30.11.11

Great Chefs in Le Marche-Andrea Tantucci-Il Maiale Volante

100 things to taste in Le Marche

This is the story of an absolutely great agriturismo, 10 minutes from Casa Olivi, hidden in a lovely small village called Cingoli, the balcony of the Marches.
The name is already quite a long story, il maiale volante, the flying pig...
And once you sit at the table in this beautiful restaured farm with strong modern touches starts an amazing journey through the marchigian products, colors and savouries.



Andrea Tantucci, who just comes back from London where he cooked with Jamie Oliver in his restaurant Fifteen,and his partner Roberto Sancricca love Le Marche, there is no doubt, and will make you love it too...





And for more recipes, you can always buy andrea's new cook Book "Rockitchen, 30 menu per 30 dische" an amazing culinary opus based on his favorite songs...
By the way, Andrea, I am still waiting for your panna cotta recipe, just incredible!



For more info
www.ilmaialevolante.it

22.11.11

Welcome to our new partner Welcome Beyond!


Welcome Beyond, The Interview...

Please tell us a bit about the restoration of the villa.
Sophie: “We discovered the old farmhouse in 2005, it was the last ruin we visited during our week of house hunting in Le Marche and it was the good one! It took us then 1 year to find the right architects and almost 4 years to complete the renovation which in Italy is always an exciting experience...”

What was your inspiration to rent the villa to guests?
Sophie: “Our project was from the very beginning to share the result of our work. We have rented so many houses in the past for our own holidays and we never found something we completely loved. With this villa, it was our contribution to bring something new or special to the market.”

I love the contrast of the traditional farmhouse and the modern interior. Please tell us a bit about the style of the interior and the architecture.
Sophie: “Well, I like to remember our first brief to our architects. We came with books and catalogues from Christian Liaigre, B&B Italia or Cote Sud... They listened to us very nicely, sometimes saying ‘yes, we understand...’. Then we got the first drawings of the concept which were amazing but rather different. The capacity to reflect our ideas and to surprise us always positively with their creativity is the proof of their great talent!”

Please tell us a bit about the facilities you have at the house.
Sophie: “We tried to put in everything you need to enjoy a dream vacation without getting out of the casa. For the summer, we have an air conditioning system coming from the floor to feel fresh air without freezing. We also have a home theater system, satellite TV, music on the terrace connected to an iPod, a fitness room with Technogym equipment, an outside kitchen with grill and teppanyaki...and very soon a very minimalist pool table made sur mesure for our villa...”

What would you describe to be the essence of the villa?
Sophie: “Our leitmotiv has always been to combine the best of Italy from tradition to modernity. The villa is a mix of all the talents we can find in this gorgeous country.”

To you personally, what is so special about the villa?
Sophie: “Our italian friends in Treia are used to say that the house has the best position in Le Marche, on the top of the hills with a panoramic view from the landscape all the way to the adriatic coast. We spend hours admiring this marchigian landscape from the pool or the terrace!”

The location is just amazing. Please tell me a bit about the Marches. Why is it called the New Tuscany?
Sophie: “Le Marche is maybe one of the most hidden jewels of Italy. Thousands of hills with olive groves, fruit plantations or sunflower fields. Every single village has its tradition coming from a long history, beautiful old churches, museums or theaters. This is the land of Giacomo Leopardi and his beautiful ‘Infinity’. The adriatic sea is very close too, which brings a good balance between earth and water.”

What made you decide to buy a property in Italy and what do you particularly like about this part of Italy?
Sophie: “We had always dreamed about having our own house in Italy one day. We have lived in Modena for 3 years and we also love the Emilia Romagna. Tuscany was also an option but we found it more interesting to discover ‘territory’, the feeling to be in a place which is the Tuscany 30 years ago is just a luxury...”

How would you like your guests to remember their stay at the villa?
Sophie: “We hope people will remember the house for the atmosphere and the surrounding beauty they found there. Le Marche is a hidden secret, and so is our villa.”

Is there something that in your opinion you just have to do or see when visiting Le Marche?
Sophie: “It is difficult to suggest something as everyone has his own aspiration, passion or envy. We would just highly recommend to take the opportunity of a wine tasting ‘a casa’ with Amy and Mirco from ‘Il Casolare dei Segreti’, it’s just a must...”

What are some of the activities on offer in the region around the property?
Sophie: “We have great restaurants around the house like the wonderful ‘Il Casolare dei Segreti’, 2 minutes from the villa, or the great agriturismo ‘Il Maiale Volante’ and its delicious panacotta with vanilla and apricot syrup... From mid-July to mid-August you can enjoy the second most important open-air opera festival in Macerata. You can spend a day on a heavenly beach in Monte Conero with transparent water and eating Italian sushi from Moreno Cedroni, or hiking in the legendary Sibillini mountains. There are plenty of activities, the most difficult is to leave the infinity pool...”

To you personally, what has been the biggest reward about running a villa rental?
Sophie: “We are just very proud to welcome people from all over the planet, German, French, Swiss, English, but also from the United States or Brazil. We are proud and we feel responsible to bring them the best from Le Marche.”

Thank you, Sophie!

For more info
www.welcomebeyond.com

11.11.11

il parco del conero

The most beautiful movie I have ever seen about Le Marche...


Infinity
“I always had a love for this lone hill,
and this hedge, too, which blocks so large a part
of the utmost horizon from my view.
But as I sit and ponder, limitless
spaces there are beyond it and unearthly
silences more than man's and deepest stillness
Which I shape in my thought, until the heart
is all but daunted. And just as I hear
the wind ruffling through these leaves, I set that
infinite silence up against this voice
comparing them; and I recall the Eternal,
and the dead seasons and this season here
alive, and the sound of it. So my thought
Drowns in the midst of this immensity:
And sweet it is to shipwreck on these seas.”
Giacomo Leopardi
1798-1837

For more info
www.parcodelconero.com

9.11.11

Welcome to our new partner Charming Places-Siglinde Fischer in Germany


MARKEN Ferienhaus bei Treia
Villa, Ferienhaus für 11 Personen

Das luxuriöse Ferienhaus "Casa Olivi" liegt ca. 10 km von
Treia entfernt in der grünen Hügellandschaft der Marken.
Diese Region ist vom Massentourismus noch weitgehend
verschont und bietet schöne Natur im Hinterland der Adria.
Von dem imposanten Steinhaus hat man einen fantastischen
Blick auf die Umgebung, die Lage im Grünen sorgt für Ruhe
und Entspannung. Die Villa "Casa Olivi" ist hochwertig und
stilvoll ausgestattet, sichtbare Steinwände und Holzbalken-
Decken im Obergeschoss tragen zum Charme des Hauses
bei. Die gesamte Einrichtung wird von modernem Design
geprägt und ist bewusst schlicht gehalten. Im Haupthaus
gibt es vier Schlafzimmer für insgesamt neun Personen, ein
weiteres Schlafzimmer mit Badezimmer befindet sich in der
Dependance.
Im Außenbereich beim Ferienhaus lädt der Garten und die
großzügige, zum Teil überdachte Terrasse zum Entspannen
ein. Erfrischen kann man sich im herrlichen Swimming-Pool
mit Panoramablick, der von weißen Designer-Liegestühlen
umgeben ist. Auch ein Barbecue steht den Gästen der "Casa
Olivi" zur Verfügung. In wenigen Autominuten erreicht man
das Städtchen Treia mit Restaurants und Geschäften. Die
Region bietet viele Ausflugsziele, zum nächsten Strand sind
es knapp 50 km.

For more info
www.siglinde-fischer.de
www.facebook.com/charmingplaces

4.11.11

up to you...

Giacomelli in Casa Olivi, the dream may come true. Which one of those incredible pictures would you choose for this big wall? The picture will come printed ​​on paper mounted on Dibond cm125 x cm 200.



Feel free to answer on the blog and we will let you know the final choice as soon as possible.

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Another beautiful journey in Le Marche

2.11.11

La Pasta più buona del mondo, la Pasta di Aldo from Le Marche...

100 things to taste in Le Marche

In his TV series In Search of Perfection, Heston Blumenthal tasted dozens of the best artisan pastas. La Pasta di Aldo was his favourite, and he visited the man who makes it by hand.
La Pasta di Aldo is made only with the finest ingredients that are local to the area in which it is made. It is produced with an obsession for quality and perfection and is widely regarded as the best pasta in the world.

The home-style pastificio of La Pasta di Aldo can be found in the medieval village of Monte San Giusto which lies beneath the Sibillini Mountains. This artisanal pasta is produced at the hand of Maria Alzapiedi and her husband Luigi Donnari and the company grew from a desire to bring the food of their land to the rest of the world. Only the very best local ingredients are sourced, such as the carefully selected free range eggs and a very strict system of production is followed. They wake at dawn to start kneading and stretching the day's pasta dough which is a maximum output of 120kg, which needs to hang dry for a long time; night after night they attentively watch the pasta to judge the exact moment for the pasta to reach the perfect consistency.

Maria adds 'our choice of ingredients along with our production methods do not follow the traditions of home-made pasta factories, because we wanted to rediscover and rationalise the classical methods of home-made pasta production'

Each different pasta shape uses a different recipe of semolina, the dough for each type is worked only by hand and then the pasta is carefully hung on bespoke wooden frames and finally it is transferred to the special drying rooms which maintain a slow and natural temperature.

The most popular pasta shapes are 'Chitarrine', 'Tagliatelle', 'Pappardelle', 'Farrine', 'Fillini' and 'Saracene' but Maria is always working on new and innovative shapes...


For next spring-summer 2012, specially for Casa Olivi, La Pasta di Aldo will offer free pasta for each family renting the house for a week or more...isn't it just gorgeous!
for more info
www.lapastadialdo.it
Via Castelletta, 41
62015 Monte San Giusto Macerata, Italie
0733 837 120