The Labor Day is a holiday celebrated on 1 May of each year in many countries of the world, that will highlight the efforts of the trade union movement and the achievements in the economic and social workers.

If you are looking for a place where we can bring release from stress and indulge fully in this anniversary celebration in your honor, we suggest you to come and explore Tuscany and in particular the small world of Castellare di Tonda.

Here you will find: horse riding, spa, restaurant, mini-bar, 2 tennis courts, golf practice field, and much more.

“Schiacciata di Pasqua” is a Tuscan sweet bread flavored with anise seeds and orange. It is a 19th century countryside tradition and a way of using up the abundance of springtime eggs. Its name is schiacciata because to make it it is necessary to break (schiacciare in Italian) many eggs. Beyond the eggs you also need lot of patience: it is necessary to wait five times and many hours for the dough to raise.

Here is Serena Angelini’s (Pici e Castagne) schiacciata di Pasqua, inspired by Pellegrino Artusi’s recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients
eggs 12
flour 1.8 kg
sugar 600 g
extra virgin olive oil 200 g
butter 70 gr
yeast 30 gr
anise seeds 20 gr
Vin Santo 1 and 1 \ 2 dl
Marsala 1 \ 2 dl
1 egg yolk
orange juice or orange flower water – 1 dl
Preparation
1. Weigh all the ingredients ready for use.

2. Mix the two types of wine in a bowl, (Vin Santo and Marsala) add the anise seeds and leave them to soak for a whole day.

3. Dissolve the yeast in 1 \ 2 cup of water and add 4 or 5 tablespoons of flour. The consistency should be similar to that of bread dough. Put the dough in a bowl, sprinkle the surface with flour and seal tightly with plastic wrap.

4. First rising (one hour) – Wrap the container in a warm cloth and allow to rise until it has doubled in volume (depending on the temperature of the room normally it could take one hour)

5. Second rising (2 1/2 hours) – Combine 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, one of sugar, one of wine and the flour to the dough (again, the consistency should be similar to that of bread dough). Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour and allow to rise until it has doubled in volume.

6. Third rising (4 – 5 hours) – Combine 3 eggs, 3 tablespoons oil, 3 of sugar, 3 of wine and enough flour to proceed as before. Let it rest until the dough has tripled in volume.

7. Fourth rising (8 hours) – Add again to the dough 5 eggs, 5 tablespoons sugar, 5 oil, 5 of wine and the flour (as before, the consistency should be similar to that of bread dough). Let it rise again until doubled in volume.

8. Fifth rising (8 hours) – Finally incorporate the remaining 3 eggs, all the other ingredients including the melted butter and if the dough becomes too soft a little extra flour. Divide the ‘dough into 3 moulds of the same capacity. Cover the moulds with a cloth and leave the dough to rise overnight.

9. Preheat the oven to +180 °

10. When the cakes have risen brush them with orange juice and then with egg yolk,

11. Bake for about 1 hour

12. If the schiacciate has too much surface colour, then cover them with a sheet of ‘aluminum, and continue cooking.

I Cenci are the Tuscan version of Chiacchere or Frappe, typical cakes prepared during the Carnival period.
The first recipe is to be traced back to Roman times, over the same period in which today we celebrate the Carnival, when they used to eat “frictilia” treats fried in pork fat. The word “cencio” instead has ancient origins, probably in Florence, but its use has spread throughout Tuscany. Cenci have in fact the form of a piece of cloth.

This connection can reconnect to the clothes of the most renowned Italian masks, particularly Arlecchino and Colobina, characters of the Commedia dell’Arte.

Ingredients:
500 grams of flour
3 eggs (2 whole and 1 yolk)
4 tablespoons of sugar
50 grams of butter (melted in a pan)
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 small glass of vin santo or other sweet liqueur for
zest of 1 lemon and half orange
oil for frying
powdered sugar for garnish

Preparation:

Place the flour on a pastry board. At the center lay the eggs and sugar. Add the butter, a pinch of salt, liqueur, lemon zest / orange, and finally the vanilla sifted. Knead until the dough is medium density. Let the dough rest for about half an hour. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until you get a thickness of a few millimeters. Cut the dough into diamond shapes and fry in hot oil. Prepare a plate with paper towel to remove cooking oil from rags warm. Once the cakes have reached room temperature, dust with icing sugar and serve.

Do you know who is the BEFANA?

Befana is an old and ugly hump, with a hooked nose and pointed chin, dressed in rags and covered in soot, because she goes through the chimney.

During the night between the 5th and 6th of January, while everyone is asleep, she puts gifts and candy in the stockings of children hanging from the fireplace.

She leaves candy and treats to good children and pieces of coal to the bad ones.

The Befana is celebrated on Epiphany, which usually closes the Christmas holidays.

The word “Epiphany” comes from the greek “Epiphany” which means “appearance, manifestation.”

This is celebrated on the 6th January in remembrance of the Magi, who visited Jesus to give him gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Today begins the last month of the year: December.

This is a very important month, because of many events:

- 8/12/12 Immaculate Conception, dogma that states that the Vergin was vergin
- 13/12/12 Saint Lucia, the patron of the eyes
- 21/12/12 winter solstice, the shortest day of the year
- 24/12/12 Christmas Eve, the last day of Advent
- 25.12.12 Christmas, the day of birth of the Jesus
- 26/12/12 Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr
- 31/12/12 New Year’s Eve, because it is celebrated on the last day of the year

Do you like it? What month do you prefer?

COME TO CASTELLARE DI TONDA, WE WILL CELEBRATE THESE EVENTS TOGETHER!!

Castellare di Tonda Resort and Spa will make your stay even more relaxing. Visit our Wellness Center for a soul and body rejuvenating experience.
Our gorgeous wellness area, a 200 square meter space that was inaugurated in 2008, offers the best services: sauna, Turkish bath, heated Jacuzzi with an unforgettable view, scented showers. Our qualified staff will help you to create a perfect experience and recommend special and customized natural treatments, which help restore harmony, energy and freshness.

We advice to book massages and treatments 72 hours or before writing an email to beauty@castellareditonda.com or calling this number:
+39 3334653593
To cancel reservations: you have to inform us at least 24 hours before your appointment; otherwise we’ll debit the entire sum to your account.

The Wellness Path (one hour and thirty minutes stay)
The entrance to the Spa takes at the longest one hour and thirty minutes and includes the “welcome kit” within one bathrobe, one towel and slippers.
The Spa rises among the purest and the most virginal nature that inspires our philosophy. The services we offer to the customers are finalized to a genuine symbiosis with the green life through scents, sounds and silences.

Target price: € 26,00 On the cheap (If you have booked a treatment from our brochure): € 15,00

Kids and teenagers under 15 are not allowed to enter in the Spa area. Please tell us if you are pregnant: we have to take precautions.

Here’s the explanation of the activities you could do into the Spa area: Foot tub, Sauna, Steam Bath, Ice Cave, Emotional and Aromatic Showers, Relax Area with teas, Panoramic and heated Jacuzzi.

SAUNA Pamper yourself with the fragrances of Swedish spruce and a slice of nature that will wash away toxins and impurities as you blissfully melt away in the heat. Let your mind and body finally relax.

TURKISH BATH The perfect association of steam and heat, scented with essential oils and healing herbs dissolved into the steam, will wrap you in the powerful feeling of well-being.

ICE CAVE Discover an incredibly stimulating and relaxing experience in our ice cave, nested in a characteristic setting of refreshing rocks and subtle lighting within a balsamic nebulised shower.

ICE FOUNTAIN Energize yourself with a thermal jolt in the ice fountain after a hot sauna or a Turkish bath.

FOOT TUB This treatment will reactivate your circulation, energize your muscles and balance the life within. Experience the feeling of true well-being. As you sit in a heated seat of stone, let the warmth offered by the rocks embrace you.

EMOTIONAL SHOWER Colors and essential oils come together in a carefully selected mix to offer this energizing shower. Let the tensions ease away, relax and unwind.

PANORAMIC JACUZZI Our heated Jacuzzi is located on a patio, allowing guests to admire the breathtaking views, as far as the eye can see. Indulge in a relaxing moment and restore your energy as you contemplate the infinite horizons around you.

RELAXATION AREA Unwind in one of our heated, ergonomic beds facing the scenery. Practice silent meditation and contemplate the quiet and colors around you while you’re enjoying a cup of fragrant tea; make peace with yourself and the world around you.

Friends, how did you spent your holidays?

Summer is over and Autumn is knocking on the door; Castellare is going to be colored with all shades of yellow, red, brown and green.

We suggest you to visit our Resort and to book many activities such as: wellness center, horse riding, cooking classes, wine tasting, tractor ride and much more.

You can see, feel and touch the changing of the nature before a long winter.

You will be enchanted by the landscape and different sounds that characterize Castellare di Tonda.

We promise you will not be disappointed!!!

Why don’t you come and enjoy yourself with an amusing horseback riding, a relaxing massage and maybe a very good barbecue?

All your 5 senses will thank you!

Do you know Tripadvisor?

This is one of the most used online tools to verify whether an hotel, a restaurant or other corresponds to our needs or not.

If you want, you can see on Tripadvisor all the messages written by our guests.

Thanks to them we received the Certificate of Excellence in 2012 and we hope our level will always be so high.

We also accept suggestions and advices from who didn’t enjoy the stay at Castellare di Tonda.

Please, glance our resort on Tripadvisor!!!

Do you know Pinocchio?

You can visit his house in Collodi. It is about 1 hour and half from Castellare di Tonda.
We suggest you to visit the Park of Collodi where you will have a very beautiful and amusing day! Your children will thank you.
Here you will find a lot of games, cultural activities, puppet-making workshops, exhibitions of art and illustrations.

Pay attention to your nose!!

COLLODI: A11 Firenze Mare motorway, take the Chiesina Uzzanese exit and continue in the direction Pescia-Collodi

Monticiano, (SI) – Scalvaia
From Saturday on the 28th of July 2012 to Sunday on the 29th of July 2012

Palla Eh! is an ancient ball game, that passed down from generation to generation and seems to go back historically to the games played by the ancient Romans and Greeks.

The first versions were played with bare hands.

Palla Eh! Is still palyed in some parts of the Maremma and in the south of the Province of Siena. Here it still maintains intact the oldest version of the game that requires the use of bare hands while the “modern” versions provide a racket.

The game is traditionally practiced in the streets or squares.