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

It’s time for one of our favourite events in Tuscany: the medieval festival of Monteriggioni. Monteriggioni is a beautiful medieval castle with giant towers near Siena. It has been the setting of several medieval battles between the armies of Florence and Siena, and it’s the perfect location to recreate medieval times.
The festival started last weekend on the 3d of july, we will be going this friday (10th) and saturday, maybe on sunday too for the last day. Learn more about the festival on the official site of “Monteriggioni di Torri si Corona” .
This video, from last year’s edition, shows a reenactement of the medieval battle during the siege of the castle by the Florentines, in 1526. Unfortunately the audio of the first part is only in Italian!

I have finally edited and uploaded on our Youtube channel a video of this year’s Regatta of San Ranieri. It was a little bit long to wait in the sun for over an hour, anyway here you have it all in less than 5 minutes . You can find more info on the Regatta here on our article.

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.

Continue reading about our visit to Pisa »

Photo by TomStardust

The teams of the Florence’s Calcio Storico (Blues, Whites, Greens and Reds) have faced off over the last two weeks in the semi-finals to decide which two teams compete in the traditional Tournament of St. John in Florence’s Piazza Santa Croce on June 24.

The soccer game played in costume is one of Florence’s main events historically planned for the month of June in the celebrations for San Giovanni, St. John, patron saint for the city. For this special occasion, the large, beautiful square in front of the Church of Santa Croce serves as the playing field. Bleachers are set up for spectators and the stone square is covered with sand.

For the final match, the Reds will face off the Blues on Wednesday June 24 at 5 p.m.

Continue reading about the Calcio Storico »

The tiny village of Serravalle Pistoiese, just 10 kilometres from Pistoia, is preparing to dive into the past with the Medieval Fair organized at the Rocca di Castruccio from May 22 to 24.

Serravalle was the most important castle for the Ghibelline city of Pistoia, both reaching the peak of their splendor and importance at the end of the second century. The Medieval Fair celebrates the ancient glory of Serravalle at the beginning of the 300s, bringing back to life the old fortress with its garrisons, artisans, merchants and all the places and personages which animated the castle at that time.

The Fair will start on May 22 with a medieval dinner and continues over the following two days with many events and exhibitions that take us back to that era.

On Saturday 23 at 10 p.m. we highly recommend attending the show by the medieval-inspired musicians of the Compagnia la Giostra. We have seen this high energy group perform in other important medieval fairs around Tuscany (such as the Monteriggioni fair in July) and we have been big fans since the very first time we heard them! We’re planning to attend the fair this week in Serravalle to not miss the show of our favorite medieval group and the rest of the fair.
Has someone else attended in the past or is thinking of joing us? Let us know what you think!

From now until May 3, head towards Florence’s Horticulture Garden to witness spring’s bounty in the shape of plants and flowers at the Mostra dei Fiori, or Flower Fair. Open from 8.30 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, the fair is located in the external area of the horticulture garden (one of the entrances is on Via Bolognese 17). Among the fair’s exhibitors we even saw noted nursery breeders in Tuscany such as “Rose Barni” from Pistoia.

Entrance is free but we warn you that it will be difficult to resist the temptation of purchasing something…

Also up until May 20, the Iris Garden just below the Piazzale Michelangelo is open (open every day from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and from 3 to 7 p.m.). This beautiful garden is completely dedicated to the iris, the symbol of Florence, which is presented here in many sweet-smelling varieties from all over the world. Between May 4 and 9, the annual International Competition will elect the most beautiful iris hybrid for the year. Entrance to this garden is also free so, weather permitting, take a stroll up the Piazzale and enjoy the blooms.

Across all of Italy, the “Settimana della Cultura” or “Week of Culture” will take place this year April 18-26. The 11th edition will once again promote art and culture by offering free admission to all Italian state-owned properties and to especially organized guided visits and exhibits to these cultural treasures.

To see a list of the special events taking place during this Cultural Week, you can check out the list divided by region on the official website for the Ministry that oversees the management of Italy’s cultural heritage (unfortunately, the site is only in Italian but it is easy enough to see a list by city).

The initiatives organized during this week are a perfect opportunity to spend a few hours in some of the most beautiful artistic settings Italy offers. The fact that they are free doesn’t hurt either, a nice detail in this period of economic difficulty.

Anyone in Florence for that week can check out a map of state museums here.
Among these, you’ll find the Galleria degli Uffizi, the Accademia, the Medici Chapels and the museums within the Palazzo Pitti.

As the slogan for the inititive says, “La cultura è di tutti: partecipa anche tu”, or “Our cultural heritage belongs to everyone, so participate!“

This is the list of Florence State museums that will be open on April 13 (”Pasquetta” or Angel’s Monday) as advertised on the official site.
Many of these are generally open on Sundays so they’ll be open on Easter Sunday. Check the site above for hours and to double check which ones will be open on Sunday.

apertura ordinaria – would normally be open on this Monday anyways
Cappelle Medicee
Museo di Casa Davanzati
Giardino di Boboli, Museo delle Porcellane, Museo degli Argenti and Galleria del Costume (biglietto unico, a common ticket for these museums)

apertura straordinaria – normally closed on Mondays
Galleria degli Uffizi
Galleria dell’Accademia
Galleria Palatina e Galleria d’Arte Moderna (biglietto unico, a common ticket for these museums)
Museo di San Marco
Museo Nazionale del Bargello
Villa della Petraia
Villa di Poggio a Caiano

A not-to be-missed exhibit currently in Florence is without a doubt the one dedicated to Rafael’s famous painting, the Madonna del Cardellino, which after years of restoration has returned to shine more beautiful than ever.
On a recent day we went to Palazzo Medici Riccardi which is just a stone’s throw from the Cathedral and where the painting is on exhibition after a demanding period of restoration as it awaits to be relocated to the Uffizi Gallery.

The Madonna del Cardellino is not the only work on display in this exhibition, in fact, there are four additional works from the same period (early 500’s): The “Gravida” (attributed to Raphael), the “Monk” (from the Florentine school) and the interesting table that covered this painting and a characteristic glass terracotta by Girolamo della Robbia, “The Madonna, Child and Saint John.”

Read more about the exhibition >>