Giancarlo Giannelli is a native of the town of Cercina in the Florentine hills. He grew up in post-war Italy in the Tuscany region where the mountains are as shrouded in history as they are in the mists which rise each morning across the valleys and fields heavy with olive trees and grape arbors. In this enchanting land, cooking is an art and dining is an experience. From his mother and father, Giancarlo inherited an abiding love for his homeland and a passion for preparing the typical dishes which distinguish Tuscany from all other regions of Italy.
His interest in cooking began at home and was honed over a period of years at a number of restaurants in Florence, Siena, and in the Chianti area. By the time he was 27, he had opened his own restaurant in Siena, and became instantly known not only for his imaginative and innovative dishes, but for the infectious enthusiasm he brought to his craft. Eschewing the impersonal, mass marketed type of establishment that, sadly enough, had become the norm among many local restaurateurs catering to the burgeoning tourist industry, Giancarlo opted instead for a smaller, more intimate setting featuring the authentic cooking that was the heart and soul of Tuscany.
It was at his restaurant in Siena that Giancarlo met Vittorio Cambria, a doctor of anthropology who frequently visited his establishment with groups he brought through the area on equestrian tours of Tuscany. Vittorio fell in love not only with Giancarlo's culinary creations, but also with his burning desire to keep alive the customs and traditions of Tuscan cooking. When the vivacious chef opened his restaurant, Locanda dell'Oste Poeta, in Tocchi in 1996, it became the cornerstone around which Vittorio and his associates founded 'La Cucina del Castello'. The week-long culinary experience is dedicated to the preservation of the passion of the traditional peasant cooking traditions of ancient Tuscany.
"I had a deep desire to share with others my passion for the traditions of the Tuscan kitchen," Vittorio explains. "I am watching the farming culture of Tuscany evaporate and with it, much of the stories and history behind our ancient habits and recipes. I dedicated this school to the preservation of the roots of the traditions of Tuscany."
The nucleus of the program is the Castello di Tocchi, an 11th century fortified village on a hilltop about a mile from Tocchi. The ancient stone walls, charming archways, and meandering walkways continue to evoke images of medieval life, but the interiors have been updated with modern plumbing and electrical conveniences to house up to a dozen guests in comfort and style. The heart of the structure has been transformed into a full service kitchen where chef Giancarlo dazzles the program's guests with his elaborate preparation of traditional local cooking and his individual signature dishes.
Guests begin each day of the week-long path of discovery with a typical Tuscan breakfast of coffee, juice, bread, cheese, and fruit delivered to their own rooms at around eight in the morning. Most have risen already to catch the breathtaking views from their balconies or the castle grounds as the first hints of dawn streak the eastern skies. The morning mists that fill the surrounding valleys are soon burned off by the sun as it drenches the landscape in a surreal light that has been the subject of praise and prose by some of history's most sublime voices. Most of the guests, though eager to begin their delve into Giancarlo's world of expertise, find themselves struggling to temporarily abandon the jaw-dropping vistas of mountains, fields, and valleys stretching before them to the horizon.
Chef Giancarlo launches his daily cooking demonstrations with a discussion of the dishes he will be preparing. Many of his recipes have been handed down by word-of-mouth for generations. Part of his magnetism stems from his sparkling eyes and jet black hair flecked with specks of gray, and part stems from the fact that he speaks almost no English. He bridges the lingual gap with an interpreter who has become an integral part of the program.
Leonardo Cappacioli, a 34 year old native of the area, is the quintessential young Italian male - dark hair and eyes, olive complexion, toothpaste commercial smile, and a delightful accent that soon charms each and every female in the group. In addition, he is an accomplished singer with a degree in classical music and a bass violin that he plays in a local orchestra. He brings to the equation a very important element that Giancarlo's mother felt was crucial in bringing out the inner soul of Tuscan cooking - music. She encouraged her son to sing along with the bubbling pot not only to pass the time but to infuse the food with the joy that comes with its careful preparation. Leonardo's passionate renditions of the traditional songs of the region add the musical ingredient that Giancarlo's mother believed was necessary in all cooking.
Together, Giancarlo and Leonardo outline the day's events and begin preparing the antipasto dishes that will precede the first meal scheduled for 11a.m. Giancarlo then begins work on the major dishes that will require the longest time in preparation.
Believing as he does that any conversation about the Tuscan kitchen necessarily begins with the understanding that the ingredients are king, Giancarlo's day began hours ago at first light. As soon as he had started a fire in his outdoor oven, he made a visit to his own garden harvesting the freshest herbs and vegetables for use in his creations. His basket is piled high with tomatoes, green and yellow peppers, rosemary, pomegranates, and cabbages. He also forages in the local hills, gathering mushrooms, truffles, wild berries, and a number of herbs essential to his sauces and seasonings. In addition, he relies heavily on the sprawling San Lorenzo market in Florence for the finest meat, fish, cheese, grain, and vegetables such as eggplant, potatoes, and lettuce.
His classes are small. Each week's program is limited to 12 guests to ensure that each eager participant has an opportunity for hands-on training. A warm, intimate experience is created as guests are seated directly in front of Giancarlo's work table beside his indoor fireplace rather than the cold, elevated platforms surrounded by mirrors, electrical appliances and stainless steel accouterments that separate chef from guests in other cooking schools. While his indoor kitchen in an adjacent room gleams with a modern refrigerated cooler to maintain food quality and a gas oven and stove for soups, sauces, and pasta dishes, he shuns most of today's work saving electrical devices such as mixers, blenders, and microwave ovens. The primary tools of his trade include his wooden spoons, spatulas, knives, cast iron skillets, and wire whisks.
Guests find no 'light' cooking here. Traditional Tuscan fare is based on meat stocks, and Giancarlo makes liberal use of lamb, piglet, and even wild boar from the surrounding forests in his creations. He feels that the foundations of Tuscan cooking - bread, olive oil, beans, and red wine - were, and still are, the basic dietary ingredients for the people who spent their days working in the fields. Their longevity is attributed by many experts to the red wine and olive oil that are now considered to be key players in a heart healthy diet.
Chef Giancarlo begins preparing one of his favorite antipasto dishes as the first course of the complete noonday meal that he has planned. His signature antipasto dish, and one that headlines his daily creations at his restaurant, is his fried sage and onion appetizer. Convinced that anything (even a slipper, he says!) fried properly has a wonderful taste, he finds the dish a perfect prelude to a meal or served as a snack at a party.
After rinsing and patting dry his unblemished sage leaves, he creates a series of tiny sandwiches by spreading a layer of anchovy paste between the leaves. He then dips the sandwiches into a batter of flour, eggs, salt, and warm water and fries them with the onions until golden brown. Served with a light, white wine, the dish whets the appetite with a crisp, zesty spark that tantalizes the palate.
During the course of the week-long instruction, Giancarlo will prepare numerous other antipasto dishes that elicit a chorus of 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the guests. His Duck Porchetta follows a recipe that originated in the Middle Ages when people were fond of sweet meats and fruit. The Fettunta with Beans has been served for years on cold nights during the harvest of the olives when farmers built fires to ward off the chill and grilled their bread while drizzling over it the fresh olive oil as it came from the press. Easter Pasta, with its fresh ground lamb, and the full, rich bean and grain stock of his Farrow Soup are other tempting favorites.
Giancarlo's main dishes flirt with, rather than assault, each of the five senses. His Florentine Steak (always cooked over a fire with smoke from the hay from the area!) is turned with a spatula so as not to pierce the meat. His recipe for Medici Pheasant was a favorite with royalty during the Renaissance, and he prepares it the same way with thick sliced bacon, sage, thyme, salt, pepper, and generous amounts of olive oil. A perennial favorite is chicken cooked over a fire with bricks (clay bricks only, of course) placed on top of the bird to ensure even cooking and a beautiful herb crust. His Wild Boar Maremanna, cooked in wine with Porcini mushrooms, onions, celery, carrots, and spices, is so tender that the knife at each place setting is totally superfluous.
The morning flies by with guests mesmerized by the magic of the setting - the warm, Tuscan sun cresting the hills, Giancarlo lovingly kneading his bread or chopping vegetables, the outdoor oven's glowing coals bringing a secondi piatti dish to life, and Leonardo's clear tenor notes drifting across the castle grounds. While each of his dishes are being cooked, either in his outdoor oven or in his kitchen, he shares with the guests a series of anecdotes that punctuate the handmade cookbook he has prepared and presented to each participant in the program. His recipes are woven around stories ranging from heart-touching accounts of his first true love to hilarious experiences from his 30 years in the kitchen. They are translated dutifully by Leonardo who enjoys the telling and re-telling of the stories as much as Giancarlo enjoys hearing them. The chef also recommends the perfect wine to accompany each of his dishes. When Giancarlo is satisfied that each dish is completed to perfection, he joins his guests at a huge table for the five-course work of art they are about to experience. The ubiquitous toasts to the masterful skill and presentation of the chef signal the inauguration of the event.
Following lunch each day, guests have a short time to relax before the afternoon activities get under way. Some succumb to the drowsiness that follows such a sumptuous midday feast and seek the haven of their bedrooms for a nap. Others opt for a stroll down one of the quiet, country lanes canopied by thick stands of chestnut, oak, and pine trees that are home to roe deer, badgers, porcupines, and wild boar.
Vittorio soon arrives at the Castello with a private van in which he carries his guests on tours of the enchanting countryside highlighted by wine tastings in each of the areas they visit. He regales the group with his delightful sense of humor and amazing knowledge of the Etruscan culture, legends, and history as he weaves through the spiderweb of mountain roads that snake through the Tuscan hills.
One day they walk the narrow lanes and browse the shopping stalls inside the walled village of San Gimignano, one of the best preserved medieval settlements in all of Europe. Guests sample the renowned Vernaccia wine of San Gimgnano made only in this region. On another afternoon, Vittorio carries them to the castle and fortress of Montalcino to experience the world famous Brunello vintages. In the Chianti region, a visit is made to a shop run by a family which for nine generations has been producing some of the finest salamis to be found in Italy. Family members also offer the visitors a sampling of the famed Chianti wines. In Siena, guests have the opportunity to shop for unique gifts in the local shops before their tour of the Enoteca Italiana, Italy's National Library of Wine. Over 1,000 labels from the various regions of Italy are on display in this fifteenth century castle built for the Medici family. A local guide details the history of the halls, corridors, and secret vaults of the ancient fortress as he explains the stringent standards that a wine must meet to be included in the Enoteca. The wine tasting there and at each of the other sites is conducted by professional wine sommeliers.
Other interesting side trips include a visit to the twelfth century Abbey of San Galgano. This intriguing place of devotion was built around the altar where Galgano Guidotti, a young nobleman who turned his back on the world of pleasure and hedonism into which he was born, thrust his Crusaders sword into a rock and devoted his life to God. Depending on the time of year, excursions are also planned to a local olive press and a private demonstration of cheese making.
As the Italians prefer their main meal at noontime, the evening repast each night is usually lighter fare. This comes as welcome news to the guests who can recall the table at lunch groaning under the huge platters of pasta, meat, soups, and vegetables prepared by chef Giancarlo. Sometimes a large salad with the legendary homemade Etruscan bread (with olive oil, of course) is the order of the day. At other times, Vittorio decides on an excursion to the nearby village of Murlo for pizzas cooked in wood-burning ovens. He makes a point throughout the week to delight his guests with mandatory visits to local gellaterias to sample the various flavors of ice cream for which Italy has become famous.
A grand evening feast is always planned for one night during the week at Giancarlo's own restaurant, Locanda dell'Oste Poeta which he runs with his wife, Adriana, and children, Giacomo and Elisa, in Tocchi. The multi-course event begins with antipastos ranging from Zucchini Marinade, Crepes with Walnuts, and Sfomato Mixed Vegetables to Calamari with Black Cabbage and Beans and Boiled Shrimp with Salmon and Forest Berries. His main courses change daily, but local favorites include Grilled Pigeon with Sage, Roast Stuffed Duck, Pig Roasted in the Outdoor Oven, and Wild Boar Maremanna. Each course is accompanied by Giancarlo's choice of the perfect wine to accentuate the various dishes, and a palate cleansing sorbet of apple or sage. Only the truly hard core make it to through to the dessert menu, which often features Peasant's Chestnut Cake, Tarts, and Tiramisu.
It is easy to understand why Giancarlo's restaurant has been spotlighted in a dozen magazines and newspapers featuring Italian cooking. Locanda dell'Oste Poeta was also picked by Barron's Weekly as the premier restaurant in all of Tuscany. Chef Giancarlo himself has conducted cooking demonstrations in Europe as well as in the United States where he dazzled groups in Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. with his signature dishes.
"My greatest joy," he relates through Leonardo, "is to see people returning from year to year to dine with me. "I have a great love for the traditions, history, and culture of this land. As I cook, I think often of my mother who taught me so much of what I do, and wonder if she would approve of my work."
By the time the program ends on day seven, the guests return to Florence with writing pads crammed with notes on the culinary magic that they have witnessed during the past week. In addition, they come away with a heightened sense of understanding of the thread of love for the Tuscan countryside that binds all who call that region home. As a crossroads of culture and history, the silent forests and ancient walls of Tuscany lend a rich aura of myth to the tiny villages where time has magically stood still. Preserving and nurturing those ancient ways has been the driving passion behind Vittorio Cambria's work.
"I have been fully compensated by the happiness I have seen in the eyes of the older people," Vittorio notes. "I saw it as I restored and put back into use the brick wood oven that had been used for generations at the Castello di Tocchi. And I have seen it early in the mornings as the old people watched Giancarlo start his fire there. They told me the stories of the castle, the village, and of their childhood - a recipe long forgotten."