Lunigiana & La Luna di Quarazzana

We were so looking forward to this experience- and it didn’t disappoint 😃 Based on an Alastair Sawday recommendation we booked a couple of nights at La Luna di Quarazzana - a small rustic B&B in Lunigiana, the north west region within Tuscany - an area that was totally unfamiliar to us, but we were keen to explore.

La Luna di Quarazzana is run by the most charming of couples, Ilaria and Stefano - their whole ethos based on slow travel and slow food, keen to ensure that there guests have the most amazing experience. The building is a series of 3 rambling 500 year old farm houses, which they have lovingly renovated (and still work to do), set high up in the Lunigiana mountains above Fivizzano. With just 5 rooms, it certainly feels like personal service 😃

The farm houses from the pool area

Yet again, the journey there was pretty hairy, as we came over the huge Apennine mountain range from Reggio Emilia - and got even more hairy the closer we got - as we wound the van up tight hairpin bends 😃 Funnily enough, on a very steep and narrow winding road, with only about 5km to go, we hesitatingly stopped, and a small car appeared from nowhere, pulled up at the side of us and asked if we were heading for Ilaria’s place! Of course we were - there was nowhere else to be heading for (it was so remote) - turns out this was Ilaria’s step son, also the chef at the B&B - a lovely man who just said “follow me” - so we had our own personal escort for the final leg of the journey. 

The buildings are quirky, with tons of beautiful old rustic features. The view from our room was of the Apuan Mountain range - stunning!

Apuan mountains from our room

Ruby relaxing outside our room

Our beautiful courtyard at night

Doorway to la cucina 😃

The grounds of the farm are beautiful, with many traditional and artistic features - a small vegetable patch provides the fresh produce - all organic 👍

Datterini tomatoes - so sweet & flavoursome- Tomato envy 🤣

The most delicious tomatoes I’ve ever eaten - straight from the garden

Beautiful flowers & planters

Stylish & artistic

The farmhouse is located is a very small, sleepy hamlet, where very old traditional ways of life still prevail - twice a day the local cows, complete with bells, pass through the narrow streets of the hamlet unaided (beneath our room) to drink from the local trough - it’s quite a sight 🤣

The daily parade

Armed with a map and many ideas and suggestions from Ilaria we set off to explore. Following old mule tracks through ancient villages, passing charming stone bridges, beautiful churches, through chestnut woods and olive groves, we arrived at the most idyllic waterfall location - a perfect spot for swimming 👍 Absolutely stunning countryside and views across to the Apennine and the Apuan mountain ranges. Dave also went out exploring on his bike - far too hilly for me 🤣

Cooling off

The village of Cotto with amazing church 

Vines & views

Beautiful footbridge and old mill

Rubes couldn’t wait for the waterfall  - found a handy trough on route 🤣

Beautiful iron gateways - so Italian 👍

The fresh food at La Luna was fabulous- both Ilaria and her stepson cooked for us each evening- traditional Italian 4 course meals (and all for 35 euros per person) 😃 - eating outside in the beautiful courtyard when warm enough,. A couple of highlights (in addition to the tomatoes above) were thinly sliced pieces of steak gently fried, and a fresh ricotta with nut and caramel brittle.

Dave’s favourite 

Nonna’ recipe 

Fivizziano is the nearest town, and the central hub of the region. Its main features are a beautiful Medici tower and fountain, the town being on the Medici passageway from Liguria to Florence. Ilaria recommended somewhere to eat in the town, a Slow Food deli selling all organic produce from their local farm. Yet again, we we’re not disappointed 😃

Slow food & Slow travel 😃

Pesto lasagne - yummy!

One opportunity that we couldn’t miss was a cooking class with Ilaria. Having grown up with her nonna, who owned a restaurant in Florence, Ilaria had a reputation second to one as a fabulous cook - having previously been asked to go and teach chefs in restaurants in the US and Paris 😃 So myself and Dave, and an Australian couple Craig & Mirander, had an evening of fun and delight in the kitchen, as Ilaria tutoured us through all her tips and family recipes for making a delicious Tuscan meal 🤣

What better way to start the cooking than with a glass of wine and fresh figs off the tree in the garden 

Preparing the pasta sauce & the panzanella 

 

Dave - expert pasta maker - so silky and thin! (The pasta, not Dave 🤣)

Our Menu

Slow cooked Tuscan panzanella salad - served with local ham, salami & cheese

Homemade pasta with slow cooked spicy sausage ragu

Tiramisu

Dinner was served! We hadn’t realised that we were cooking for the other guests too 🤣 Stefano popped 

the cork, and set us all off with Prosecco - a truely fabulous occasion  - and the other guests were really impressed with the food we’d cooked 👍

A wonderful evening with great company 👍

Our lovely hosts - Ilaria & Stefano

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at La Luna di Quarazzana (thank you to Sawdays, again 👍). We originally only booked for 2 nights, but stayed for 3 - it was so idyllic, just up our street, and the food and wine experience to die for! Yet again we experienced first hand just how important good food and wine are to Italians, and how much it features in their lives. We were very happy with that! The region is beautiful, a corner of Tuscany that is off the main tourist trail, rich in history and traditions - a slow way of life 😃 The extremely steep inclines and narrow zig zag roads up the mountains do provide a challenge though for exploring with the van 🤣 But armed with our newly acquired cooking skills we will definitely be getting the pasta making machine out of the cupboard when we get home 👍

Relaxing by the pool - very happy 😃 

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