La Crocetta

After our stay here, and putting all the aspects and details together, for us La Crocetta could be summed up in the words, ’a magic place’ Located just a few short steps away from the ancient “borgo” town of San Casciano dei Bagni and perfect also from which to enjoy and discover the charming and beautiful surrounding areas, combining a bit of touring with the nearby thermal baths, but above all enjoy moments of relax in the casual country elegance of this intimate hideaway. We felt welcome...

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After our stay here, and putting all the aspects and details together, for us La Crocetta could be summed up in the words, ’a magic place’ Located just a few short steps away from the ancient “borgo” town of San Casciano dei Bagni and perfect also from which to enjoy and discover the charming and beautiful surrounding areas, combining a bit of touring with the nearby thermal baths, but above all enjoy moments of relax in the casual country elegance of this intimate hideaway. We felt welcome and at ease, immediately upon stepping out of the car and entering into the garden, admiring the roses, those still in bloom, breathing in the fresh air and looking ahead, to what appeared as a charming and picture perfect setting.
We were travelling with friends and luckily for us , the first night we opted to dine at the in house restaurant of La Crocetta, for the next two evenings Andrea Leotti owner and chef treated us to a menu which is a testimony to his personal passion and his inspirations which as we discovered are closely tied to the seasons, and to the nuances of all that is authentic and also in particular to what caught his fantasy that morning in his personal vegetable garden or from the surrounding farms, since everything which is on the ingredient list is grown in Tuscany (except of course for the parmagiano cheese!). The pasta is homemade and even the tagliatelle are cut by hand, Andrea and his wife Christina explained to us that such a small detail as to whether the pasta is cut by machine or by hand, changes (a subtle change but still a perceivable change) with how the sauce and the pasta blend, and thus also affects the overall flavour of the dish. This attention and philosophy is reflected not only in the Andrea’s cooking but also in the total atmosphere of the house and the hospitality which he and his wife Christina in a very natural and elegant manner welcomed us with and which is reflected in the atmosphere and rooms. We visited in fall time, when most of the leaves on the trees in the garden were turning colours and there was mist and fog in the air together with the aroma of chestnuts which were roasting in the fireplace at the entrance, but during the second night dinner, Andrea mentioned that another one of his specialties are asparagus ravioli, which means that we have already promised ourselves to return the moment its wild asparagus season in spring, or if we are very fortunate perhaps even sooner.