Rogaia Blog

Torta di pasta sfoglia al radicchio
Torta di pasta sfoglia al radicchio

Radicchio - a delicious winter vegetable

Radicchio is mostly known as salad or as a plate decoration only. The slightly bitter taste is not for everyone. But radicchio is delicious also cooked or grilled. Here is a recipe for a "Torta al radicchio" by Mamma Ornella

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Olive tree in Umbria
Olivetree in Umbria

Olive oil, the liquid gold of Umbria

We just have finished the olive harvest 2018 at La Rogaia.

This year the harvest was very satisfying, after several years with high losses.

Together with guests and friends from Germany and England, we picked the precious olives from the trees for almost four weeks and had them pressed into the "liquid gold" of Umbria.

Read more about our olive harvest and facts about olive oil ...

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Montalcino
Montalcino

Montalcino - Quintessence of Tuscan Culture

Not only for wine lovers, the name Montalcino evokes images of vineyards in the warm sunlight and the taste of earth and full-bodied fruit flavors. The famous little town amidst gentle hills is one of the highlights of every gourmet trip in Southern Tuscany.

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Fagiolina del Trasimeno. Foto: www.melagrani.it
Fagiolina del Trasimeno. Foto: www.melagrani.it

La Fagiolina del Trasimeno - recipes with a noble bean

When we think of bean stew, we usually have in mind a mashy pap from a tin can or "chili con carne" from a field kitchen.

But there are also noble varieties of beans that are very popular with gourmets. These include the "Fagiolina del Trasimeno", which has been cultivated since antiquity in the fertile wetlands around Lake Trasimeno. We tell you, what can be made out of the inconspicuous tiny beans ...

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Evening at the Arno in Florence
Evening at the Arno in Florence

Recommended Restaurants in Florence

Florence is one of the main tourist centers in Italy and attracts millions of visitors from all over the world every year. Quite rightly, because there is really much to see. Not only the Venus by Botticelli in the Uffizi and Michelangelo's David in the Accademia, the Cathedral and the Baptistery with its bronze doors by Brunelleschi or the Ponte Vecchio with its goldsmith shops.  There are also many hidden treasures such as the frescoes of Fra Angelico in San Marco or the Giardini Baldini.

The question is, where you can find good and affordable food. Here are our personal tips.

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Mamma Ornella. Photo: Lupo
Mamma Ornella. Photo: Lupo

Ornella's "Roast Porc in Five Minutes"

Would you rather not spend the entire Christmas morning in the kitchen? Would you rather stay comfortably in bed for a bit longer instead? For "lazy housewives" Ornella has an incredibly simple pork roast recipe that makes a delicious Christmas lunch.

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Olive harvest at La Rogaia. Photo: Peter von Felbert, www.felbert.de
Olive harvest at La Rogaia. Photo: Peter von Felbert, www.felbert.de

Olive Oil - from the Tree into the Bottle

Olive oil is the "liquid gold" of Umbria, a high-quality and healthy food, that should not be missing in any kitchen. The olive harvest begins in mid October. Everywhere the nets get spread out under the trees. The pickers pick the olives from the trees by hand or with shaking sticks, then the olives they are taken to the oil mill. Read here how the olives finally become olive oil.

 

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Italian Food, what makes the difference?

Italian cuisine is considered to be one of the best in the world, but what is it that makes it so special? We will reveal to you some of the secrets ...

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Freshly grated Pecorino cheese over the  "Maccheroncini al Ragù Toscano della Nonna" is a must at "Locanda al Pozzo Antico" in Cortona, Tuscany
Freshly grated Pecorino cheese over the "Maccheroncini al Ragù Toscano della Nonna" is a must at "Locanda al Pozzo Antico" in Cortona, Tuscany

Recommended Restaurants in Southern Tuscany

Hearing of the Italian region of "Tuscany" one immediately thinks of feasting with good food and wine: Bruschetta appetizers and Chianti wine, Acquacotta soup and wild boar ham, Cantucci cookies and Vin Santo. When travelling in Tuscany you can be pretty sure to get something delicious to eat whereever you go. However, there are differences, and the best places to eat are often hidden. And they are not necessarily where most the most tourists go.
In the last 15 years many a trip with guests or with the family  has led us to  neighboring Southern TuscanySo we do not want to withhold our tastiest culinary discoveries.

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Ornella, the cook with a heart
Ornella, the cook with a heart

Ornella, our Christmas Angel

We are often asked what it is like at La Rogaia in winter, and how Christmas is celebrated here.

During a summer vacation with 35° Celsius in the shadow understandably it is difficult to imagine what the joys of winter and Christmas in Umbria look like.

So here's a glimpse at our Umbrian Christmas ...

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