THE BEST OF MAS® BLOG

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History of Best of Mas and what "Best of Mas" means
francesca January 31, 2023

In 2012 I went with my husband and my daughter Alice (she was 3 at the time) to the United States of America. The agency that organized the trip for us was terrible: they made us take 5 flights to go from Rome to Freeport...which was also a horrible place!  And another 5 flights home: a pilgrimage not a vacation.  We had so many problems that no one managed for us, that we came back devastated, tired and exhausted: the worst trip of our lives and to think it was a honeymoon!    At the time I was renting a villa of mine, managed by a British agency: I ...
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Half a Century!
francesca March 16, 2022

Date of birth 28.02.1972 Official age 50 years old Active and mental age 35 years old Emotional age 7 years old   So here I am and half a century has gone by!  Most people are troubled by the years that go by, but I am actually happy about it! It means I have lived and that I am still alive! My father passed away when he was 50, so I truly thank the Lord, life and the universe to still be here and enjoy this incredible journey.   My 50th birthday was an occasion of looking back at my achievments and I must say it was not only positive but also ...
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Ciao Andreino
francesca December 6, 2021

The golden years of my childhood: we spent all our time together, totally genuine and free. .We used to spend the whole of summertime in Maremma Tuscany in a town called Follonica. Barbara and I were the same age (well just a year’s difference) and our parents were best friends, so we were virtually like sisters. Then there was Susanna, my cousin, three years smaller than me who did nothing but follow me and ‘Babi’ around all day. Then there was Duccio my cousin: he was the ‘grown up’ one, 3 years older than me and apart from considering him m...
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Bagoga's recepie
francesca November 22, 2021

                                                                                        “ Pappa al Pomodoro” “Pappa”, or “mush”, was surely one of the poorest dishes imaginable; it was often made from stale bread and nothing more. Pappa col pomodoro, or bread and tomato soup, was, in its time, actually a dish prepared for noblemen. Even this simple recipe, made with good quality ingredients, can produce an extremely tasty meal.                                                                                            Ingredients (4 pax) 800g ...
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Interview with Pierino Fagnani, better known as “Bagoga”
francesca November 15, 2021

Piero Fagnani, better known as Bagoga, is the founder of ‘La Grotta di Santa Caterina’ restaurant in Siena, that he runs together with his son Francesco and his wife Maria Pia. During his career, he has ‘fed’ some illustrious people, such as Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Gianna Nannini, famous Italian singer and Enzo Iachetti, a local TV star, and the list goes on…. He was born in Montalcino in 1948 into a very poor family; at only 6 years old he was already working, and so before going to school in the morning, he delivered bread to Nello, n...
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Mariano e la penisola Sorrentina
francesca November 8, 2021

On the 22nd October Sabrina and I began our trip to the PENINSULA of Sorrento, to meet and get to know Mariano, his villa's and his homeland. We wanted to go personally to visit his properties (we always personally visit every single property we buy and the owners also always want to meet us too) but above all we wanted to meet him "Our host" and the peninsula Sorrentina, less famous than the Amalfi coast but not less beautiful and definitely just so authentic.  We left Siena at 6 am in the dark and both so excited ( I personally didn't sleep a wink I...
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a jump in the past...
francesca November 2, 2021

I have been lucky enough in this life to have come across a true and genuine lifestyle that I never thought still existed in reality. A family of shepherds, in 2021, that live in the wonderful Sienese countryside and live off their own produce. The whole family is dedicated to their sheep farming. They feed and nourish themselves with only their own produce and I don't mean just cheese and milk, but all their earth grown produce too. They don't have any cattle so you won't find the typical Chianina beef for a delicious Bolognese sauce, 'ragù'. Giovann...
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WELCOME TO MY BLOG
francesca October 29, 2021

Hi everybody! Here I am, ready for a new adventure...My Blog......who would ever have imagined it. So let me welcome you to my new adventure. The idea came to me as I so wish to share my own personal experiences with you and my passion for life and the wonderful nature that surrounds us, the people, their true emotions that can capture the heart, the food, the trips, the fab wine and everything that contributes to and is part of our lifestyle. I have traveled many seas and many storms in my life, I've fallen down and got up again, also thanks to some ...
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