Even though the weather forecast says that there will be thunderstorms, and I highlight thunderstorms, I really hope that on Saturday and Sunday it will be sunny in Tuscany. I want to go to my beloved Maremma this weekend. Read the post »
Thanks to the success obtained last summer, both the Uffizi Gallery and the Academy Gallery are again offering a day every week when the museums stay open until late into the evening. Every Tuesday in August both Florence museums will be open until 10.00 pm. The last entrance is at 7 pm and museum ticket reservations are recommended.
What do you think about spending the night of St. Lawrence surrounded by Renaissance masterpieces?
July is at almost at its end and the heat in Florence is stiffling. So this weekend I am planning once again to take off and the destination will be Pistoia. I personally love this city because when I go there I feel like going back to my childhood since as a small child, my parents would take me to Pinocchio’s Park in Collodi on my birthday. So I want to go back to the Park and take advantage and also visit the Garzoni Garden, a beautiful example of a Renaissance and Baroque Italian garden, and the recently opened Butterfly House, both located next to the park. After Collodi I want to go to Pescia, a town famous for its flowers. It’s a delightful city with many things to see, including the Cathedral and the Palazzo del Palagio. Read the post »
I haven’t yet planned everything I will do this week end. The only thing that is certain is that I’m heading to Mercantia in Certaldo tonight. I’m going to go see this great Festival of Street Artists that I liked very much in the past. I’ll be in Certaldo around 8 pm and after taking a look at the market in the lower part of Certaldo and dinner, I’ll climb up to upper Certaldo to go see all the events.
On Saturday I’m planning a morning of total relax. After lunch, I’m planning to go to Cerreto Guidi, a nice Renaissance town about 35 min driving distance from Florence. There is Medicea, an event about culture, food and wine. At 6 pm the “historical reconstruction of threshing”, as well as wineries will open, with wine tastings and art exhibits. At 9.30pm a guided tour will be offered within the beautiful Medicean villa of Cerreto Guidi. This Renaissance villa, turned into the Museum of Hunting and of the Territory, was built by Buontalenti as a hunting villa for the Grand Duke Cosimo I.
I have yet to decide what to do on Sunday. I’d like to go to San Gimignano, where a new and very interesting museum opened two weeks ago. The museum is called San Gimignano 1300 and is a spectacular and extremely detailed reconstruction of this beautiful medieval city in Tuscany at that time. It should be really impressive. On the other hand, I’d like also to go to Palazzuolo sul Senio in Mugello for the medieval festival “At the Ubaldini’s Family Court”. The peculiarity of this festival is that this year it’s an historical reenactment of the heroic deeds of Roland. There will a free shuttle bus service from Florence and Pontassieve.
I think I’ll wait and decide on Saturday night what to do on Sunday. In the meantime I wish you a nice weekend!
It’s summer and the annual return of the International Festival of Street Artists in Certaldo starts this Wednesday. From July 14 to 18, Certaldo will host thousands of artists coming from all over the world: actors, clowns, acrobats, fire-eaters, musicians, circus’ artists, magicians and much more. Read Full Post »
A few days ago I read this article on the Italian newspaper La Repubblica about gay and lesbian tourism in Tuscany and the popularity of the area of Versilia over Greece as a destination for the LGBT community. It didn’t really surprise me since Tuscany has always been a land of freedom. Just think that the Grand Duke Leopold I was the first to decriminalize homosexuality in Italy back in 1853.
Torre del Lago in Versilia is one of the top 5 summer destinations for the LGBT community. This in large part is due to the hard work of Friendly Versilia, a local project set up in 1998 to work with local entrepreneurs and businesses to turn Torre del Lago into a gay-friendly destination.
Versilia offers everyone the chance to relax and lots of entertainment options for everyone who wants to spend their holidays under the Tuscan sun.
This weekend I want to escape from Florence. Maybe because this week has been really hot, but I need a break from Florence’s heat.
Viareggio on the coast. We’ll be there for dinner because I want to eat seafood on the beach at sunset. After dinner some night shopping along the “Passeggiata”, one of the most famous shopping streets in Versilia. I cannot avoid shopping because the sales season has just started in Tuscany!!! 
Read the full post! »
Finally it’s summer with hot days, unfortunately the heat has also called given life to lots of mosquitoes as well. The gray rainy days of just two weeks ago are a memory and summer begins with the first Palio of the year. In fact, today July 2 is the Palio of Provenzano. I won’t go to Siena but I’ll watch it on TV while sipping something cold in the company of friends. Read more »
English
Italiano