BENVENUTI A NOVANTA! First of all: congrats, you made it to the Borgo! Although the road that led you here was challenging, your sacrifices and courage will be rewarded as they are all part of the experience. You are here; take a minute to find your bearings, in-hale the fresh air and apologise to your spouse for doubting their navigating skills. Get out of your car, turn around and face the val-ley: BREATHTAKING!

Some tips for your stay:

We suggest you learn some basic Italian, in case you get hungry or lost. For example: “Scusi, per Bib-biena?”, and the basic directions, “destra, sinistra, dritto, pon-te, strada, incrocio” (respective-ly right, left, straight, bridge, road, crossroad); this will do. Oh, and of course “Grazie”.

That’s it, you’re set; ready to join our lovely crew at a fully dressed breakfast table. Indulge yourself with our crunchy homemade bread, gent-ly apply a layer of ricotta to your bread and decorate it with some jam. Admit it; your mouth is getting watery!

“Happiness is only real when shared” - Christopher Mc Candless

selfie alert #novanta90

For whatever reason you decided to come to Novanta, we are confident you will find what it is you are looking for here. Novanta will not just provide a peaceful environment for you to recharge your battery, it will also give you plenty of op-portunity for discovery, adventure and simplifying. Life in the Borgo (which means small village in Ita- lian) is an improved micro-society with an augmented sense of satis-faction.

We invite you to have an open mind when you get here; do not take any-thing for granted, but allow your-self to enjoy every moment of Gel-lo.

WHO WE ARE Some years ago, Igor was travelling in Umbria . It is there where he met Stefano, the owner of Borgo di Gello. Together they decided it was time for a fresh wind to blow through Gello. On his return to the Nether-lands Igor contacted two like-mind-ed entrepeneurs: Mart and Leonard. These talented guys brought new en-ergy to a medieval village; and en-ergy attracts energy.

Igor - The Novanta storyteller. He knows everything about anything so if you need some advice, go have a chat with him.

Mart - Landlord of the borgo and always on the hunt for the perfect risotto.

Aafke - True adventurer and commu-nication expert. If you see a vin-tage fire truck on the road, it’s a safe bet it is probably her!

Lieke - Versatile manager, she can even get on the catwalk in high heels if you ask her nicely!

Leonard - The manager in suit and track shoes. Always knocks twice.

Jeroen - Chef and Orto-lover. He cherishes grandma’s secrets but also looks for innovation and expertise.

EXPERIENCE NOVANTA!During your stay we offer a handful of experiences and activities that will polish your taste buds for that typical Italian smell and taste. But besides pleasing your taste buds we also focus on the majesty of nature and even tickle your personal per-ception of life.

TRUFFLE HUNTING WITH NICOLA AND CHICCAItaly’s centre has a very fertile soil for truffles, also referred to as ‘the land’s diamonds’. Truffle searching in Italy has an-cient roots, and where the truffles used to be found with the help of pigs, nowadays small to medium size dogs perform this task. Meet Chic-ca, Nicola’s fellow hunting compa- nion… or is it the other way around?

The development of the tuber is determined by the amount of rain, the kind of trees, and of course the sun. In Tuscany, along with Um-bria, Le Marche, Romagna and some parts of the north of Italy, you can find different sorts of truf-fles, depending on the season. From May to August you can find the black “Scorzone”, characterized by a less distinguished smell and taste than its big brother the “Nero Pregiato” (Mr. Superior Black). Nicola is an official truffle hun-ter; he possesses all the necessary requisites: an approved license, a small shovel hanging off his shoul-der, a camouflage suit, and most im-portantly the love for these woods and this territory. The love for the land gives him the strength to get up at 4:00 in the morning to find the delicious ingredient for his wife’s meals, and for the Agriturismi in the area.

The bond between Chicca and Nicola is remarkable and is based on mutu-al trust and respect. Nicola some-times gives hints and stimulates Chicca to look (or smell) better, which usually results in them find-ing the precious tuber or walking away towards an undiscovered patch of land.

If you start doubting you will ever find a truffle, do not fear: we pro-mise you won’t return to the borgo empty-handed and in the end you will be able to enjoy a truffle dinner.

LUNCH AT FABRIZIO’SAs you may have noticed already, It-aly, and thus Novanta, is all about enjoying each other’s company at a well dressed and richly filled table. We invite you to climb the slopes of Gello to reach the antique house “la Maiolica”.

The climb is steep and the freshness of the trees and the humid air are a nice contrast with the blistering sun. At the end of the climb you will be very happy you pushed yourself that far: Fabrizio will welcome you with his homemade salami, salsicce and prosciutto. The food is to be enjoyed with a sip of wine from down the road. Locally produced wine is made by Franco of typical casen-tinesi grapes, tested and tasted with care and laughter in his can-tina with the help of professional wine maker and connoisseur Marco, the owner of the Ornina vineyard.

Some years ago Fabrizio decided to move from the mountains of the Valtellina (in the north of Ita-ly, in the region of Lombardia) in search of a place free of smog, stress and restlessness to the area of Gello. This allows him to breed his animals with care, providing the space, the food and the air they need to live a happy, healthy life.

This is also where he shares his love for fine food. Fabrizio feels Casen-tino, even in the way he produc-es, but there are still some things that betray his northern origins. The obvious hint is the accent that differs from his neighbours, the less obvious hint is the exquisite Bresaola that he produces on the hill. Bresaola is Fabrizio’s little secret and definitely worth the try, even if its taste is more related to the far North than to Tuscany.

PASTA TO THE NEXT LEVEL!When most of us think about Italy, we think about pasta. But don’t fool yourselves: in Italy they don’t eat the so called “pasta all’uovo” (li- terally egg pasta) every day, they also eat spaghetti and penne, made of only water and flour which, in earlier days, gave it its nickname ‘fake pasta.’ Although simple, Pasta all’uovo is something very rich and special. The special nature of this pasta sits in exists in the fact that farmers in the (near) past had to sell eggs and many other products from their land, or they had to give a big part of it to the landlord; for these reasons pasta all’uovo was made once in a blue moon.

If you always wanted to discover the secrets for the perfect pasta or haute cuisine (in this case at a height of around 650 meters above sea level) you are in the right place: chef and kitchen manager Jeroen is willing to take your Sunday pas-ta cooking to the next level. All you need is heaps of patience and a willingness to follow the chef’s orders. No really, that’s all you need, because making pasta from scratch is based on an easy princi-ple, but it demands some practice.* Imagine the tasty result: surprise your tablemates with a handmade, authentic, Italian meal.

Buon appetito!

*Warning: the first attempts might end up with you covered in dough and flour.

NOVANTA’S TREAT FOR BODY AND SOULAfter the experiences in the No-vanta wilderness, an indefinite num-ber of kilometres of hiking up and down the Casentinesi hills, and a scary quantity of calories ingested at the authentic Italian dining ta-ble you might experience some side effects: sourness in your muscles, broken nails, or the inexorable, unforeseen growth of body hair.

Don’t panic: if you feel an abun-dant dose of treatments are need-ed, Meri will be more than happy to take you under her protective, motherly wing. She may say it hurts sometimes, but we all know that’s for the best. Toxins will flee your body at her gentle touch, blood will slowly start flowing again and your hands will be softer than ever!

If you think you just need a roman-tic relaxing night in a hot, scen-ted bath, indulge in the Spa situ-ated in one of the ancient ruins of the Borgo. The spa is simply deco-rated with candles, maintaining all the charm that comes with the old, massive stone walls.

Don’t try to resist it too long, you know you want it!

NOVANTA POP-UPS Novanta is an experience in itself. The whole borgo, the ruins and the landscape are worth discovering. To get the most out of the place, Novanta pops up new facili-ties that offer the chance to unveil Gello and the valley from all its points of view.

POOL WITH A VIEW

For the hot Tuscan days in which you don’t feel like undertaking any activities but you just feel like enjoying the landscape, take a plunge in the pop-up swimming pool installed in one of the most fan-tastic spots. The colour of the re-freshing water matches the blue sky perfectly. Gaze into it and let the sounds of nature entertain you.

TREEHUGGERRemember that dream you had when you were a child? The one that end-ed in a tree house… For all the everlasting dreamers, like the Novanta staff, A treehouse consisting of two platforms has been created. With the help of all of the Tree Hugger lovers who par-ticipated to the successful crowd fun-ding campaign, the staff was able to build the structure around a 200-years old oak tree. Rest on its porch while the breeze caresses you; if you are lucky you might see some falling stars. If you are less lucky you will see the thousands stars sprinkled on the dark blue canvas of the night. Not too bad either right?Let your childhood dream come true and spend the night at Gello’s hid-den gem.

After your stay you will have tried so many lovely products, felt the wind that whistles through the leaves, smelled the humidity of the stream, heard all sorts of sounds of nature; and all these memories will come back home with you. For those who would like to keep their memories in a more physical form No-vanta offers a package with a range of products, from Fabrizio’s salami and local cheeses to real 90 gad-gets!

IL CASENTINO, LAND OF GOD, HISTORY AND MYTHS Borgo di Gello is located in the heart of the Casentino, an area filled with history, tradition and culture. As a matter of fact, il-lustrious Dante and Michelangelo are the trademark of this region.

Borgo di Gello is composed of fif-teen ancient houses, each of which has its own story to be told or, if you like, invented. Gello was approximately built in 1000 a.d, and started out as a farm-er’s society. The Società dei Colli Albani, decided to bring it back to life, as a center for artists and a new economy, becoming a true micro society, even with its own piazza.

In the valley of Gello you will find a river that flows through the hills and then into the Arno. On its way down, the Corsalone runs into rocks and beams that result in some ama- zingly fresh waterfalls. We definitely advise you to go and experience this river with all your senses.

If you feel like it, take a selfie and tell us your experiences! Don’t forget to tag us!

THE ASCENT TO THE DIVINE Il Casentino is the backdrop for Dante’s ‘Divina Commedia’ that we could describe as an ancient poet-ic tabloid (consisting of ‘canti,’ rhymes structured in three verses per stanza), with hints of reli-gious “fantasy;” where good guys go to heaven and bad guys go to hell.

Many of Dante’s canti refer to this beautiful area, where he found shelter after fleeing from Florence in times of war. In Campaldino he fought with the Guelfi (religious party) against the aristocracy that wanted to take temporal power in Florence. Dante’s comedy describes the valley with vibrant colours and pungent smells. His imagery was left in heritage to the Casentinesi who quote entire passages of his poems from the top of their head. Many words used in the ‘Divina Commedia’ are still in use in the Tuscan vo-cabulary, even if they sound a bit antiquated. For the Casentinesi, Dante is part of the family. He felt at home in the Casentine hills where he wrote many ‘Canti’ and letters to the high Lords of Italy. There’s even an old wife’s tale about Dante falling in love with a girl from the mountains. Who knows? True or not, the ‘Divi-na Commedia’ is and will probably always be part of the folklore that makes the locals proud.

GOATS AND STONESClimbing the hills wasn’t easy in ancient times. Each hill had a dense net of paths and roads that even the goats had trouble climbing. This is probably what gave the name to the Caprese hill, as ‘capra’ means goat in Italian. On top of this hill, Leonardo di Buonarotta Simoni Podestà (governor and administrator of the castles) of Chiusi and Caprese brought his pregnant wife to save her from the plague that was spreading through Europe at the time. She gave birth to Michelangelo in the castle of Caprese; and there a story of art begins, as does the majesty of hu-manity (as the proud casentinesi people like to say).

Intellectuals believe Michelange-lo sketched his famous Adam in the ‘Cappella Sistina’ because he was inspired by a stone he found while venturing around Chiusi di la Ver-na. We invite you to take a selfie (or your knee and finger: ‘kneefie’) reaching for the hand of God on the very spot where Michelangelo’s model reached for it.

SAN FRANCESCOIn 1224 stress was a real problem for a big part of the Italian so-ciety. In the summer of that year avid nature lover Francesco retired from city life to the mountains of ‘la Verna.’ There he spent his days praying and enjoying the tranquil-lity. Francesco wandered and won-dered while he admired the beau-ty of God’s gifts to mankind and meditated about life. While walking through the hills one day, he fell and rolled down the dense wilder-ness. After getting up and dusting off his oversized tunic, he conti- nued the journey with a limp. Once returning to his daily life he felt the urge to go back to la Verna. Dedicated and tenacious, Frances-co kept praying to and praising the Lord. They say the Lord answered his prayers, and gave him the stig-mata as a reward for his passion.

LANGUAGE AND POPULATION Let’s spend a couple of words on the fabulous Casentinesi. The Casentino is a valley enclosed in a ring of mountains. Contrary to what you might believe living in an area so shut and protective, the Casentinesi are very open and di-rect. A lively folk (except during their siesta of course), the Casen-tinesi are art appasionatos with a chatty and generous nature. As far as public matters go, the Casenti-nesi don’t lose their appetite for political matters; they spice it up with a little bit of gossip instead.

Historically, the centre of Italy was the focus of religion, a tradi-tion that is brought with diligence by this population. The Casentinesi might look a little rugged at first, but their gentle nature is revealed upon a closer look. Try starting a conversation by asking them about their village or local wine and they will show you their true essence in an instant.

They are most likely entertainers. The Casentinesi inherited the story telling ability of the artists from Toscana. The enclosed valley they live in could be a roman theatre; with the valley as the stage and the mountains the tranquil audience.

BIBBIENA

Bibbiena has a lot to offer and for the sake of authenticity, we suggest you to go and have a look for yourself. The first thing that struck us is that, no matter the season, the city and the inhabi-tants live according to their own natural rhythm. Walking through the small “vie” you can hear the ra-dio jingles coming from the open windows. There are noises from the kitchen, coffee machines being un-screwed to be filled again with the dark, fine grounded powder, someone snoring during their siesta…

We advise to enjoy your time there by treating yourself to a lovely ice cream, or a coffee at the bar Il Po-destà, where Stefano, the barista, will gladly entertain you with the story of Bibbiena or some sugges-tions for your visit. Even if you need to use hands and feet to make yourself understood; mingling with the locals is definitely worth it.

POPPIPoppi is the perfect place to spend an afternoon in a quiet, traditio- nal Italian village. In Poppi you will find quite a variety of things: from the ancient Castle, (commis-sioned by the Conti Guidi), to the best ice cream at Bar Edi in Piazza Garibaldi. When you stroll down the streets you will encounter curious locals talking loudly about private matters, until you reach the square in the centre of Ponte a Poppi. In 1996 the cult love movie Il Ciclone was filmed in Poppi. We as-sure you if you go there you will understand why: the place is packed with the Italian vibe and a slow rhythm of living. One piece of advice? Open your nos-trils and breathe in the jasmine!

To conclude we would like to thank you for your visit, for the enjoy-able time spent here and for your company. Everybody who visits No-vanta adds some extra value to our mission, in exchange for what they take home.

So here is to all the people who can enjoy the simplicity and yet enor-mous complexity of life, and that of a good glass of wine.

THANKSWe would like to thank all the ama-zing people we met during our jour-ney that gave us a piece of them-selves and a taste of Casentino. Especially, we would like to thank Stefano, barista at Il Podestà (Bib-biena) for telling us stuff about Bibbiena and giving us some amazing books about the area, Serenella and family for their stories and caffè, Franco who showed us around his wine cellar and enlightend us about winemaking and history, Stefano for getting Novanta started, Roberto, Ilaria, Viola, the Novanta staff, Rob, Rudy, Annamaria for telling us more about how it all started and the foundation Colli Albani, Fa-brizio who treated us with his de-licious produces, Meri that is such a lovely person, Nicola en Chicca whom we are very fond of, the love-ly guests we met Frans and Martin.

To all of you that make Novanta, Novanta.

CREDITSA Merry-Tales production:Photograpy and graphics: Wieke HoekeText and interviews: Pina VincenziText editor: Rebecca Rijsdijk

www.merry-tales.com

BIBLIOGRAPHYC. Beni, Guida illustrata del Casen-tino, Brami edizioniS. Brami, Il sigillo perdutoP. Marcucci, Il volto di pietra, Masso delle fate