As we continue to enjoy comments and feedback from our owners, their friends and all of you who regularly receive our newsletters, we hope you will enjoy an additional section we added this month entitled "Something Noteworthy"
Every so often we intend to highlight a subject that we feel worthy of recognition. It won't necessarily be about the Hamlet, our owners or have a connection to Tuscany or even Italy, but is something that has struck a chord with us and so we thought to share it with you.
We have chosen to lead this edition with the story of the charity efforts in Kenya and Uganda of our owners Lawrence and Sandi Thiessen

 

We are a family that has enjoyed travelling all over the world. Originally from Australia, but based just outside London these past 12 years, Ruth and I have experienced many adventures with our four children, Georgia, Thomas, Harriet and Prudence. To the beach, the snow, the countryside, the fjords, the major metropolises, the charming towns...by ship, by air, by river boat, by bicycle, car and train. In particular, we have routinely taken villas in the summer all over Europe. Many of these experiences were brilliant, some good, and others, well, questionable. One thing we agree on however is the enduring appeal of all things Italian. We have spent many memorable holidays in the land of the Risorgimento - principally in Tuscany, in Umbria, in the Cinque Terre, Sicily, Sardinia, and finally in the magical Lakes district (Como, Garda and Maggiore).

And the award of this months Owner's Photo Competition goes to Lionel Pottier of Saint-Hilaire, France.

We choose Lionel's photo not necessarily because he participated in our olive harvest, but he managed to capture the magic of our annual tradition.

Just over an hours train journey from Cortona and your "Home in Tuscany" - you'll find Florence, the capital city of Tuscany and birthplace of Renaissance. For nine months of the year, Florence, like the majority of most other European cities, greets a stampede of sightseers and shoppers. But consider the advantages of an off-season trip. Airfares are more than often cheaper and the museums and historical sites are less crowded - offering the seasoned traveler more time to enjoy the city and sites.

Serves 6

Potato Gnocchi

Ingredients
1 kg of potatoes
1 kg of flour

… this month we have been attracted and amazed by a very special tour operator which works in one of the most hidden and beautiful areas on Earth: the Spiti Valley in Northern India.
The environment, history and people of that particular part of the Globe is one of the most unknown and exciting, and the way of discovering it, during days of wandering around, amongst deserted and hidden roads and tracks, is a perfect complement to the uniqueness of the place.