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

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.

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.

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.