A Renaissance Escape: Art, Relaxation and Good Food on a Weekend in Figline Valdarno

Strolling beneath the old arcades of a town steeped in Renaissance atmosphere, sipping good Chianti just a few kilometres from the hills where it is produced, listening to the same bells and admiring the same paintings that had inspired and set some of history's greatest humanists thinking about art, life and philosophy: to do all this, we chose the birthplace of one of them, the celebrated Marsilio Ficino, who was born in Figline Valdarno in 1433. We reach our destination after settling into the comfortable, characterful rooms, fitted with every comfort, of the B&B La Casa di Einstein, which also has a lovely swimming pool and is located in the nearby municipality of Incisa in Val d'Arno.

From science we thus arrive in the heart of Medici culture, discovering that the town was known for its crafts, in particular the making of clay vases and tableware, already in Etruscan and Roman times. Figline, which lies on the ancient Via Cassia, is the oldest of Florence's 'walled lands'. The castle of Fegghine was already an important fortress in the 11th century, and the 14th-century ring of walls we drive alongside on our way into town is still intact. We leave the car in a free car park and walk into the town, climbing its characteristic little stairways and passing under its arcades. In the narrow streets we admire the little arches that link the buildings one to another, and so we reach the very central Piazza Marsilio Ficino.

On one side stands the Spedale Serristori, dating from 1399, with a fine 17th-century loggia, while opposite rises the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria, founded between 1252 and 1257. Inside it is also kept the famous panel painted by the Master of Figline, a contemporary of Giotto. Turning into Vicolo Libri, we reach the Palazzo Pretorio, admiring the old civic tower, visibly leaning, which houses a bell from 1384. Opposite the Palazzo is the Piazza di San Francesco d'Assisi, dominated by the church dedicated to the saint. Walking through its decorated portico is a real leap back into the 13th century, and the emotions continue inside, where besides the fascinating remains of frescoes you can admire the fine 14th-15th-century cloister, adorned with 17th-century frescoes.

After this lovely walk we decide to crown the day with a proper Tuscan dinner, at Trattoria da Tramaglino, on Via Fiorentina, in an area that is easy to reach and offers excellent parking. Welcoming us in the restaurant's beautiful, bright rooms is the owner, Stefano Torrini, known as il Tramaglino, who runs the restaurant with the cook Francesca, the waiter Cristian and Enrichetta, the dessert specialist. 'Before taking up the restaurant trade, I was a fruit and vegetable merchant for twenty years. Knowing the local farm produce well, it was only natural for me to be enthusiastic about opening, together with other partners, a hotel-restaurant at Incisa Val d'Arno, in 2001. The trattoria has been here in Figline since 2010, and we always focus on Tuscan specialities and the quality of our ingredients,' Mr Stefano tells us, as we begin choosing the treats to taste.

We start with a board of Tuscan cinta senese pork cold cuts, produced artisanally in house, and with the sbriciolona or finocchiona: large salamis with a fresh, soft texture, served with home-prepared artichokes in oil. We also taste a board of D.O.P. sheep's cheeses at zero food miles, flavoured with pear, Chianti and chilli. The homemade Tuscan flatbreads are fantastic too, as are the egg pasta and the pici. We go on indeed with tagliatelle with fresh porcini mushrooms and with 'Pici sulla Nana', that is, thick fresh durum-wheat spaghetti dressed with duck sauce with pieces of meat. We very much appreciate the ribollita too, the typical Florentine soup. We wash down these treats with excellent loose wines such as the red Montalcino D.O.C. and the Bolgheri D.O.C., but we also taste some very good Chianti from nearby cellars.

And so the long-awaited moment arrives to savour the restaurant's main speciality, the fantastic bistecca alla Fiorentina. We cannot resist, however, the old-style Tuscan mixed fry, with chicken, rabbit and lamb, and the tagliate (Robespierre-style or with fresh porcini mushrooms) and the fillets with lard and rosemary or fresh black truffle also meet with great success. It will always be a great pleasure to come back here, also to eat fresh fish or pappardelle with wild boar, and this time our dinner ends on a very sweet note, thanks to the fabulous desserts prepared by Enrichetta, including the affogato with coffee, the millefeuille with Chantilly cream, the strawberry cheesecake and the homemade strawberry tarts.

Text: Francesca Bertha Consultancy and photographs: Marco Mocellin

FOR INFORMATION:

Trattoria Tramaglino Via Fiorentina, 68 Figline Valdarno (FI) Tel.: 055/9153519