Discover Tuscany’s Blog: exploring Tuscany and all its hidden corners…

The tiny village of Marradi organizes every Sunday in October the traditional Sagra delle Castagne or Chestnut Festival, and this year marked its 45th edition.
This last weekend we participated too!
Marradi is a characteristic little village of the Upper Mugello almost on the border between Tuscany and the Emilia Romagna territory. The Chestnut Festival organized in Marradi is dedicated to marroni chestnuts since these delicate chestnuts grow here and across the Mugello. They even are identified and protected by law as the “Marrone del Mugello IGP“, considered one of the best quality chestnuts in Italy.

Read more about the Chestnut Festival >>

In the area of the upper Maremma hills where we went to explore, an agriturismo (farmhouse) seems to be the most common form of accommodation. The area is largely cultivated and is home to the Montecucco DOC wine region and, while it is lesser known than its neighbors, the Brunello di Montalcino or the Morellino di Scansano, it is no less good and enjoyable. For our last minute trip to Maremma we searched online and finally decided on contacting the agriturismo Il Passo degli Ulivi which offered independent apartments.

Continue reading about our stay at Passo degli Ulivi »

We have just returned from a short vacation in Maremma: we decided at the very last moment to leave on this trip, taking advantage of the warm sun and nice days this mid-October was giving us.

We had never visited the upper part of Maremma close to Monte Amiata, between the Tuscan coast and Val d’Orcia. It was a nice surprise. The landscape reminds us of the Crete Senesi which so often are potrayed in postcards from Tuscany: soft hills of vineyards, brown and yellow fields with big, isolated trees in the middle of a cultivated field, woods with oaks and chestnut trees. There are few houses, mainly farms that often offer accommodation and may also have a restaurant where you can have a good typical meal.

Continue reading about our Holiday in Maremma »

If you were in downtown Florence in the area around the Duomo or Piazza della Signoria this past Saturday afternoon, you likely encountered a parade in historical costume, drums, flag throwers and even a cannon! This procession went from the Palagio di Parte Guelfa to the Duomo to meet a large cart full of wine bottles before continuing on to Piazza della Signoria. If you saw all of this you might also have wondered what exactly was going on. What you witnessed is the welcome by Florence of the “carro matto” (crazy cart) from the nearby wine producing town of Rufina!

Continue reading about the Carro Matto in Florence »