blogging... Fortezza de' Cortesi

I LIVE IN A SPECIAL PLACE IN SAN GIMIGNANO COUNTRY

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 17:16:00 +0000

This morning while I was walking along the old path around my house I was thinking how happy I am to be living in this special location, which is for me the most beautiful place in the world.

Every place has its own unique identity. These rare characteristics that we can find in no other place on earth is what droves me to this charming spot. Here, during the Renaissance great intellectuals, artists and politics of that time were hosted by Paolo Cortesi distinguished humanist, secretary of the pope Giulio II and professor at the University of Siena. He was the owner of this cultural center named Castrum Cortesianum. Here Pope Alessandro III, Pope Giulio II, Angelo Poliziano, I Medici, Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola and many others personalities spent part of their time talking about literature, art, politics, architecture; here there was a private library for public use; here Paolo Cortesi also wrote and printed his most important book “De Cardinalatu”, a book dedicated to the role of cardinal-senator, a typical figure of the Papal States to pluck it out between the '400 and '500. The text is one of the cornerstones of humanistic literature.

Every time I caress these walls full of history and culture I feel a special energy.
What good vibrations and great sense of peace all around .....!

Many greetings of a very happy holiday season with a special home made “Panettone”!

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 15:51:00 +0000

Look what a wonderful chocolate "Panettone" cake in the shape of crib gave me my friend Roberta! Thanks my dear, you really are an exceptional pastry chef maitre! You are all invited to a...virtual taste! Happy holidays and best wishes!!

What a beautiful october!

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 16:46:00 +0000

During this period, a pleasant contrast to Fortezza de 'Cortesi: Rose and olives in the garden!

Relaxing holiday, our philosophy.

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 16:08:00 +0000

First, you must be on the mood. It is a rustic romantic place. Everything is very simple, but, as one once said, simplicity is the last degree of elegance. By the price you pay, you must think you are paying to see how paradise looks like, not for a mini bar full of sugar and alcohol.....
Today I want to say thank you to one of our kind customers who posted this comment on the most popular travel community on Internet. These words perfectly interpret the philosophy and the nature of our offer: a place where the silence, the history, the sense of peace are everywhere in a spacious environment for a few guests, where time is suspended to allow them to regenerate.

Today Tuscan Tomato Bread Soup (Pappa col Pomodoro)!

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 13:24:00 +0000

Here’s for you a typical classic Tuscan dish “tomato bread soup”. Please never propose it in the wintertime, the freshness of ripe tomatoes and scented basil are essential for the successful outcome of this recipe ideal for hot summer days. Ingredients for 4 people: 250 g Tuscan -style white stale bread 600 g ripe tomatoes 4 cloves of garlic a stalk of fresh sage a nice bunch of basil extra virgin olive oil salt pepper 1 onion 1 carrot celery q.b. parsley q.b. water q.b. First of all prepare the tomato sauce. In a large pan sauté the 2 cloves of garlic gently in 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Join onion, carrot, celery and parsley previously cut. As soon as the lot turns golden, toss the peeled tomatoes and a nice bunch of basil, all roughly chopped. Bring to the boil for a moment then sieve the lot, add the water and boil in again with salt and pepper. Cut the bread with the 2 other cloves of garlic, put it in a clay pan on the flame with abundant extra virgin olive oil, the sage, a little pepper, salt and water. Try to chop the bread a little more meanwhile the water is boiling. Add water as soon as it dries up and go up until the bread is completely moistened and chopped. Join now 4 ½ cups or more of tomato sauce (the soup should be brightly red-coloured and the sauce abundant). Leave to simmer slowly for 1 hour or more until the bread is mashed in the sauce. The soup should prove fairly thick so add more water only if necessary.

ORGANIC STROWBERRIES DELICIOUS FRUITS OF MY GARDEN

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:12:00 +0000

Surely all of you know and love strawberries jam. It's delightful on toast, bread, and the ideal ingredient for special tarts. From May till October I prepare it with strawberries and lemons collected in my organic garden. All my family appreciate it and also my guests like it for breakfast.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients
1kg fresh strawberries hulled and washed
the juice and peel of a fresh organic lemon
1kg granulated sugar

Cut strawberries into big pieces and put them in a large bowl along with the lemon juice and peel - cut in the small pieces - and the sugar. Cover and put in the fridge for 12 hours.
Put the mixture into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, skimming from time to time. Increase heat to high and bring it to a full roiling boil while stirring constantly for quite 10 minutes. Reduce heat and continue to boil it for 10 minutes. To control if the jam has the right consistency
test it by pouring a couple of drops of it into one plate, if done the jam should thicken almost immediately.
Finally, pour the hot jam into sterilized jars and close and place them upside down until fully cool down.

Pasta and peas, a simple and tasty Italian dish.

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:12:00 +0000

Here for you a photo of my organic garden's peas, they are finally ready to be collected. I want to share with you my personal simple recipe. It’s a quick and easy dish for all the family.

Penne and fresh peas

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 cups fresh shelled peas
2 slices of prosciutto, dinced
5 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp salt
4oo gr penne pasta

In a large saucepan, sauté the dinced prosciutto and onion in the olive oil over low heat, until the onions are translucent, it takes about 10 minutes.
Then, join peas and just 1 minute later the vegetable broth with salt. Continue cooking over medium heat till peas are tender.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente; drain and add the peas mixture. stir in and….enjoy a simple tasty Mediterranean diet dish.

San Galgano Abbey, a secret treasure in Tuscany

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 16:09:00 +0000

Far only 1 1/2 hour by car from Fortezza de’ Cortesi, situated on the main road between Massa Marittima and Siena, the Cistercan abbey of San Galgano leave to visitors an indelible picture in the memory. It was built between 1224 and 1288 and contained the earliest Gothic churc in Tuscany. It provided the inspiration of Siena Cathedral. A magical, special, suggestive place. Absolutely to visit!

OUR DOG CLEOPATRA AND ...CATS.

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:48:00 +0000

What about Cleopatra the curious Fortezza de’ Cortesi dachsund? So brave, amusing and affectinate with all humans, she’s terrible with our cats. The hunter insticts guide her short legs chasing the poor felines who take refuge on the property’s wood trees. She waits adamant barking for hours till exhausted she comes home with his tongue hanging out.

Gli amici a 4 zampe di Fortezza de' Cortesi

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 15:17:00 +0000

Cosa dire di Cleopatra, la curiosa bassottina a pelo duro di Fortezza de’ Cortesi? Così amabile, divertente e affezionata al genere umano, è terribile con i nostri poveri gatti.
L’ istinto di cacciatrice guida le sue corte zampe all’inseguimento dei poveri felini che cercano rifugio sugli alberi del bosco della proprietà. Lei imperterrita attende abbaiando per ore e alla fine torna a casa esausta con la lingua penzoloni.

Mint, an extremely versatile herb

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:04:00 +0000

Mint is an important ingredient in health products and beauty, especially for hair and oily skin. It also complements dishes both sweet and savoury.
It has the ability to bring freshness to any dish you may prepare for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Mint tea is said to aid digestion. Use it fresh to make this delicious mint tea recipe. It’s incredibly easy to make.
You will need 1 oz (15-30 g) of fresh mint.
Put the leaves in a tea infuser. Heat 3 cups of water to boiling. Then pour the boiling water over the leaves and into the pot. Let fresh leaves steep for about 3-4 minutes.
Now, drink and enjoy the taste of a relaxing summer sunshine in a cup.

blogging... Fortezza de' Cortesi: Erbe aromatiche, che aiuto prezioso in cucina!

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 08:03:00 +0000

blogging... Fortezza de' Cortesi: Erbe aromatiche, che aiuto prezioso in cucina!

Sage, beautiful in the garden, good on the plate

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:31:00 +0000

Walking in my garden I admire the borders of sage and I pick a few leaves. Immediately an intense aroma is released into the air. Well, they will be perfect for seasoning ricotta and spinach Tuscan ravioli (gnudi) that I made this morning.

Ingredients:
4 ½ pounds spinach
16 oz ricotta
3 eggs
a little flour
4 oz butter
10 sage leaves
6 spoons of parmesancheese
nutmeg
salt

Wash and boil the spinach with a little water salting lightly. Drain, leave to cool and chop finely.
Put the trhee whole eggs into a bowl and mix them with the ricotta, a pinch of nutmeg and salt.
Add the parmesan cheese and the chopped spinach and blend well. With this mixture make little ovalshaped rissoles and flour them. Boil some lightly salted water and drop in a few the “gnudi” at a time. As soon as theyrise to the surface, take them out of the pan with a perforated spoon and put them on a wide serving dish. Season them with melted butter that had been previously heated to which were added the sage leaves and plenty of parmesan.

Salvia, bella in giardino, buona nel piatto

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:25:00 +0000

Passeggiando nel mio giardino ammiro le bordure di salvia e ne raccolgo qualche foglia. Subito un profumo intenso si sprigiona nell'aria. Bene, saranno perfette per condire i ravioli di ricotta e spinaci alla toscana (gnudi) che ho preparato stamattina.

Ingredienti
2 kg di spinaci,
400 gr di ricotta ,
tre uova,
farina qb
100 gr di burro
10 foglie di salvia
6 cucchiai di formaggio parmigiano
noce moscata
sale q.b.

Lavare gli spinaci e lessarli in poca acqua salata. Scolarli, lasciarli raffreddare e tritarli finemente.
In una terrina lavorare la ricotta con le uova intere, un pizzico di noce moscata e sale qb. Aggiungere poi il parmigiano e gli spinaci e amalgamare il tutto.
Con il composto formare delle polpette non molto grandi di forma ovale. Infarinatele.
Far bollire dell’acqua salata e gettare gli gnudi in piccole quantità. Scolarli con un mestolo forato quando tornano a galla e metterli in un vassoio largo.
Condire con burro fuso precedentemente scaldato a cui erano state aggiunte le foglie di salvia e abbondante parmigiano.

Poetry , our soul food….

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 09:43:00 +0000

Today is a tender spring sunny day. I’m in the mood for poetry. Here is one of my favorites.

The morns are meeker than they were-
The nuts are getting brown-
The berry's cheek is plumper-
The Rose is out of town.
The Maple wears a gayer scarf-
The field a scarlet gown-
Lest I should be old fashioned
I'll put a trinket on.

Emily Dickinson

Yes, me too I’ll put a little trinket on.

Poesia, cibo per la nostra anima…

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 09:23:00 +0000

Oggi è un tenero soleggiato giorno di primavera. Sono in vena di poesia. Questa è una delle mie preferite.

Le mattine sono più miti di prima-
le noci imbruniscono già-
la guancia della bacca è più tonda-
la rosa è fuori città.
L'acero indossa uno scialle più allegro-
il campo una gonna scarlatta-
per non parere antiquata
mi metterò un ninnolo.

Emily Dickinson

Si, metterò anch'io un piccolo ninnolo.

Rosmarino, il sapore mediterraneo in cucina.

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:25:00 +0000

Con la sua forte fragranza il rosmarino in cucina la fa da padrone.
E’ l’ideale abbinato a verdure, pesce, carni arrosto e per preparare una deliziosa focaccia.
Aggiunto alle patate arrosto le rende speciali.
Ecco la mia ricetta personale.

Patate arrosto al rosmarino
1 kg di patate
3 rametti di rosmarino
4 spicchi di aglio
5 cucchiai da tavola di olio extra vergine d’oliva
sale e pepe

Preriscaldare il forno a 180°. Dopo aver pelato le patate tagliarle a pezzi e metterle in acqua fredda per 1 ora. Scolarle e metterle in una casseruola da forno rettangolare, aggiungere gli spicchi d’aglio non sbucciati e schiacciati, sale, pepe e il rosmarino. Condire con l’olio extra vergine d’oliva e cuocere in forno per circa 2 ore fino a che non avranno raggiunto un bel colore scuro dorato.
Ecco un contorno semplice ma estremamente saporito.

Rosemary, the Mediterranean taste in the kitchen.

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:17:00 +0000

With its extremely fragrance Rosemary in the kitchen is what it is all about. It makes a wonderful addition to vegetables, fish, roasted meats and to prepare a delicious focaccia. Roasted potatoes also benefit from its use. Here below my personal recipe.

Rosemary roasted potatoes

1 kg potatoes
3 rosemary springs
4 cloves garlic
5 tablespoonfuls extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 180°C. After peeling the potatoes cut them into chunks and put them in cold water for 1 hour. Put the potatoes pieces into a wide rectangular baking tin, together with the roughly chopped garlic cloves, salt, pepper and the fresh rosemary leaves. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil and bake for nearly 2 hours until they are deep golden brown.
Here it is a simple but extremely tasty side dish.

Aromatic herbs, what a valuable help in our cooking!

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:52:00 +0000

A lot of recipes include Basil. Its spicy smell is the main ingredient in traditional pesto sauce. Also add it fresh in your mozzarella and tomato salad, a little salt and extra virgin olive oil and…you will enjoy the taste of a simple delicious Italian dish.

Erbe aromatiche, che aiuto prezioso in cucina!

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:42:00 +0000

Molte ricette della nostra cucina includono il basilico e il suo profumo pungente è l’ingrediente principale del tradizionale pesto. Aggiungetelo fresco alla vostra insalata di pomodori e mozzarella, un po’ di sale e olio extra vergine d’oliva e… godetevi il gusto semplice e delizioso di un tipico piatto Italiano.

What a kind way to start the day!

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:27:00 +0000

What a pleasure to recognize the same values and feelings in the appreciation of one's guests! Today after breakfast, two delicious American guests told me how nice is rediscovering the pleasure of speaking, the useless of telephone and television in a place like the Foretezza. I replied, this is exactly what brought me and my husband in this magical place, here there is time and peace of mind to find ourselves and our loved ones.

Un buon inizio di giornata!

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 09:55:00 +0000

Che piacere sentire che quello che vuoi trasmettere ai tuoi ospiti è apprezzato! Oggi dopo colazione due deliziosi clienti americani mi hanno detto che qui l'uso del telefono e della televisione è superfluo e che hanno riscoperto il piacere di parlare. Ho risposto che è proprio ciò che questo luogo magico offre, la possibilità di avere a disposizione spazi, tempo e tranquillità per ritrovare noi stessi e le persone che amiamo.

Tuscan emotions, romantic luxury of a relaxing holiday in the countryside

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 11:43:00 +0000

Tuscany is the place where senses re-align to the nature; the smell of the countryside by the season change, the sight of generous landscaping, deliciously rolling lush of olive trees, cypresses vineyards dotted by antic villages, the luscious taste of a fruit picked from its tree, the story of struggle working hands on the roughness of an old "beating" table, the sound of the nature at night.
Enjoy the romance of a luxuriant holiday of idleness, antonym " negotium", forced time to tasks materials, taking the privilege of ample living space to share in a few ......

il vero lusso di una vacanza

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 15:17:00 +0000

Il vero lusso di una vacanza in campagna ai nostri tempi? L’ozio, ma nella accezione latina del termine "otium", il dolce far niente che si contrapponeva al "negotium", tempo forzato da dover dedicare alle incombenze materiali.
E poi la possibilità di godere di spazi vitali ampi da condividere con pochi privilegiati.
Un luogo dove poter esercitare i sensi così spesso bistrattati nel quotidiano; rieducare l’olfatto agli odori della campagna nel mutare delle stagioni. Incrociare per un momento infinito lo sguardo di un daino e subito poi lanciare la vista da una collina , sfiorando piccoli borghi, coltivazioni di viti e ulivi, boschi e sempre più in là, senza limiti nell’infinito. Assaggiare golosi un frutto colto da un albero e ritrovare “quel” sapore che da tanto non gustavamo. Sfiorare con la mano il piano di un vecchio tavolo da “battitura” e ritrovare nelle sue rugosità la fatica di una mano antica.
Il suono del silenzio nella notte, che ci meraviglia e ci riconcilia con noi stessi.

a day in the middle-age in San Gimignano

noreply@blogger.com (blogging Fortezza de' Cortesi) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 10:17:00 +0000

Enjoy one full medieval day in San Gimignano at the Rocca di Montestaffoli on June 4 from 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. A suggestive exibition of the Drums, the Dance group Medioevo in Danza, and turn and performings of soldiers and archers.