Experience Tuscany

With the approaching of the spring season the number of fairs are increasing by the day and moving from indoor locations to the outdoors in piazzas and town streets. There is a great number of Tuscan towns that add to the many events with their local flavor and personal twist their one of a kind fair. Often these fairs are bound to an ancient tradition, while in other cases they are a relatively recent addition to local folklore.
It is impossible to list all the Tuscan town fairs of March here, so you will find a highlight of the main ones, those bound to the territory, so to let you best discover the local culture and history.

In Rignano sull’Arno the Sagra delle Frittelle, or rice fried pancakes, dominates every weekend until March 28. The delicious frittelle will be accompanied by local VinSanto. Also Montespertoli every weekend offers bomboloni and frittelle from March 7 to the 21st.

In Scarperia near Florence the Sagra del Cinghiale, or wild boar fair, is perhaps the first of the year. Opens on March 6 and close on the 14th. All entries are served with boar meat cooked in various ways. Tuscany has a long boar culinary tradition.

From March 11 until the 21st in Arezzo you will find locally brewed artisan beer at the Festa della Birra: live music, good beer and good food will be the protagonists of this event at Teatro Tenda in Arezzo.

On the Abetone mountain on the 13th the spectacular ski torchlight parade will come down the easy and panoramic Selletta slope, all th eway until the main square of the town. Prior to the parade is an early buffet dinner with local products and cinnamon hot wine. The event is open to all.

The weekend of 13 and 14 will finally be the time to discover the black marzolino truffle. This wonderful product is celebrated in Borgo San Lorenzo near Florence with recipes that enhance the taste of truffles.

In Florence is the “Taste” event. Three days at the Stazione Leopolda to discover the traditional tastes of Tuscany and Italy exposed by the best producers selected by the organizers. 190 producers from all over Italy make of this event a must-attend.

From March 13 to the 21st opens the Palio dei Somari, or donkey race, in Torrita di Siena. The Palio is on the 21st, but during the previous weekends the town offers many entertainment occasions.

You should not miss the Torciata of Pitigliano from the 13th to 21st of March. The two weekends are rich of events, and on the 19th a town bonfire burning a dummy made of winter vegetables and other field products is burnt in the main square while a merry go round of people salutes the coming of the new spring season. This is an ancient tradition that has recently been recovered.

More events in Tuscan towns tomorrow…so much to do in Tuscany, so much to write!

“Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire inside is so delightful…” if Sammy Cahn were in Tuscany today he would surely compose the same words he did back in 1945! Tuscany is covered with snow from north to south and east to west, at any altitude. The Siberian influence is making this March 2010 a little crazy. One week ago temperatures were around 17 Celsius (about 70 Fahrenheit) and all of the sudden they dropped below zero Celsius (32 Fahrenheit).
Snow in Tuscany is a pretty common phenomenon, but March is a little too late to have such a widespread snowstorm. In any case the spectacle is absolutely lovely, even because in most cases the snow is quickly removed from city streets and sidewalks, and driving or walking in the city is safe.
This is probably going to be the last Tuscany snow, at least at lower altitudes. Mountain towns and resorts will almost certainly have a few other snowfalls, so if you like to sky you are sure to find snow in Tuscany until late March. Some time has passed from the first Tuscany snow of this winter season. It was December 19, 2009. Not even three months later the last snow falls on Tuscany closing the season with a bang.
All in all, the cold weather in Tuscany does not last much, but enough to enjoy the winter season and the good sides of it. Enough for this year with bringing wood to the fireplace, preparing hot hearty soups, dressing with warm clothes and visiting winter markets. The lengthening hours of daylight give the clear sign that spring is knocking and it is time to start living outdoors, making day trips and picnics, staying out late to enjoy town fairs and their dancing town parties.
So to the question “Does it snow in Tuscany?“, you can certainly reply “Yes!“, but just enough to enjoy all the seasons of the year. This is the last snow in Tuscany: so long Winter, welcome back Spring!

There is a new way of discovering Tuscany through routes off the tourist track that preserve unaltered landscapes. It is the exploration of Tuscany by Train that gives you the chance to get to know the region crossing lands open only to the more adventurous ones that on foot or by bike can reach these lands.
But do not be mistaken, this kind of Tuscany train travel is not with everyday trains on regular traveler railways. These trains are old and completely restored. Some are diesel trains, some are steam trains, all brought back to their antique state. The railways are also dead lines that instead of being dismantled were restored and maintained to allow the grandparents of today’s high speed engines to bring you to the discovery of Tuscany by Train. These lines cross beautiful landscapes. These railways are scattered all over Tuscany. They once constituted the backbone of people and goods transportation. The elderly of those villages that were once served by the lines still remember when they used to function regularly, and their sadness when they were closed.
So it happens that local territory associations and tourism promotion agencies have picked up the challenge of creating a wonderful opportunity for Tuscany train travel, and their success is confirmed and increased by each passing year.
Just yesterday was the most scented trip of all! The train covered the line from Siena to Asciano until Monte Antico and back in the evening. This is the season of black truffles, the so called Marzuoli or Scorzoni, less sophisticated than their white counterpart that grows in Fall, but delicious nonetheless. This is not the only truffle trip, and you can get more information on next journeys calling +39 0577 207413 or writing to trenonatura@ferrovieturistiche.it.
In Northern Tuscany you can participate to the Pontremolese journey, or take part to the Lunigiana Greenway from the San Carpasio abbey to Aulle. For info call +30 329 8147086 or write to matteotollini@interfree.it.
As previously said, you can also walk through these lands, and from Orbetello to Porto Santo Stefano on the Tuscan coast you can hike the old railway line; get info on this activity at +39 349 4409855 or write to trekpertutti@thesan.net. Biking is also an option along the train line Pisa, Tirrenia, Livorno, and if you want to participate call +39 328 2751552 or wite to alessandro.barbini@poste.it. You can also bike along the Arezzo, Palazzo del Pero, Molin Nuovo, Pieve a Ranco calling +39 329 4309009 or writing to info@gcardinali.com.

All the above Tuscany train travel trips are on a one-day schedule basis and will give you the true chance to discover Tuscany by train or using other ecological means of transportation in contact with the uncontaminated Tuscan nature.

Easter is coming soon, precisely on April 4, 2010. A great idea would be to spend your Easter holidays in Italy, and more precisely in the Tuscany region. During spring time Tuscany is a great place to be. This time of the year brings along thousands of typical events to take part to, traditions to discover. Most importantly you will be able to attend the awakening of the wonderful natural setting of Tuscany. During Easter the gray and brown fields become covered with intense green little plants that later in the year become wheat or other crops to harvest. The first pale leaves gather more intensity from the warming sun to become of an intense green that adorns river ways and side-roads. The rising temperatures and lengthening hours of daylight make it even more pleasurable to be in the outdoors visiting wonderful settings like Siena, San Gimignano, Florence, Pisa, and many more thousands of delicious towns and villages of Tuscany.

If you need few ideas where to spend your 2010 Easter in Tuscany, the best thing is to stay in one of the many holiday rentals. The Casentino mountains, for example, offer great accommodations in Tuscany by owner. Like Bio Agriturismo Il Vigno, an organic farm house near the Casentino mountains park and the La Verna monastery, a place of great religious faith and immense beauty.

If you would like to take advantage of the still white Tuscany mountains, you can go even further up on the Abetone mountain of the Pistoia province. For the remainder of the 2010 ski season in Tuscany you will be able to take advantage of great hotel and ski lift discounts while enjoying an unmatched natural landscape.

The warming season, however, can make you roll directly on the Tuscany coast in the wild and beautiful Maremma. Here much of the natural setting is protected, and the landscape preserves a great charge of romantic beauty. Seeing the wild horses run free, or walk bare feet on the sandy beaches of Tuscany are emotions to divide with some one special.

Just like the rejuvenating and relaxing experience of trying one of the many Tuscany thermal spas. Rapolano Terme, Cascina, Grotta Giusti, Bagni Vignoni, Saturnia, and many more are the thermal resorts scattered all over Tuscany that can offer you complete accommodation packages or just a day spa with treatments.

And why not spending your Easter in Italy crossing a section of Tuscany with a Vespa? The Etruscan coast near Pisa is a wonderful and off-the-beaten-road area to discover in a fun way with this tour dedicated to Vespa and motorbikes enthusiasts.

Spending your Easter in Italy dedicating a large chunk of you holiday to Tuscany is one of the best treats you can do to yourself. You will want to come back over and over!

Great news for those that wish to travel in winter to Tuscany to ski and enjoy the wonderful Tuscany mountains in the Pistoia province. There is a touristic agency that offers great discounts on transportation and monetary incentives on mountain lifts for groups of people that are of at least 15 people. More info here.
The Tourism Promotion Agency also offers great advantages for weekend and weekly stays. Half board stays of three days and two nights start at only 175 euros per person including your accommodation and all the mountain lifts for two days. A full week stay with half board service is only 480 euros per person! And if you decide to stay at Cutigliano Doganaccia, the price is even lower, at 145 euros for the weekend and 410 for the whole week!
You will be able to enjoy well over 60 kilometers of wonderful ski slopes in an amazing natural setting. Here modern lift equipment satisfies all skier levels. The equipment includes from the simplest stand-up ski lifts to the protected and fully enclosed high lifts that lead to the peak of the mountain. From these privileged points of view you can really appreciate all the beauty of Abetone and the Tuscany mountains.
Less expert skiers can learn this wonderful sport at ease thanks to the many school camps that everyday gather practicing skiers with teachers that for a few hours teach all the techniques to become an excellent skier. There is a fantastic discounted rate also for those who are total novices to skiing and do not even have the equipment. For just 330 euros per person you will have half board stay for two nights, two days’ worth of ski lifting, 4 hours of one-on-one ski lessons, and two days boot and ski rentals, while for a week stay the offer is even better. You get all the above for six days at 725 euros per person. Prices are lower if instead of Abetone you choose Cutigliano Doganaccia. Weekends are for 275 euros per person and weekly rates are at 605 euros per person! For more info on these great rates please visit this page and this page. Unfortunately you will have to use a translator to get them in English. At the bottom of each page is a form to request info and reservations. You can fill it in English and it will be answered to in English.
These great rates are valid for the entire 2010 season. For as little as 810 euros per couple you will be able to stay one full week in Tuscany half board and enjoy the wonderful mountains and great little towns that have made the history of this portion of Tuscany. Towns like Fiumalbo just wait to be discovered after a full day on the white peaks. Learn to appreciate the local cuisine, so different from all other parts of Tuscany, and experience a great winter in Tuscany!

A very unusual way of discovering Tuscany, a new experience to rediscover an ancient relationship between man and nature. This and more is the Donkey Trekking program that Gli Amici dell’Asino have developed in Tuscany dedicated to adults and children in particular.
This association was born near the city of Arezzo on the Casentino mountains to foster the appreciation of donkeys as sensitive animals as loyal companions during excursions at the discovery of historic trails off beaten tracks. Thanks to the employment of donkeys, you will be able to visit places and discover historic landmarks that would really be hard to reach otherwise. The slow pace at which donkeys move is especially attuned to that of children. The family oriented organization of all the activities makes of these excursions and this association the perfect occasion to spend a splendid family experience in Tuscany. You and your children have a wide range of choices to learn to love and respect these wonderful animals. The grounds of the association offer large spaces for short donkeyback rides on the estate. But if you and your family are more on the “adventurous” side, the best is to go for a day trip excursion of the wonderful Casentino mountain with a donkey.
These excursions are guided and offer the emotion of riding these animals fully equipped like it was once customary. You will travel the Tuscan lands as peasants carrying their goods and belongings used to up until just a hundred years ago or even less. The saddled donkey will have to carry you, your food and other equipment through the mountain trails of an unspoilt natural landscape. There are many already established excursions, but the association helps each person and family by customizing and adapting them to their needs.
During these excursions you and your children will learn that the famous stubbornness of donkeys is reserved only to mean and cold-hearted people. They become very obedient as soon as they encounter a gentle hand that can understand their immediate needs. You will immediately be conquered by the nice sensitivity of donkeys.
This is a great activity to do in Tuscany. The next organized trips are the following:
Weekend of May 1 and 2. You will discover the Arno valley in the Arezzo territory, it’s medieval castles, wonderful landscapes and millennial woods.
Weekend of June 5 and 6. A trip through the hamlets and the wonderful hills of Tuscany.
Weekend of August 25 and 26. The National PArk of Casentino Forests and its “green cathedrals” will unveil wonderful biodiversity treasures.
Weekend of October 2 and 3. Greeting the coming of fall with its thousands of colors, sounds and fruits in the Arno valley aboard a donkey!

For more info please visit www.gliamicidellasino.it.

It is February, but never too early to start thinking about the hot Tuscan beaches and crystal clear Mediterranean sea. Actually, during this time of the year a relaxing summer vacation in Tuscany is a very attractive thought. Each passing year finds the Tuscan coast and the sea clean and well kept. In addition, the coast in front of the Argentario offers one of the most beautiful underwater sceneries of the Mediterranean sea.
This contest is dedicated to all those that are dreaming the beaming sun and an ice cold drink aboard a sailing ship. The first prize of this contest is indeed a fantastic week-long cruise aboard a sailing ship in front of the Tuscan coast. The ship offers plenty of room for 6 people and your personal skipper. WOW!
You just need to send 4 electronic postcards and try your luck. Winning has never been easier! To participate to the sweepstakes just click here. You will be brought to the page where to register (a five seconds step) and then send the postcards to your friends. Each friend that participates to the contest in turn will give you an additional chance to win the contest!
If you win the first prize you will need to find two pairs of friends to sail with. The specific rules of the contest are not out yet, but you can get more info on the prizes here. The contest is valid from February 6th (yesterday) to April 19, 2010 and prizes will be redeemable from May 24 to June 28, 2010.

Click here to show or hide prize details

Whichever prize you win expect pristine beaches and excursions to the Tuscan archipelago islands. The Tuscan coasts is rich in history and romanticism. The Adventure in Tuscan Islands draw will take place on April 26. The first prize winners will depart from one of the most prestigious harbors of Tuscany. The second and third prize winners will still be able to enjoy boat tours to to the main Islands of the Tuscan archipelago while residing in prestigious seaside bed and breakfasts.
Good luck!

The Tuscan Region has started another contest to allow more and more people to get to know aspects of Tuscany that are hidden to mass tourism. This contest is specifically targeted to those who love open spaces and exploring them horseback riding, biking, hiking, or simply fishing. You will be able to extend your holiday in Tuscany for free with a 3 nights stay in one of five parts of Tuscany. Five, indeed, are the possible prizes of this contest titled “Exploring Tuscan Paths“. The contest started on January 30th 2010 and will go on until March 22, 2010.
Participating to this contest is extremely easy. You just need to go to this page, click on the Wllness and Sport tab, then select the Exploring Tuscan Paths contest and complete the easy registration, then complete the easy picture matching game to immediately participate in the sweepstakes to win a free stay in Tuscany. It is important to remember that this is not a “stand-alone” Tuscany holiday, but an extension to a holiday in Tuscany you have already booked or will book within 10 days after acknowledging your win. You have got five days to do so after being notified. Be sure to read all the rules below or here.

Click here to show and hide the rules of this contest

Take a look at the five prizes in detail in the contest rules above. Good luck!

In Viareggio a large urban park welcomes the City of Carnival. The float workshops transform the urban park into an animated park, where carnival appearances are tied to this artistic craft of great importance and originality. The city of the carnival comes to life and is characterized by a structure of great scenic value. On the square open the doors from where exit the sixteen animated floats to appear on a magical stage. The elliptical outer perimeter road, the street of artists, is the site where park visitors meet the artisans at work that here have their own shops. The city is made up of warehouses workshop and the museum building.
The route inside the Museum of Carnival begins with an ideal parade of floats models from the first and second class projects. They offer the possibility to observe in detail their complex structure and especially the translation into satire of the different subject topics. A series of wooden boards contain original works by some famous artists who worked for the carnival. Following this sections are the hilarious walking heads on the head, giant paper mache heads worn and animated by people. Seeing them in action causes joy and fun thanks to their grotesque shapes and satiric intents. Following the heads is the section that shows all the official carnival posters from 1925 to nowadays, and a section illustrating all the phases of construction, from sketch to finished work with the technique of paper mache. All over the museum are available many plans and sketches made by the masters of the famous carnival floats.
The primary matters of Carnival, clay and paper, are embodied in the works on display in some areas of the museum. Models of heads, bas-reliefs, sculptures, figures of animals show the ingenuity and craftsmanship of the art of float making and their humorous spirit. A huge hand and a dragon head, both made of paper mache, stimulate our curiosity ideally introducing us inside the float to discover its secrets. Levers and ropes invite you to animate these structures. You will note the simplicity and fantasy of the means used by manufacturers to create the movement of each float. The traditional character of the Viareggio Carnival has its roots in the docks where shipwrights, carpenters and sawyers built their ships. Their shipbuilding experience has been transferred to craft carnival floats. Eventually these techniques have been modified to adapts to the growing needs of float crafting. The Museum of the City of Carnival in Viareggio is a place of memory where visitors can appreciate and understand the magic of the carnival.

Since it is very hard to find the address and directions to the city of Carnival in Tuscany, here is the map:

View City of Carnival Viareggio in a larger map

It is said that on the Ponte della Maddalena, or Magdalen Bridge, which links the two shores of the Serchio river (the one that flooded parts of the province of Pisa and Lucca around Christmas of 2009) near the town of Borgo a Mozzano, the builder of the bridge himself in 1300 of shook a pact with the devil. He would have been able to finish the work on time with the help of the devil in exchange for the unfortunate soul of the first unlucky being that crossed the bridge. But the priest of the village had an idea. He suggested that the first to cross the bridge should have been a pig, and so it was, leading the devil to disappearing in anger for the scorn.
This is the legend that gave the name to one of the most beautiful and fascinating bridges of Tuscany, the Ponte del Diavolo, or Devil’s Bridge, one of the many mysterious symbols of the Garfagnana.

This land wedged between the Apuan Alps and the Tosco Emilian Appennins, has always been considered magical, for the many stories and suggestive places that characterize it.
Among the crown-jewels to visit in the area is the Grotta del Vento, or Cavern of Wind, an incredible underground complex where you can admire the surreal landscape designed by the secular stratification of the soil.
Going up the limestone gorge of the Orrido di Botri, or the Horrendous of Botri, which are canyons formed by the flow of two streams, you can find incredible natural pools surrounded by silence and nature. If you walk up to reaching 200 meters of altitude you might even be able to encounter a golden eagle.
You must be lucky to see the shapes of the belfry or even more so to walk through the alleys of Vagli. The village was indeed submerged by the artificial dam of Vagli. Only occasionally the basin is emptied for maintenance, and the village can see the daylight once again. The now very old people that grew up there and had to leave the village in the Fifties go back each time they can to revive their memories.
Browsing along in Garfagnana it is impossible not to stop in Barga, also recognized as one of the most beautiful towns in Italy by the Touring Club. It has been the last refuge of the Italian poet Giovanni Pascoli, who he dedicated to this town some of his most beautiful verses and whose house still today is open to visitors.