RO: Uite acolo, sus in deal, dupa toate randurile paralele de vita de vie, in capatul aleii neasfaltate pe marginea careia se vad chiparosi aliniati frumos, ca la armata, unul langa altul, identici din cap pana-n picioare. Acolo, da, se vede turnul de castel. Si zidurile lui de piatra crenelate, de parc-ar fi danteluri crestate pe margini. Si-n fata zice si indicatorul ca mai sunt doar cateva sute de metri pana la Poggio alle Mura, castelul faimos dintre Siena si tarmurile Maremmei. Castelul cu istorie de cand lumea si pamantul. Sau fie, mai exact de pe vremea etruscilor. Asa ca uite cum intram nu doar in peisajul de vis al Toscanei, cu dealurile verzi, pline ochi de podgorii, ci si in istoria acestui loc fermecator. Si adevarul e ca proprietarii vinariei Banfi si a intregului castel, familia Mariani, a transformat castelul intr-o bijuterie ascunsa in inima Toscanei. De ti-e mai mare dragul sa vii aici, in micutul Cinquecento, de parc-ai fi de-al locului 🙂

EN: Look there, up on the hill, after all those parallel rows of vineyards, at the end of the back road with beautifully aligned cypress trees, all alongside the road, as if they were some proud soldiers, perfectly identical from head to foot.  Yes, up there you can see the castle’s tower. And its crenelated stone walls, looking like some lace insertions on a fancy dress. And in front of us, the road sign tells us that there are only a few meters away from Poggio alle Mura, the famous castle between Siena and the Maremma’s shores. The everlasting castle. Or actually, the Etruscan castle, because that’s when it was built. So here we are, not only entering in this fairy tale Tuscan landscape, with its gorgeous green hilltops, full of vineyards , but also transposing ourselves in the history of this charming place. And the truth is that the owners of Banfi winery and castle, the Mariani family, transformed this castle in a hidden gem in the heart of Tuscany. And it’s quite adorable to come here, in your tiny Cinquecento, as if you were part of the scenery 🙂














RO: Si un pic mai sus dam de blazonul castelului si uite-asa stim c-am ajuns! Se deschid portile uriase de fier forjat si am intrat in curtea interioara a castelului. La 11 avem intalnire cu Lisa in enoteca plina de vinuri care mai de care. Ne simtim cu musca pe caciula ca nu cunoastem mai multe despre vinuri, despre struguri si despre viticultura in general… dar ne amintim de linkul de la Iulian si ne promitem ca ne apucam de cursuri cand ne-ntoarcem. Unde mai pui c-aici e patria vinului rosu, asa ca gata cu sclifoseala cu rozeuri si proseccouri de domnite! Sa fie mult pecorino, si-o mare de salumi-uri, sa vina la fixul fixului cu degustarea de vinuri de la 5. Cinci vinuri unul mai grozav ca altul, incepand c-un Rosso de Montalcino, fratele faimosului Brunello de Montalcino. Si-apoi un Poggio alle Mura, premiatul Banfi-ului, cel facut din cei mai cei struguri Sangiovese de pe podgoriile de la Banfi. Si-un Florus alb, chiar daca Toscana-i renumita in lume pentru vinul rosu. Iar la final, un frizzante dulce de la Rosa Regale. Sa va feriti de el, da dependenta! 🙂

EN: And a little bit up on the road we see the castle’s blazon and so we know we reached it! The big iron gates open and we are inside the castle’s interior court. At 11 we have a meeting with Lisa in the winery which is full of all sorts of wine. We’re a little bit ashamed that we do not know more about wines, grapes and wine culture in general, but we soon remember about the link from our friend, Iulian and we promise to ourselves that we will start those courses when we come back. Here is the land of red wine so no more rose wines and lady prosecco’s! Let’s have a lot of pecorino and salumi’s, perfectly matching with the 5 o’clock wine tasting. Five wines, each better than the other starting with a Rosso de Montalcino, the brother of the more famous Brunello di Montalcino. And then a Poggio alle Mura, Banfi’s most awarded wine, made from the best Sangiovese grapes on the Banfi’s vineyards. And a white Florus even though Tuscany is known for its red wines. And at the end, a sweet Rosa Regale frizzante. Be aware, it’s addictive!

RO: Dar despre toate vinurile si despre degustarile la Banfi vorbim intr-un articol separat, cu detalii interesante despre fiecare-n parte. Pentru ca daaaa, e o adevarata arta sa combini mancarurile cu vinul potrivit si-abia acum ne-am dat si noi seama cat este de important acest aspect la o masa 🙂

EN: But we will talk on a separate article about all the wines and tastings we had at Banfi. Because yes, it truly is an art to combine foods with the right wines and we just realized how important this is to a dinner.

RO: Cat despre camere, o Doamne, camerele sunt Paradis! Si chiar daca nu stai fix in castelul vechi, ci in casutele din preajma castelului, fiecare camera este nu numai uriasa, ci si absolut perfecta. Orice detaliu este pus la punct cum nici nu ai spera sa intalnesti vreodata intr-un hotel, iar privelistea… te lasa fara grai. Campuri intregi, intinse pe sute de hectare (intregul domeniu are 2000 de hectare, dintre care o treime sunt podgorii iar restul maslini si pomi frunctiferi, in special pruni), podgorii inverzite, dealuri delurete si peste toate acestea… zgomot de Typhoonuri in antrenament, asta asa, ca sa fie perfectiunea suprema. Si unde mai pui ca te asteapta in camera o sticla de Rosa Regale Frizzante, cat sa iti faca seara si mai dulce! Iar daca nimeresti intr-o zi friguroasa si ploioasa (cum am patit noi, a nu va lasa inselati de pozele insorite de a doua zi, inainte de plecare :D), camera de lectura e locul perfect. Un semineu calduros, cateva canapele comode, o prajiturica, un ceai de la ora 5, un aperitiv la ora 7, ai tot ce-ti trebuie ca sa “supravietuiesti” pana la cina 🙂

EN: And the rooms, oh the rooms are a Paradise on Earth! Even though you’re not staying right in the castle, but in the little houses that surround the castle, each room is huge and perfect. Every detail is perfectly arranged, and the view… the view is breathtaking! Large fields, extended across hundreds of hectars (the entire domain has 2000 hectars, out of which a third are occupied by vineyards, and the rest by olive trees and fruit trees – especially plums), green vineyards, lots of hilltops and on top of all these… noise from some Tyhphoones in their training flight. To bring it all to perfection! And what is more, you’ll find a bottle of Rosa Regale Frizzante in the room, that sweeten your evening and spoil you even more! And if you come here on a cold and rainy day (as we did, do not fall for the sunny pictures taken the following day, before our departure :D), the reading room is the perfect place to spend some relaxing time. A warmly fireplace, some cosy couches, some tea biscuits, some 5 o’clock tea, some 7 o’clock aperitivo, you have everything you need to “survive” until dinner time 🙂






RO: Si inca nu e tot (si nici n-am apucat sa spunem doua vorbe despre vin!). Daca tot ai ajuns la Banfi, e musai sa dai o fuga si pana in vinarie. Sa vezi pivinitele, butoaiele de lemn, inrosite de la atata absorbit de vin rosu (pana si lemnului ii place vinul!), sa simti mirosul acela de strugure si lemn umed, s-auzi istoria vinului, sa-nveti de ce un anumit lemn isi pune amprenta in gustul vinului, sau cat timp ii ia fiecarui tip de vin sa ajunga la maturitate. Chiar daca nu esti un priceput in ale vinului, vinaria e un must do la Banfi. Nu de alta, dar sa intelegi apoi care e treaba cu vinurile pe care le primesti la degustare si la cina 🙂

EN: And that’s not all (we did not even say two words about the wine!). If you get to Banfi, you really must visit the winery. To see the cellars, the wooden barrels, ablushed by so much red wine (even wood drinks red wine!), to feel that smell of grapes and moist wood, to hear the history of the wine, to learn why a certain type of wood influences so much the taste of the wine, or what’s the aging time of each type of wine. And even if you’re not exactly a wine expert, the winery is a must do at Banfi. At least you’ll understand more about the wines you’ll be given to try at the tastings and at dinner 🙂



RO: Si-acum, ca am ramas datori cu ceva mai multe informatii despre mancarurile delicioase de la castel, despre vinurile lor de exceptie si despre degustarile facute, gasiti in articolul acesta motivul celor doua kilograme in plus la intoarcerea acasa. Si tot acolo e si motivul unei noi obsesii 😀 Vinul, normal!

EN: And now we owe you some more information about the delicious food at the castle, about their exceptional wines and the tastings we’ve done, so you’ll find in this new article the reason why we came back home with two extra kilos 🙂 And with a new obsession 😀 Wine, obviously!