Experience Tuscany

This is the second part of the events in Tuscan towns in March 2010. For the first part click here.

The weekends of March 13 and 19 will be celebrated in Fucecchio near Florence the Sagra del Fegatello, or the liver fair. A very typical product, not to be missed if you like liver.

Finally some space for children! On Sunday March 14 Empoli, its squares and alleys will be transformed in a large amusement park for children from 3 pm onwards. Entertainment, workshops, and a puppets theater will complete the fun.

On the same day, the 14th, in Pescia near Pistoia you will be able to taste the delicious Necci at the Sagra del Neccio, made with chestnut flower and filled with fresh ricotta cheese. A delicacy that you have to try!

Degustolio is the extra virgin olive oil tasting event that takes place at the Italian Oenotheque in Siena. The event will be only on March 12.

The town of Sansepolcro celebrates the Fiera di Mezza Quaresima,or half Lent fair, from the 18th to the 21st of March. This antique tradition brings to town any sort of traveling merchants, and on the morning of the 20th it will take place the livestock sale as it used to be in the past.

Cascina di Pisa presents Chocolandia 2010, the chocolate fair that for three days fills the Corso Matteotti with delicacies dedicated to the sweet toothed ones! It starts on the 19th and is open to all.

For those that could not attend the Sagra dl Tartufo Marzuolo in Borgo San Lorenzo, from the 19th to the 28th in Certaldo. Ten days dedicated to this scented gift of nature.

In Cortona, the celebrated Tuscan town near Arezzo, on the 19th of March it will be the turn of the Chianina oxen. Wonderful examples of this gigantic and well-behaved oxen will be on show. 120 of the most beautiful cows and bulls will be displayed.

Near Cavriglia in Castelnuovo dei Sabbioni on the 20th and 21st of March there will be the Festa di Primavera, or spring fair, with two days dedicated to local food and bike excursions of the teritory.

Two truffle events will be on the 20th and 21st of March. One is Volterra and the other in San Miniato di Pisa in Cigoli. Truffle tasting, truffle hunting, and a “class” with notions on how to taste and prepare truffles will be among the interesting events of these fairs. There of ourse will be open air restaurants to taste the delicate entries based on truffles.

In Cala Galera near Monte Argentario from the 20th to the 28th there will be an anticipation of the 2010 summer season with the nautical fair that will have on show hundreds of new and second hand boats for all tastes and pockets. Worth a visit, if only for the wonderful scenery and the nearby Porto Ercole.

So much to see in so many Tuscan towns in March. Food, culture, tradition, religion, and folklore mix up in this wonderful Tuscany to be discovered any time of the year!

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!

Easter is approaching fast, April 4, 2010 will be in less than a month from today. Easter in Tuscany, like in the rest of Italy, is a very important part of the local tradition. There are a number of appointments and rituals that take place each year during the period that precedes the Easter Sunday.
Tuscany is located at a latitude that almost always grants fair weather when Easter comes. Therefore during this period there are quite a number of outdoor activities that happen in towns and cities. With the approaching of Easter Sunday, the number of events becomes more and more centered around the religious meaning of the festivity. Tuscany is a very Catholic part of Italy, therefore here you will be able to attend many religious reenactments of the Passion of Christ (for which is meant the imprisonment, torture and final crucifixion of Jesus). In religious terms, Easter is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death, and in pagan terms it is the festivity of spring, the resurrection from the dark and cold winter of all living things. The two meanings often coincide in many towns of Tuscany. For example on March 21st, the spring equinox, is the festivity of Saint Benedict and Aulla, near Massa, celebrates it with a town fair filled with kiosks and local flavors. A similar event of ancient pagan origins happens in Cardoso and nearby villages of the Serchio Valley. The Monte Forato, or perforated mountain, presents a large and thick arch through which the setting sun appears after disappearing for a few moments after the rocky arch, thus creating the wonderful effect of a double sunset. This effect only happens during a specific time of the year in spring when the hole is aligned with the setting sun. Ancient traditions celebrated the event as the coming of spring and the end of deadly winter months. Nowadays the mountain still attracts many to witness the spectacular phenomenon.
More Catholic celebrations are the reenactments that happen on the Thursday immediately before Easter or on Good Friday. The processions reenacted in Radicofani, Castiglion d’Orcia, Piancastagnaio and Abbadia San Salvatore are among the most famous in Tuscany. The medieval alleys of these mountain town are lit with oil torches only, and the scenic effect exalts the sad parade of people in costumes following “Jesus” carrying the cross. The procession can be attended with respect for the religious meaning of the event. Castiglion Fiorentino celebrates with La Volata, the flight, where the crucifix is brought by many running into the Collegiata church giving the impression to fly over the spectators. Quite a spectacle to attend.
The most common way to celebrate Easter in Tuscany is to be with one’s family, but it can also be celebrated with others as there is a saying in Italy that states “Christmas with your family, Easter with whomever you want”. On that Sunday morning boiled eggs are blessed in church and then brought back home to be eaten first thing at lunch following a short prayer. The following day, Easter Monday, is dedicated to outdoor excursions and day trips, often to the seaside or dedicated to the discovery of a local town fair, as many are available on this day. In a few days here you will find here a list of all the places to visit on Easter Monday, to make your Easter in Tuscany more interesting!

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!

Within the last twenty years the Chinese population of Prato has greatly increased to reach estimates of up to 20 thousand residents, although unofficial estimates are much higher. In 1988 there were 31 Chinese residents in Prato, 20 years later things have changed dramatically.
This is the largest Chinese community in Italy. The Prato Chinatown has been recently defined by the Washington Post one of a kind in the world. Indeed here non Asian people and Italians feel awkward, as if they were in China. Here you can find Chinese stores for any necessity. Food, home equipment and kitchen utensils, technology stores, restaurants, gambling places, and more. Some places do not even have Italian speaking personnel and some restaurants only accept Chinese customers. While the latter are of course extremes of a wide array of experiences, Chinatown in Prato is certainly an interesting reality to discover. The main artery is Via Pratese, where the largest and most furnished stores are present. Here everyday it is very hard to spot a wester face, and more often than not if you wish to buy something you need to speak some Chinese or hope a first generation Italian from Chinese parents works in the shop and comes to the rescue.
Why Prato? Well, the city has a long lived textile production history. During the centuries the city has been at the center of innovation and superior craftsmanship as far as the production of new textile materials and techniques is concerned. One example for all was the long lasting relation between the Russian Tsar court and the city. The fame of the town was world wide spread and the Chinese workers of the Zhejiang region, a very poor portion of China but with a long tradition in the textile industry, arrived in Prato to find work in the factories. Their presence was mostly filling black market jobs at the beginning. With time many grew to become entrepreneurs and started calling other Chinese people to Italy to hire them, thus creating an exponential effect. The last decade economic crisis has boosted the Chinese economy in Tuscany, as their products offered on the market have found a renewed interest due to the increasing cost of living. With time production has also improved, and if fifteen years ago “made in China” was synonym of the cheapest quality, nowadays things have changed radically.
Of course there still are many negative aspects that any integration process brings along. Some put off the newcomers capitalizing on cliches and local news reporting crime stories. The process has started nevertheless, and it is encouraging to see Italian and Chinese getting married, and the first or second generation Italians of Chinese descent embrace both cultures equally with all the difficulties that that also embodies.
A stroll in Via Pratese in Prato, Tuscany, certainly is an interesting experience to make. Whenever you are in Florence or are visiting the historic center of Prato, take an extra step towards this section of town. There you will find thousands of imported goods and foods from China, and will live a very contemporary reality of Tuscany.

“Underwater in Tuscany” is a scuba diving contest that will bring you to the discovery of the fantastic sea bottom in front of the Tuscan coast. The uncontaminated waters of Tuscany each year gain the highest recognitions from Italian national environmentalist associations. There are few other places with such clear and pure waters where thousands of animal and plant species thrive. You will discover such a high density of underwater flora and fauna that will leave you bewildered. Each year thousands of international scuba divers come to Tuscany to enjoy a safe and perfectly preserved underwater environment that allows hours of fun.
You will have the chance to be one of the two lucky winning couples that will spend three nights and three days on the wonderful Elba Island, which preserves some of the most spectacular sea bottoms thanks to the marine park of the island. Elba Island is part of the Tuscan archipelago together with other wonderful islands such as the Giglio and Giannutri. During your holiday in Tuscany you will have the chance to also discover these other wonderful islands with their wild natural environment and sea bottom.
What is to be won exactly? The contest includes two identical prizes of three nights for 2 people on the Elba Island. Your stay will be in a superior double bed and breakfast room with half board service, a personal boat with scuba diving instructor at your disposal that for two full days will lead you in the most wonderful spots of the Tuscan islands, and finally free ticket entrance to Tuscan museums. If you wish to have more details on the prizes visit this page.
To participate to the contest simply visit this page. You will have to introduce your email address and a password to access the simple game that once solved will bring you to the registration page and give you the possibility to win one of the two fantastic prizes.
Good luck!

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.

Yesterday it was the third Viareggio Carnival weekend. Every weekend there is a great parade on the streets of Viareggio, and here is a video with even more spectacular floats than the previous article. The weekend was dedicated to the “joy of the music of the Carnival of Viareggio” and to Burlamacco, the mascot of the carnival. Singers have performed the 15 songs that are the soundtrack of this carnival edition.
But the whole city was open to music and colors. A space dedicated to children and grown ups was provided with the ICARUS ludobus that from 4,30pm has opened its doors and emptied its load of games for everyone. Traditional games, hand-built with natural materials like wood, balls and soft carpets for the whole family.

Here is the video that shows all the fun and amazing floats of the Viareggio Carnival. You will recognize the faces of Berlusconi and other Italian politicians caricatured by the expert hands of float masters. Other floats and masks are more of a work of fantasy, extremely well crafted and certainly inspiring. Make sure to drop by for the last days of the Viareggio carnival in Tuscany!

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Do you love mystery movies and books? Is Ercule Poirot a hero of yours? Fantasizing what would be like finding yourself in a situation like Ten Little Indians? There is a fun way (one that does not involve any risk for your life!) to live an Agatha Christie’s mystery novel in Tuscany!
Between February and May 2010 every weekend (apart from the Easter weekend) is a great occasion to spend three days under the shadow of murder and mystery. A charming Tuscan accommodation, most likely a hotel, will be the setting of the role play. Someone will die during the first evening, and you will be called to solve the mystery, search for clues, think like the murderer to get to him or her. You have two full nights and three days to enjoy your holiday with murder in Tuscany.

The program is as it follows click here to view and hide it

The cost of the weekend is quite affordable. The price is 235 Euros per person in a double room and 205 Euros per person in a triple or quadruple junior suite. Prices include 2 nights, 2 buffet breakfasts, 1 aperitif, 2 dinners and 1 lunch with beverages (wine, water) and the roleplay murder game organization.
To reserve please contact Colori Toscani at +39 0575 26677 or at their contact page.
Whether you are thinking of coming to Tuscany for few days or for a longer stay, try to include one weekend with murder, it will be an original way to spend few days in a charming Tuscan accommodation…with mystery!

Yesterday Sunday January 31st was the very first of the 5 float carnival parades in Viareggio. The first crazy weekend of the Tuscan city facing the sea and famous for one of the most beautiful and historic carnivals of Italy.
The floats of Viareggio are among the most sophisticated and elaborated of Italy, and perhaps the world. They move and create impressive visual effects thanks to the highest level of craftsmanship of their makers.
These are the perfect days to spend your holiday in Tuscany, as you will be bale to be in Viareggio or the Versilia area to attend this unique and majestic happiness fair. The spectacular floats and the pervading happiness are enhanced by the fair weather that characterizes the city of Viareggio. Just to confirm this, while most of Italy is under freezing cold in Viareggio the sun shines!
The following is a video that shows the 2010 creations of the First Class floats. There are various classes of floats, and of course the first-class are the most prestigious and elaborate ones, although great care is put into making all floats. Each float building team participates to the selection to win the first prize and to make the parade more spectacular each team is accompanied by a number of people dresses in theme with the float and carries out a dance at the rhythm of the chosen music for that particular float. You will see floats addressing current themes of national and international relevance, all with a lot of irony and a bit of sarcasm.

Enjoy the video, just 3 minutes long, but it will give you a good idea of the healthy fun going on in Viareggio right these days!

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