Art. 74-ter del Dpr n. 633/72) - DM n.340/1999 – Operation with VAT paid. <strong>The</strong> invoice will not constitute a title for VAT deduction.
“INSIDE the Marble”<br />
Meeting-point ℅ our head office: <br />
https://goo.gl/maps/TtQioeuaUDnQwmVHA - (Strada comunale per Colonnata, 9 - Carrara)<br />
Start of the excursion towards the marble quarries with your private driving guide aboard one of<br />
our Land Rover Defender (8+1 seats) exclusively for you reserved. <br />
During the trip all the social and historical information about the area will be provided. <br />
Crossing tortuous and very steep roads, we’ll reach in few minutes the highest quarries, up to<br />
1000 mt. altitude. You’ll enjoy a lot of stopovers inside many different kinds of active quarries<br />
(open sky quarries, as a well developed quarries etc.), for further explanations, to see the<br />
different systems of excavation, to take spectacular photos etc.<br />
Panoramic visit of the 2° Valley (Miseglia) with stopover inside a terracing quarry before to come<br />
inside a spectacular underground quarry, where the most disenchanted visitors too, are unable to<br />
mask the attraction that comes in an absolutely lunar place. And then …<br />
OPTION 1<br />
…you’ll enjoy a taste of the famous Lardo of<br />
Colonnata IGP with an ice-cold Prosecco glass<br />
or a refreshing soft drink, before to come back<br />
to the starting point..<br />
private tour package<br />
(max. duration 2 hours and 30 minutes) <br />
available every single day <br />
with our 4x4 vehicles Land Rover Defender<br />
8+1 seats each.<br />
Possibility of pick up/drop off in hotel or at<br />
La Spezia / Leghorn ports or at airport of Pisa<br />
(supplement to be agreed upon booking).<br />
N.B.: payment by PayPal or bank transfer in advance otherwise<br />
in cash at the end of the tour. NO CREDIT CARDS.<br />
OPTION 2<br />
…let’s have a toast with an ice-cold Prosecco<br />
glass or a refreshing soft drink, before to<br />
come back to the starting point and enjoy a<br />
plentiful cold lunch with Colonnata’s Lard IGP,<br />
local cold cuts & cheeses, vegetable pies,<br />
tomatoes, water & wine.<br />
N.B: the guided tours HD must necessarily end by 13.00 if ante meridiem, and start not before 1.30 pm if post meridiem. Invoices subject to the special<br />
regime (Art. 74-ter del Dpr n. 633/72) - DM n.340/1999 – Operation with VAT paid. <strong>The</strong> invoice will not constitute a title for VAT deduction.
gold<br />
To carve the Marble<br />
courses of creative sculpture<br />
Dozens centuries ago, the mankind discovered that the Apuan Alps concealing an<br />
endless resource of a white and compact marble,<br />
unique in the world; since the origins it was obvious that the stone <br />
was living and it was looking for their place in History, <br />
by designing the most perfect figures, able to emulate and <br />
to overcome the nature’s creation.<br />
A stone which, like a living thing, turns and sublimates <br />
depending of the light that caresses it or of the eye of the beholder, <br />
subject to be shaped, eroded, shattered, trampled, but - however - not destined<br />
to be ignored.<br />
To discover the “arte del levare” directly inside the marble quarries, <br />
into the same places visited by Donatello, Michelangelo and Canova , <br />
is practically a mystical experience, offering everyone the opportunity to rule and<br />
to mold the “sacred stone" of our forefathers , to know its nature <br />
and to involve all your 5 senses.<br />
To carve the marble<br />
Courses of creative Sculpture <br />
A project by: Cave Lazzareschi<br />
Cave di Marmo Tours<br />
!!!Adventurous!!!
At the end of the guided tour by 4x4 vehicles inside the marble<br />
quarries, it is possible to extend your “experience-based<br />
journey” attending in a carving crash course:<br />
- after a brief introduction the master sculptor will monitor each<br />
individual participant while carrying out activities of slotting<br />
and molding, by ensuring his assistance the whole time;<br />
- brief but complete carving experience on a marble piece, using<br />
manual and pneumatic tools;<br />
- engraving of a marble flake as a souvenir of this experience to<br />
take away. <br />
N.B.: <strong>The</strong> own time management is free, everyone can<br />
autonomously.decide time allocation for pauses, coffee break<br />
and carving (obviously within the agreed time limit).<br />
What includes the courses cost: <br />
- transfer to and from the art studio<br />
- a master sculptor assistance while the practice<br />
- professional up-to-date tools (whether pneumatic or manual),<br />
certified and periodically revised<br />
- working place inside the art studio with electricity and<br />
compressed air<br />
- row marble pieces for the practice<br />
- earplugs and by law work-goggles<br />
- accidents insurance.<br />
- coffee and mineral water bottles.<br />
<strong>The</strong> “Sculpture 1o1” (option 1)<br />
Duration:<br />
30 minutes<br />
Minimum of participants. 6 persons<br />
Course price:<br />
€ 50,00/person<br />
PLEASE NOTE: RESERVATION REQUIRED<br />
<strong>The</strong> “Sculpture 1o1” (option 2)<br />
Duration:<br />
60 minutes<br />
Minimum of participants. 4 persons<br />
!!!!!<br />
To reserve courses of creative sculpture<br />
more in-depth (2 or more days), have<br />
please a look on www.corsidiscultura.it<br />
or send an e-mail to our address.<br />
All those who have reserved a 2 or more<br />
days course of creative sculpture, have<br />
the right to enjoy a guided tour by 4x4<br />
FOR FREE (to be carried out in the late<br />
afternoon).<br />
Course price:<br />
€ 75,00/person<br />
PLEASE NOTE: RESERVATION REQUIRED<br />
Nous sommes à votre disposition pour organiser<br />
transferts quotidiens, service restauration et<br />
réservation ℅ hôtels ou B&B dans le territoire.<br />
<strong>The</strong> “Sculpture 1o1” (option 3)<br />
Duration:<br />
Minimum of participants.<br />
Course price:<br />
120 minutes<br />
4 persons<br />
€ 120,00/person<br />
PLEASE NOTE: RESERVATION REQUIRED<br />
2<br />
N.B:Our invoices are subject to the special laws of tourism (Art. 74-ter of Dpr n. 633/72) -DM n.340/1999 –<br />
VAT will not be unbundled and non-deductible.
gold<br />
LUCCA the Beautiful<br />
Thinking about the pageantry and the power of the “Roman civitas" <br />
or asking about the capitals in Italy of the Ostrogoths, <br />
the Lombards or the Franks, the answer is,<br />
inevitably, Lucca.<br />
Some wish to know the splendour of medieval cities from where rich <br />
merchants traded silk, salt and spices throughout Europe: the destination is,<br />
inevitably, Lucca.<br />
Others, vice versa, want to retrace the most significant stages of the great<br />
pilgrimages and to see the most important relics of the Christianity: the goal is, <br />
inevitably, Lucca.<br />
Two-thousand-year-old History, great gastronomy, excellent music <br />
and an unimaginable pleasure: <br />
inevitably, Lucca.<br />
LUCCA the Beautiful<br />
il Tau<br />
Licensed Tour guides of <br />
La Spezia - Lucca & Massa e Carrara
HD walking tour of LUCCA<br />
Departure from …. towards LUCCA.<br />
Free of traffic, the historic centre of Lucca offers the opportunity to immerse oneself in a rare<br />
ancient atmosphere and to regain the concepts of time and space. <strong>The</strong> visit will let us<br />
discover the evidence of the ancient splendour of Lucca: the Roman amphitheater, the<br />
Cathedral (with the mysterious crucifix known as "Holy Face”), St. Frediano and St. Michel in<br />
Forum as well as, of course, the tower-houses and the characteristic medieval streets. <br />
A short walk along the splendid city walls of the 16th century leads us to Palazzo Pfanner for<br />
a guided tour of the garden: the grassy surfaces, the ornamental flowering, the lemon basins<br />
and the 18th century statues make it an exquisite example of Baroque garden. <strong>The</strong> octagonal<br />
basin and the lemon-house adorn the green space<br />
divided into seven large flowerbeds of box, laurel,<br />
bushes of peonies and hydrangeas, centuries-old<br />
camellias as well as numerous pots of roses and<br />
geraniums.<br />
private tour package (max. duration 3 hours) <br />
available every single day = € 125,00/party<br />
Entrance fees (Cathedral+Palazzo Pfanner) = € 9,00/person<br />
Possibility of pick up/drop off in hotel by minivan <br />
(8 +1 seats) with english speaking driver = € 280,00/vehicle<br />
N.B.: the guided tours HD must necessarily end by 13.00 if AM, and start not before 1.30 pm if PM. Invoices subject to the special regime<br />
(Art. 74-ter del Dpr n. 633/72) - DM n.340/1999 – Operation with VAT paid. <strong>The</strong> invoice will not constitute a title for VAT deduction
Departure from …… towards LUCCA.<br />
Free of traffic, the historic centre of Lucca offers the opportunity to immerse oneself in a rare<br />
ancient atmosphere and to regain the concepts of time and space. <strong>The</strong> visit will let us<br />
discover the evidence of the ancient splendour of Lucca: the Roman amphitheater, the<br />
Cathedral (with the mysterious crucifix known as "Holy Face”), St. Frediano and St. Michel in<br />
Forum as well as, of course, the tower-houses and the characteristic medieval streets. <br />
A short walk along the splendid city walls of the 16th century leads us to Palazzo Pfanner for<br />
a guided tour of the garden: the grassy surfaces, the ornamental flowering, the lemon basins<br />
and the 18th century statues make it an exquisite example of Baroque garden. <strong>The</strong> octagonal<br />
basin and the lemon-house adorn the green space divided into seven large flowerbeds of<br />
box, laurel, bushes of peonies and hydrangeas, centuries-old camellias as well as numerous<br />
pots of roses and geraniums. <br />
Lunch in a typical restaurant.<br />
In the afternoon guided tour of Villa Torrigiani. <strong>The</strong> first setting up of the garden dates back<br />
to 1650 with the round pool, and the secret garden (or of Flora). <strong>The</strong> heart of the park is the<br />
Winds Ninfeo, where the monumental paths of the<br />
garden converge: characterized by a tunnel<br />
passage under the stairs and two caves with<br />
grotesque statues, all enriched by water features<br />
and flower beds. <br />
End of our services, return to the starting places.<br />
FD walking tour of LUCCA and her Villas<br />
private tour package (max. duration 7 hours) <br />
available every single day = € 260,00/party<br />
Entrance fees<br />
(Cathedral+Palazzo Pfanner+Villa Torrigiani) = € 17,00/person<br />
Possibility of pick up/drop off in hotel by minivan <br />
(8 +1 seats) with english speaking driver = € 400,00/vehicle<br />
N.B.: the guided tours HD must necessarily end by 13.00 if AM, and start not before 1.30 pm if PM. Invoices subject to the special regime<br />
(Art. 74-ter del Dpr n. 633/72) - DM n.340/1999 – Operation with VAT paid. <strong>The</strong> invoice will not constitute a title for VAT deduction
gold<br />
<strong>The</strong> CINQUE TERRE<br />
With a passionate and endless work, lasted for centuries, the human beings have<br />
proved how it may be possible to improve the work of Nature, transforming an<br />
extreme and wild region into an authentic corner of heaven, whose fascination<br />
and harmony are hardly approachable: <br />
the Cinque Terre.<br />
<strong>The</strong> sea is just the frame of the incredible beauty of the steep slopes, of the<br />
daring and unexpected vineyards, of the romantic villages which suddenly<br />
appear, plunged into a still uncontaminated nature. <br />
To walk along the innumerable footpaths, bordered with dry-stone-walls, climbing<br />
up steep hills facing the sea, is a unique experience to realize how man’s genius<br />
and work was able to subduing also the most hostile environment.<br />
If the art must be the imitation of Nature, those visiting the Cinque Terre should<br />
not be surprising to find there a lot of artistic and architectural treasures <br />
(from the marble rose windows, elegant and delicate as lace-works to the paintings of the XIV<br />
century made by local artists) explaining why famous poets drew from this <br />
territory their inspiration and why gastronomy and wines are <br />
in harmony with the excellence of this freestanding world, still holding <br />
out against modernity and rapallisation.<br />
<strong>The</strong> CINQUE TERRE<br />
il Tau<br />
Licensed Tour Guides of <br />
La Spezia - Lucca & Massa e Carrara
the PARK & the HUMAN BEING<br />
Meeting with Your personal guide at Your hotel in Versilia and transfer by minivan towards Manarola. <br />
Along the panoramic route, we discover from above the imposingness of the Navy Arsenal and<br />
the related settlements, enjoying the spectacular view of the Gulf with the Apuan Alps in the<br />
background. Just the time to recover us and already the Cinque Terre welcome us in their own<br />
way, forcing us to open wide the eyes and to hold the breath reaching the view of<br />
Riomaggiore. We feel like to go down and discover with our guide the most characteristic<br />
pathways and the Saint Lawrence church..<br />
By ferry-boat we travel along the beautiful stretch of coast until Monterosso, to visit the Saint<br />
John the Baptist church, the Mortis et Orationis Oratory and the typical hamlet, before to taste<br />
the great local wines in one of the most beautiful wine farms in the region.<br />
After the lunch, free&shopping time before to catch the train to Vernazza, the pearl of the 5 Terre,<br />
for a detailed visit, before to drive back by minivan to La Spezia and, hereinafter, to the hotel.<br />
<strong>The</strong> offer includes<br />
- 1 FD guided tour in the 5 Terre by<br />
minivan from Your hotel<br />
- Boat&train tickets <br />
- 1 1 local wines tasting<br />
pick up /drop off to Livorno<br />
pick up /drop off APT Pisa<br />
Price<br />
€ 175,00/person<br />
supplements<br />
€ 140,00/minivan<br />
€ 120,00/minivan<br />
Offers valid for groups of minimum 4 persons<br />
N.B.: the guided tours HD must necessarily end by 13.00 if ante meridiem, and start not before 1.30 pm if post meridiem.<br />
Invoices subject to the special regime (Art. 74-ter del Dpr n. 633/72) - DM n.340/1999 – Operation with VAT paid. <br />
<strong>The</strong> invoice will not constitute a title for VAT deduction
Portovenere and the CINQUE TERRE<br />
Meeting with Your personal guide at Your hotel in Versilia and transfer by minivan towards<br />
Portovenere. <br />
Boarding on a private motorboat and departure to discover the small coves and the most<br />
fascinating little beaches along the Cinque Terre coast. Possibility of an invigorating bath in<br />
the crystal clear waters of the National Park before to enjoy a grilled fish on board.<br />
Guided walking tour of Vernazza and Monterosso (with the not to be missed opportunity to<br />
taste the Cinque Terre DOC wine: “the sun in a bootle”) before to come back to Portovenere<br />
and discover one of the most exclusive and pleasant hamlet of the Mediterranean Sea.<br />
Back by minivan to Your hotel.<br />
<strong>The</strong> offer includes<br />
- 1 FD guided tour in the 5 Terre by<br />
minivan from Your hotel<br />
- private motorboat rent with lunch on<br />
board <br />
- 1 local wine tasting<br />
pick up /drop off at Livorno<br />
Price<br />
€ 270,00/person<br />
supplements<br />
€ 140,00/minivan<br />
pick up /drop off APT Pisa<br />
€ 120,00/minivan<br />
Offers valid for groups of minimum 4 persons<br />
N.B.: the guided tours HD must necessarily end by 13.00 if ante meridiem, and start not before 1.30 pm if post meridiem.<br />
Invoices subject to the special regime (Art. 74-ter del Dpr n. 633/72) - DM n.340/1999 – Operation with VAT paid. <br />
<strong>The</strong> invoice will not constitute a title for VAT deduction
LETTER TO THE GLUTTONOUS<br />
<strong>The</strong> rediscovery and protection of products and / or dishes typical of<br />
Italian culture DOES NOT exist in Lunigiana. It is not necessary to<br />
invest resources or to appeal to patriotic feelings, because our kitchen<br />
has never undergone alterations over the centuries and has not<br />
undergone international commingling but, conversely, continues to<br />
propose the ingredients and the usual preparations, without suffering<br />
flattery of the global market.<br />
Whether you’re looking for a quick snack or a celebratory lunch, the<br />
hundreds of trattorias, restaurants and farms of our territory will give<br />
you moments of gustatory ecstasy, <br />
we are ready to bet with you.<br />
Even in the widely homogeneous spread, throughout the territory, of<br />
typical dishes of some particular areas, we suggest you to discover the<br />
cooking in the cast iron Testi and we recommend you to demand the<br />
mainly local specialties:<br />
in Pontremoli: His Majesty the Testarolo<br />
in Malgrate, Bagnone, Iera e Villafranca: the Treschietto onion <br />
in Podenzana: the Panigaccio<br />
from Bagnone to Mulazzo: ancient and surprising, the bastard Lasagne <br />
(made with chestnut flour) <br />
in Comano, Tavernelle e Crespiano: humble and substantial, the Biliolo bean <br />
inside the Magra Valley: food and symbol, the Zeri lamb<br />
inside the East Lunigiana: Focaccette with cheeses & Lunigiana’s Filet <br />
everywhere: <strong>The</strong> “food” par excellence, <strong>The</strong> BREAD, but it must be from<br />
Vinca, or Po, or Agnino, otherwise the Marocca of Casola<br />
ENJOY YOUR MEAL<br />
il Tau<br />
Medieval food-tours<br />
il Tau<br />
Licensed Tour Guides <br />
of La Spezia - Lucca and Massa e Carrara<br />
gold
<strong>The</strong> populations of our Region,<br />
for historical and geographical<br />
reasons, have maintained habits,<br />
customs and traditions that have<br />
r e m a i n e d u n c h a n g e d f o r<br />
centuries; our foods, linked to<br />
work and the slow flow of<br />
everyday life in the villages, are<br />
the last trace of a world that has<br />
now disappeared. <br />
<strong>The</strong> itineraries on the territory<br />
include visits to sites of historical<br />
interest in order to highlight the<br />
deep bond still today existing<br />
between food and landscape.<br />
<strong>The</strong> LUNIGIANA’s flavors (full day)<br />
A day to discover the authentic and simple flavors, far from the noise and the rhythms of modernity, in the<br />
world of real slow food and slow live. Substantial and unexpected food, cooked or produced with ancient<br />
systems and unchanged and enjoyed in the environment that originated them, a papillary ecstasy between<br />
ancient forests, rural history and true history.<br />
A small capital sin to which willingly also the fearful and penitents are subjected.<br />
Program:<br />
at 9.00 AM Your tourist guide will take you to the heart of Lunigiana, in Filattiera, to visit a mill of the 16th century that still<br />
produces chestnut flour with the same methods and machinery of the time. A short but obligatory visit to the Pieve di Sorano and<br />
then continue in the direction of Mocrone: here we are at the home of Graziella, the last, heroic artisan who still stubbornly<br />
produces with the ancient "Testi" in cast iron the main food of this territory, his majesty the "Testarolo".<br />
Just the time for a short and exciting taste and … away to visit Bagnone, beautiful and romantic medieval market-hamlet.<br />
<strong>The</strong> lunch will make us discover the bastard lasagna, the wild herbs pies, the lamb of Zeri and much more, in an apotheosis of<br />
gustatory delights. <br />
In the afternoon (to digest) we visit the Ethnographic Museum of Villafranca, discovering the tools and uses of popular tradition<br />
before giving us a tasting of local wines or a snack based on stimulating goat and sheep cheeses.<br />
<strong>The</strong> chef recommends you:<br />
Lunigiana cold cuts and cheeses with focaccette<br />
- the vegetable pies - the fine herb omelettes<br />
the Testaroli with olive oil and pecorino cheese<br />
the bastard Lasagne <br />
the Zeri lamb baked into the cast iron “testi” <br />
the pore mushroom - the Onion of Treschietto<br />
the Beans of Bigliolo <br />
Bread of Vinca - Bread of Po’ - Bread of Agnino<br />
Marocca of Casola - Panigacci - Sgabei<br />
the Spongata - the Pattona - the “Amor” <br />
Lunigiana’s Chestnut honey DOP<br />
and from the cellar….Vermentino Colli di Luni DOC <br />
Pollera rossa IGT <br />
Passito di Pollera<br />
“there are so many<br />
important things<br />
in life, <br />
the first is eating,<br />
the others….<br />
I don’t know them” <br />
(anonymous)<br />
N.B.: the guided tours HD must necessarily end by 13.00 if AM, and start not before 1.30 pm if PM.<br />
Invoices subject to the special regime (Art. 74-ter del Dpr n. 633/72) - DM n.340/1999 – Operation with VAT paid. <strong>The</strong> invoice will not constitute a title for VAT deduction.
<strong>The</strong> populations of our Region,<br />
for historical and geographical<br />
reasons, have maintained habits,<br />
customs and traditions that have<br />
r e m a i n e d u n c h a n g e d f o r<br />
centuries; our foods, linked to<br />
work and the slow flow of<br />
everyday life in the villages, are<br />
the last trace of a world that has<br />
now disappeared. <br />
<strong>The</strong> itineraries on the territory<br />
include visits to sites of historical<br />
interest in order to highlight the<br />
deep bond still today existing<br />
between food and landscape.<br />
<strong>The</strong> BIOLOGICAL VALLEY (full day)<br />
Between the Cinque Terre and the Apennine passes, the widest and deepest valley of Liguria opens up, the<br />
Valley of the Vara. A green furrow, completely devoid of industrial settlements, where small secondary<br />
valleys converge, dotted with small medieval villages hidden in the woods. A small world where nature and<br />
its inhabitants have preserved homogeneous characteristics and which still radiates that pure charm of<br />
uncontaminated reality.<br />
Today the whole area is characterized by the quality of the environment and its more than one hundred<br />
farms that produce milk, vegetables, cheeses and organic meats (all strictly with the stamp of environmental<br />
certification) thanks to a clean energy provided by wind and photovoltaic systems.<br />
Program:<br />
At 9.00 AM Your tourist guide will take you to the Vara Valley, from Varese Ligure - the first country in Europe certified<br />
ISO 14001 for environmental quality - to Brugnato and Lagorara Valley, to discover the typical and genuine products, in the<br />
refreshing beauty of nature. Visit of a cheese factory with tasting and possibility to buy directly from the producer.<br />
Lunch based on local specialties in the restaurant.<br />
In the afternoon, before returning to the starting points, possibility to stop at the Brugnato outlet.<br />
<strong>The</strong> chef recommends you:<br />
i “croxetti” o “corzetti” <br />
homemade pasta (thanks handmade wooden stamps) that<br />
always remains “al dente”<br />
le “tomaselle” = meat rolls <br />
le "sciuette" (translated: little nuns)<br />
desserts with almond paste, so called because they were<br />
once prepared by cloistered nuns <br />
i “gobeletti” = little cakes filled with home made jam<br />
just to don’t mention the mushrooms, the<br />
vegetable pies, the chestnut flour or the from freerange<br />
chickens and pigs bred in the wild etc. <br />
and from the cellar….<br />
Cinque Terre DOC <br />
Vermentino Rosso<br />
“there are so many<br />
important things<br />
in life, <br />
the first is eating,<br />
the others….<br />
I don’t know them” <br />
(anonymous)<br />
N.B.: the guided tours HD must necessarily end by 13.00 if AM, and start not before 1.30 pm if PM.<br />
Invoices subject to the special regime (Art. 74-ter del Dpr n. 633/72) - DM n.340/1999 – Operation with VAT paid. <strong>The</strong> invoice will not constitute a title for VAT deduction.
<strong>The</strong> populations of our Region,<br />
for historical and geographical<br />
reasons, have maintained habits,<br />
customs and traditions that have<br />
r e m a i n e d u n c h a n g e d f o r<br />
centuries; our foods, linked to<br />
work and the slow flow of<br />
everyday life in the villages, are<br />
the last trace of a world that has<br />
now disappeared. <br />
<strong>The</strong> itineraries on the territory<br />
include visits to sites of historical<br />
interest in order to highlight the<br />
deep bond still today existing<br />
between food and landscape.<br />
<strong>The</strong> big cauldron of ALTOPASCIO (full day)<br />
Along the pilgrimage routes, since the 10th century, a lot of Hospitia or Spitalis were built to welcome the<br />
travelers, the poor and the sick; the oldest and most famous of them are the Abbey of Camaiore and the<br />
Spital of San Giacomo di Altopascio (also named the TAU). Anyone who cames here found, at any time,<br />
large cauldrons perennially steaming and stuffed with pulmentarium (polenta made with broad bean, millet,<br />
panic, spelled, etc., seasoned with lard or olive oil) and, above all, a spelled soup (wild wheat which<br />
spontaneously grew in large quantities in the fertile plain). A piece of saltless bread and enough wine or<br />
millet beer, completed the call to the Eucharist and the first 2 “Works of Mercy”.<br />
Perhaps because, if the food is good, it does not change, or perhaps because the proverbial avarice of the<br />
Lucca inhabitant but, even today, the recipes and the convivial pleasure have remained unchanged.<br />
Program:<br />
Around 9,00 AM your private tourist guide will lead you on a journey through the time to discover Camaiore. After the<br />
visit and some free & shopping time, finally .... LET’S EAT!!!! <br />
<strong>The</strong> lunch will make us (re)discover the healthy and tasty dishes that our grandmother prepared and it will be impossible to don’t taste<br />
until the last bite of every dish served. In the afternoon guided tour of Lucca with a plentiful wine tasting.<br />
<strong>The</strong> chef recommends you:<br />
the Biroldo - the Bazzone Ham - the<br />
Tizzone and the Mondiola of the Garfagnana<br />
the Spelled Soup - the Garmugia - the<br />
Farinata of black kale <br />
the Eels Lucca-style - the Cioncia -<br />
the white Polenta with pork ribs & sausages <br />
the Beans boiled in the flask<br />
the chestnut Necci with sheep's ricotta -<br />
the Buccellato <br />
and from the cellar….<br />
Montecarlo white DOC <br />
Montecarlo red DOC<br />
Vino Santo<br />
“there are so many<br />
important things<br />
in life, <br />
the first is eating,<br />
the others….<br />
I don’t know them” <br />
(anonymous)<br />
N.B.: the guided tours HD must necessarily end by 13.00 if AM, and start not before 1.30 pm if PM.<br />
Invoices subject to the special regime (Art. 74-ter del Dpr n. 633/72) - DM n.340/1999 – Operation with VAT paid. <strong>The</strong> invoice will not constitute a title for VAT deduction.