Lunigiana is the Land of Castles: this is the Castle of Malgrate

Even if we’ve been exploring Tuscany for years now, both for work and pleasure (overall for pleasure ), we still had never visited the area called Lunigiana at the very far northwestern edge of Tuscany.
We set out to change this last week, taking a week’s vacation and staying near Aulla at the Convivium Pow Wow Lunae farmhouse.

We are organizing our photos and notes about the trip to be able to tell you more about what we saw but in the meantime I wanted to share our first impressions.

The Lunigiana is the furthest corner of Tuscany, in the northwest almost in the Liguria region: a Tuscan can right away hear the regional accent giving way to the closer coastal area’s way of speech
Even if it isn’t the most popular in terms of visitors, Lunigiana has a bit of everything: the splendid Apuan Alps shared with the Garfagnana valley; the sea, from the Versilia to the Cinque Terre; over 100 castles with their villages sitting atop the hills; excellent local food products and a richness from the historical point of view that surprised us.

We had started off with the idea of spending several days outdoors and visiting the main towns. We weren’t disappointed in what we saw. We were able to do three beautiful outdoor hikes, one starting at Passo del Cerreto, another from Campo Cecina and the longest and most beautiful from Equi Terme to the spectacular Valle di Vinca which offered breathtaking views of the mountains below the Pizzo d’Uccello.

The Pizzo d'Uccello Peak, above the valley around the town of Vinca

At Equi Terme, the caves offer a suggestive, interesting environment and surely merit a visit, as well as its small museum. Within the caves, numerous remains of Neanderthal men were found as well as over 800 skeletons of giant cave bears. Observing the impressive 3 meter tall bear reproduction one tries to imagine how difficult those times must have been. The day after, within the silence of the woods on the way to Vinca, we were surprised by the unexpected grunting of a large wild boar just a few meters away from us along the trail. Guaranteed shivers followed the initial fleeting thought of having encountered the last of the cave bears in the area.
All of Lunigiana is a paradise for anyone who loves spending time outdoors, and next time we plan to take our mountain bikes along.

Among the towns we visited, we particularly liked and recommend Fivizzano and Pontremoli. Fivizzano for its Museo della Stampa or Museum on Printing and for its central role in the history of printing and diffusion of books. Pontremoli is likely the most charming town in Lunigiana, the most organized to welcome tourists and with the only castle we truly managed to visit, the Castle of the Piagnaro, seat of the very interesting Museum of the Statue Stele.

The famous and magical "Statue Stele"

Let’s not forget the “food” aspect of the area, always an important, pleasureable part of any vacation… Among the typical products of the area is the famous bread from Vinca which together with local cold cuts and cheeses provided energetic support during our hikes. The honey from Lunigiana is also well-known for its purity and several jars made the trip back home with us. From pizza to pasta, we managed to have great meals in the area.

Something we didn’t really like at all? The Marble quarries above Carrara. They might be considered a suggestive scene to witness, much like the black oil waves of the Gulf of Mexico might be since the oil spill this past April. The truth is that the mountains are being eaten away at an unsustainable pace, not even for its great blocks of marble but for the production of calcium carbonate for industrial use! With an irreparable destruction of one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. If it is true that the quarries give work to so many people, it is also true that sooner or later it will end and an exploitation of the area from a “tourism” standpoint would be much more sustainable for the future of the Apuan Alps rather than its short-sighted destruction.

A week was not enough to get to know this area, rich in history, natural parks, and wilderness – we’ll surely return soon!

Marble Quarries of Carrara

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.

We leave early on Saturday morning heading to Follonica to visit one of the 4 exhibits of Joan Mirò. Magical Worlds. These great exhibits color the Maremma through the beautiful illustrations of Joan Mirò. The artworks are displayed in four different locations in Maremma: in Follonica at the Art Gallery Amedeo Modigliani, in Grosseto at the Archeological Museum of Art of Maremma, in Castel del Piano at the Art Collection of Palazzo Nerucci and in Pitigliano at the Orsini Fortress. At the beginning I planned to do the four exhibits in a weekend but since they are located in different areas, I decided to not overdo it and split the visits. So on Saturday Follonica and then Castiglion della Pescaia for dinner, a seaside town that is always very lively and colorful in summer.

On late Sunday morning we move on to Grosseto to visit the second exhibit of Mirò at the Archeological Museum. Then I want to wander through the historical center which I personally find adorable with its red and white buildings. After lunch we’ll visit the Archeological Area of Roselle, just 10 km from Grosseto. I used to visit every summer when I was a child back when I wanted to be an archeologist.  Roselle is one of the best preserved and most interesting Etruscan areas in Italy. Here one can admire the huge defensive fortifications, thermal baths, the necropolis, the amphitheater and much more. It’s stunning and really beautiful.

So, I will pack both my swimsuit and my rain boots, just in case . Have a nice weekend!

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!!!

On Saturday morning I’ll visit the exhibit “From Fattori to Casorati. Masterpieces from the Ojetti Collection” at Matteucci Center for Modern Art. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 1 pm and displays some unique Italian masterpieces such as After the battle of Magenta by Giovanni Fattori. Then I want to spend my day on the beach sunbathing and taking swims in the sea. In the late afternoon, I’ll move on to Lucca for the celebrations of San Paolino. This year celebrations will go on for 3 days. On Saturday from 6 pm till late night the borough of San Paolino in the historical center of Lucca will be animated by a medieval festival with musicians, costumed characters and shops open.

On Sunday I’ll spend the day in Lucca. First I want to bike over Lucca’s ancient walls. The walls are incredible and from up there you can enjoy a beautiful and particular view of the center. Then I want to visit Lucca and see San Michele Church with its particularly rich facade, the Cathedral of San Martino, displaying the Holy Face, and the Cathedral Museum, the famous Amphitheater Piazza and all the other monuments of Lucca. Starting at 8.30 pm the Luminara of San Paolino, a costume parade that lights up the center of Lucca, begins in Piazzale Verdi. The parade ends up at San Paolino Church for the blessing of the Palio around 10.30 pm.

Even though I won’t be in Lucca on Monday, the celebrations of  San Paolino will end with the Palio of  San Paolino or Palio della Balestra (Brossbow) starting at 10 pm in Piazza San Martino.

Have a nice weekend!

Finally It’s Summer!

Yes! Finally it’s hot and since I’m 100% Florentine this weekend I go to the coast. In addition this weekend take place the Blue Night from Livorno to Piombino.

For all weekend there are guided tours, concerts and lots of events all along the Tyrrhenian coast, called from Livorno to Piombino the Etruscan Coast. I intend to be in Livorno on Saturday late morning, before 11 am because I’d like to take the tour of fossi by boat (fossi are the water canals built by the Medici to defend the city). Next I have walk by the sea and take some picture to the stunning Mascagni Terrace. Of course I want to take some sun and turn red before dinner. Before dinner I want to visit the Giovanni Fattori Museum, who is one of my favorite Tuscan painter. Then I go near Castiglioncello to Caletta where there is the annual Festa del Pesce (Festival of Seafood). It’s a nice festival on the beach where you can taste good fried fish cooked in a huge frying-pan. The night ends with lovely and romantic fireworks.

On Sunday I go to Castagneto Carducci and Bolgheri that are so beautiful. I like them because they have a fascinating medieval look but the flavor of saltiness. In Castagneto there the House-Museum of Italian Poet Giosuè Carducci, who described the spectacular cypresses of Bolgheri that need to be pictured! After lunch I head towards Florence and stop in Volterra where I want to visit the local Picture Gallery and Civic Museum displaying a remarkable Deposition by Pontormo, which stroked me the first time I saw it few years ago.

So for this weekend in Tuscany I plan relax and good food along the coast.

The old locomotive of the steam engine train to Marradi

We took a beautiful trip to Marradi a few weekends ago, a mountain village located in the Tuscan Apennines near the border with Emilia Romagna, to go the town’s annual chestnut sagra or food festival.

The Mugello chestnuts are famous and are protected by the IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta, or Geographical Protected Indication) trademark and the festival was a wonderful occasion to taste and buy not only chestnuts but many local products as well. We bought chestnut flour, several pieces of local cheeses and a small chestnut cake to take home, in addition to all the other chestnut treats we had that day.

We had already been to the chestnut sagra last year and we found it appealing even if a bit too crowded! While the crowds are a sign of success, at certain moments it was hard to make our way through the streets and this made it a bit less enjoyable.

What we truly appreciated this year was how we got to Marradi: on an authentic vintage train, pulled by a steam-powered locomotive that took us from Florence to Marradi at a steady pace passing through Tuscany’s countryside and several villages. We traveled in vintage coaches, in great shape and rich in little details which added the flavor of times long past.  The real star was the locomotive, with its fumes of steam and its charm from other times!

At every stop (the train made stops to both pick up additional passengers as well as to “refuel” with water), children and adults alike crowded around the locomotive to take pictures and try to climb aboard alongside the engine drivers.

The average age of the train’s passengers was quite low: there were many families with children taking advantage of reduced tickets or, for those under 5, free passage. The cost for adults was 45 euros each which included entrance into the sagra, and while it wasn’t exactly cheap, it was certainly worth trying it at least once in our lifetimes!

If you don’t want to wait for next year’s festival in October to travel on the steam engine train, you can do so in the 3 Sundays before Christmas when there will be trips from Florence to Marradi for the town’s Christmas market. You can buy tickets for the steam engine train by contacting Sabrina Travel.

The waterfall at Marmore

We recently spent a few days in Umbria and even if we generally write about Tuscany on our blog, on this occasion we’ll make a small exception to tell you about this region bordering the south of Tuscany. You have to travel through Umbria if you’re traveling between Rome and Florence, so many visitors to Tuscany often stop along the way to visit a few of the beautiful towns in the region.

This isn’t the first time we’ve visited Umbria: we’ve returned on several occasions because we’ve enjoyed its wild nature and its historically rich cities, while the great food and good prices have called us back time and again.

Our small trip lasted four days in which we visited the waterfall at Marmore, the small city of Narni, Spoleto, Assisi and Gubbio.

The waterfall at Marmore was our first stop. This beautiful waterfall, one of the tallest in Europe, is in southern Umbria in the province of Terni. The waterfall offers an enchanting spectacle: the water falls on three separate levels over a height of 165 meters. To visit the entire area of the waterfall you can choose among 5 walking paths, each offering a different difficulty level and lasting from 20 to 60 minutes. We highly recommend following at least two of the paths to see different views of the waterfall and, if you’re in good shape, you could do all of them! Once we arrived to the top of path #2, a magnificent rainbow was waiting for us.

It is important to know that the waterfall is not always flowing as the water is actually used to produce electricity! During the week, water passes through only certain hours while it flows freely on the weekends. So check out the official site of the waterfall to see when the best times are to visit during weekdays.

Narni is a small city in the same province of Terni. We added it to our list of places to visit, not so much because it is said that this city inspired C.S. Lewis in his “Chronicles of Narnia”, but because we were excited to know it was possible to visit some of the underground tunnels that make their way under the city itself.
Narni Sotterranea (Narni Underground) is a journey of discovery of the tunnels and rooms of the  Convent of San Domenico which were a secret for centuries. On our visit, we admired an ancient Church dug out in the rock, with frescoes going back to the 13th through 15th centuries and several rooms where the Domenicans participated in the Inquisition. It was both interesting and frightening to walk into a small cell where the accused were held, the walls covered in scratches and graffiti. The entire route is in the company of a guide that passionately introduced us to the tunnels, to the history of the Convent and to Narni. The entire tour takes about an hour and is a unique experience. We were particularly impressed by the skill in which the guides explained everything both in Italian and English, an uncommon undertaking given that they are all volunteers!

Assisi – Rocca Maggiore

The city of Spoleto let us down somewhat. We had imagined it a lively city, but even on the weekend it was very quiet. This is not to say you shouldn’t visit! The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is really beautiful with frescoes by Pinturicchio and Filippo Lippi. The Albornoziana fortress sits atop a small hill overlooking the city. Born as a military fort in the middle of the 1300s, it was a prison for over a hundred years starting in 1800. It is imposing and offers a wonderful view of the area. It has several large halls and numerous frescoes but overall it seemed a bit bare (the entrance cost is 6-7 euro so we’re not sure it was worth it).

We ate well during our entire trip in Umbria but we did find an excellent restaurant in Spoleto, Il tempio del gusto (the temple of taste). The environment is charming yet private and is small enough to warrant making reservations to make sure you get a spot. It is perfect for a romantic dinner but small groups can likely be accommodated. The menu includes typical dishes from Umbria (often revisited) as well as more particular dishes. Everything was presented with great care and we even received small complimentary morsels “offered by the chef”. We definitely recommend you add it to your list of places to eat at!

Assisi is famous all over the world for being the birthplace of both St. Francis as well as St. Clare, founders of the Franciscan and Clarisse orders. The two beautiful basilicas are dedicated to the saints and millions of pilgrims and simple visitors visit them each year (over 1,400,000 visitors recorded in 2008). The Basilica of St. Francis, divided into a lower and upper section, is truly imposing. The upper basilica conserved a beautiful cycle of the life of St. Francis that many experts attribute at least in part to Giotto. From the lower basilica, one descends into the heart of the church: the crypt of St. Francis where the body of the saint rests. This is without a doubt the most evocative spot in the basilica even if it is the barest and most essential place within.

The city is very well take care of, but aside from the two basilicas the town doesn’t offer much more. The streets are full of souvenir shops for tourists, expensive and not of the highest quality. Avoid the souvenir shops and you will find nicer artisan shops away from the basilica.

We highly recommend visiting the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, located a few kilometers outside of Assisi. The church is built around one of the most important spots for Franciscans, the Porziuncola, a small church now completely within the basilica where St. Francis would pray and where he experienced important moments of his life, from the revelation of his vocation up to his death. The basilica is extremely interesting considering it was built precisely to protect the small and precious Franciscan chapel.

Piazza Grande in Gubbio

The medieval city of Gubbio is the town we enjoyed the most. The center is a tangle of narrow streets which are a pleasure to walk through. Piazza Grande is very beautiful, designed to be the center of the city with the imposing Palazzo dei Consoli and Palazzo del Podestà facing onto the square. Compared to the other cities we visited, Gubbio seemed lively and both the homes and palaces and streets were particularly well taken care of and clean. At the top of Monte Igino, with the city built on its slopes, you’ll find the basilica of Saint Ubaldo, patron saint for the city. You can get to the basilica by car as well as by a small cable car which departs from the city’s center. The route and view you can enjoy from the cable car must be very suggestive, considering it goes all the way to the top at 850 meters above sea level but we don’t recommend it to anyone who, like myself, is afraid of heights since the car is for just two people and looks like a bird cage! So you can go and see it and decide if you want to ride it up or not.

Once you’ve entered the basilica of Sant’Ubaldo you enter  into a grand cloister made in Roman bricks. The interior of the church is very bright, the marble altar and beautiful stained glass windows at its back with scenes dedicated to the saint both stand out.

In just a few days we were able to see many beautiful places we had yet to visit, the four days were full but very relaxing. We recommend this itinerary to anyone that wishes to discover some of the small treasures in Umbria!

When we visited Volterra last year, we passed by Colla Val d’Elsa which seemed to be a beautiful medieval town. We didn’t have a chance to stop then to visit it, but this past weekend, taking advantage that we were in the area for the medieval fair at Monteriggioni we decided to spend a day exploring Colle. It was a very pleasant discovery.

Colle Val d’Elsa is about 15 minutes from Monteriggioni which is where we were staying, right below the castle at the Residence La Rosa. The residence is very nice and small with only a few rooms and two apartments. We got the small apartment for 2 nights. The place is very close to Monteriggioni but being between the castle and the Firenze-Siena roadway took away from some of the tranquility we were expecting to find. The owners, father and son Aldo and Paolo were welcoming and nice, offering us a bottle of wine they produce on the farm.

We had no problems finding parking once we arrived in Colle, there were several parking lots right below the historical center (since Colle means hill you can clearly understand the old town is foun on a hill). The modern part of the town spreads out in the surrounding valley.

We followed a path from the parking lot up toward the Porta Nuova, or New Door, that guards the city’s entrance from Volterra. Imposing, with two large round towers and medievals walls to the side and a moat! It seems we have stepped back in time but we are brought back to our time as a car comes out of the medieval door .

Once we enter through the gates we find ourselves in the first section of the old town called Borgo and as we walk along the main street our suspicions are confirmed: this is really an undiscovered treasure, clearly well maintained and conserved. It is small but well organized to welcome visitors, with several maps and informational signs throughout, public restrooms near Porta Nuova and access for disabled persons.

As we walk and pass numerous medieval and Renaissance palaces, we notice many of them still display the emblems (and a small plaque indicating the name) of the important families in the city that have made up its history. The town is full of history, its strategic position made it important for both Florence and Siena to possess during the times of warfare between the two cities. The town is well know for the famous battle of Colle (unfortunately no English version yet).

At the end of the town is the Renieri-Portigiani palace that displays a large Medicean emblem and which is now seat of the city government.

From here starts the second part of the old city, the “Castello” or Castle, built on a nearby hill and connected today by a wide stone bridge (called ponte del Campana, or Bell Bridge) but which back then represented an ulterior form of defense.
Walking along via del castello you end up the Bastione di Sapia, a bulwark from which you can enjoy a large panoramic view of the city below and of the surrounding countryside. It is said that Sapia Salvani, a noble woman from Siena, observed from this terrace the defeat of her own fellow citizens during the battle of Colle. In the Divine Comedy, Dante has us find her in Purgatory, and a sign on a nearby building reminds us of these phrases.

There are many sites of interest and we soon found out ourselves that we had underestimated the time we needed to spend there. A few we would like to signal out are: the tower of Arnolfo located toward the end of via del Castello where Arnoldi di Cambio was born, likely Colle Val d’Elsa’s most illustrious citizen; the Archeological Museum and the Crystal Museum which we will have to return to Colle to visit. The city, we soon learned, is the Italian capital of crystal and almost all Italian crystal objects sold worldwide are produced here. There are many shops in the town selling precious crystal objects. We were able to resist the shimmery light from those windows on this occasion.

We were instead attracted by the coloful window at Manufactum , where the owner, Doriana, was painting the ceramic items – very beautiful – that she creates along with her husband. We purchased a few souvenirs but there were various items that attracted our eye – on our next visit we will surely stop by again

Happy note for our lunch: we discovered what turned to be an excellent restaurant, il Frantoio , located within the Castle section. Its light lunch fixed menu was a good deal (18 euros), while the à la carte dishes prices might have been a little bit more compared to what other restaurants and wine bars we passed along the way advertised but the setting was suggestive, both elegant and rustic at the same time. Above all, the presentation of each course was impecable, serving modern interpretations of common Tuscan dishes and offering their own fresh bread and sauces. Service was excellent: it is always a pleasure to eat at a place where you feel they care about making a good impression on their clients

We hope to soon have a more detailed article on Colle val d’Elsa, in the meantime we highly recommend a visit to this small medieval town which is often overlooked but which has a lot to offer!

We were in Pisa last week to witness the beautiful  (but very crowded) Luminara along the Arno river and then to attend the late afternoon regatta of San Ranieri. We spent a little more than 24 hours in Pisa. Most everyone who tries to fit Pisa in into an otherwise crammed Tuscany itinerary generally only dedicates a few hours to Pisa. Get in, see the Leaning Tower and Piazza dei Miracoli (main square where you find the tower, cathedral, baptistery and monumental cemetery) and leave.

Given our plan was to experience first-hand Pisa’s feast day for its patron saint, San Ranieri – we nonetheless wholeheartedly recommend giving Pisa a few more hours of your time next time you visit. In addition to seeing the Leaning Tower, we recommend climbing all 300 steps to the top of it! It is a bit on the expensive side to do so (15 euro), but it surely is a once in a lifetime experience. It is the most incredible sensation – your body’s equilibrium is tested the whole way up!  The stairs going up are all worn down in certain spots where thousands of feet have gravitated to given the tower’s inclination. We bought a cumulative ticket to all of the sights in the Piazza dei Miracoli and spent the day seeing some intriguing frescoes in the Camposanto, experiencing the particular acoustics of the Baptistery, admiring the cathedral’s art at the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo and just enjoying all of the views of the Leaning Tower every side of the square offers. Since it was the patron saint’s feast day, there were several masses in the Cathedral throughout the day and visitors could only enter about 20 feet in. Sooner or later, we’ll have to go back to admire the cathedral’s treasures up close.

We had a great dinner at Montino’s pizzeria and a delicious lunch at the Osteria dei Cavalieri – I’m working on writing up some reviews for those. In the meantime, I’ve written up articles dedicated to the Luminara and Regatta di San Ranieri and working on others about all the wonderful things to see in Pisa (in addition to the Leaning Tower, of course ).

Photo by Pierpaolo Putignano

The last time I visited a zoo, I was a child.

I remember it was a zoo-safari: visitors crossed huge areas directly aboard their own cars, passing through fields where lions and monkeys made their home.

To my young eyes, these great fields were the savanna and reminded me of Tarzan movies. I couldn’t imagine what enclosures were and I certainly didn’t intend on walking through the big cats to ensure myself that these walls existed (I was a wise guy at the time).

I let my fantasy do its job and I looked at the animals full of delight.

More than thirty years later, I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather and photograpg something different. Somehow I decided to go to the Pistoia Zoo to take some shots.

The zoo is easily reachable from from Florence, it is just off the Pistoia Ovest (West) exit off the A11 highway that connects Florence to Pisa and the Tyrennian Sea. The zoo is just four kilometers from the highway exit with a large parking lot, but on weekends and holidays it is best to arrive early.

The zoo is located on the hills of Pistoia, covering a large natural area. Where it was possible, the natural habitats for the animals were recreated.

Currently, the zoo is working on preparing a large area for brown bears, the park’s newest attraction. In addition, the park has a souvenir shop, a restaurant and a tropical hall where reptiles are kept.

The thing that struck me the most was the great variety of animals hosted at the zoo, from the most common animals (pigs, guinea pigs, oxen, goats and donkeys) to more bizarre species (uistitì and ring tailed lemurs, made famous by Dreamworks’ Madagascar movie) or simply cute animals (such as the capibara, a sort of large water mouse, polar bears, big pelicans and the drowsy giant tortoise).

The zoo contains animals of rare beauty, such as the scarlet ibis, an amazing white peacock and a black swan.

An exciting small wolf pack is specially attractive to children, while the park’s favorite tend to be the felines: a couple of snobby lions, an elegant tiger and three magnificent jaguars.

Then there are the camels, ostriches, rheas, emus and alpacas that observe the public with a sweet but shy stare.

The giraffes and elephants (besides the peacocks) are those that have most accustomed to our human presence; in fact, they stretch out their necks and trunks towards the park’s visitors in search of a snack.

Nearby, the hippos sleep and a rhino, without a jeep to charge, stands to the side looking bored.

The tropical hall houses a big variety of snakes, including a python reticulatus, a cobra, a crotalus, the yellow anaconda as well as other reptiles such as alligators, caymans and snapping turtles.

There are giant cockroaches and millipedes and a real champion of the camouflage game, the stick insect which is invisible in its home.

Near the zoo’s exit, gibbons and wonderful aras wave goodbye.

At this point we just need to pay two euros to leave the parking area and return home only to realize that the whole day has passed.

It’s fair, at this point, to comment on the zoo experience.

It is a common opinion (highly agreeble) that animals must live free in their natural environment.

It is also true that the idea of what makes a zoo in these last thirty years has changed greatly. It is no longer a sort of “freak show” but rather a place where animals can be protected, a place where visitors can learn about biodiversity and the species that are present in that zoo.

To that end, the Pistoia Zoo organizes an initiative called “Incontri Bestiali (Bestial Encounters)” in which visitors (both children and adults) are informed about the necessities of those species that today are commonly found in our homes as pets in order to promote an appropriate and conscious management and to avoid their abandonment. The zoo also organized learning initiatives and visits with local schools.

It is also sad to think that in a not so distant future the zoo will be the only place where we will be able to find certain species, such as polar bears and tigers as they become extinct in their natural enviroment.

Maybe the children of today, which are not even used to seeing a common garden lizard, will also be able to learn about the biodiversity we are losing.

For any who might be interested in taking some photographs at the zoo, I offer some technical tips.

It is best to go to zoo bright and early (of course dependant on the zoo’s opening hours) or at dusk (taking into consideration that the ticket office closes an hour before the zoo does).

These are the times when most of the animals are more active.

It is best to use a reflex camera (SLR) with a telephoto zoom lens (this will allow focusing beyond the wire fences so that they practically invisible in your photos) and a polarizing filter since some animals can be only be vieved behind glass barriers.

Remember that animals are in constant motion, will not pose for shots or for the best light conditions, so try to use a fast shutter speed in order to capture the moment.

For further information about the Pistoia Zoo and the species hosted at the park, visit the official website at http://www.zoodipistoia.it