In early September Florence hosts a unique event, that only Florentines know and celebrate: the Festa della Rificolona, the Festival of paper lanterns.

This typical Florentine festival dates back to the Middle Ages. Since then people went on pilgrimage from Florence surroundings to Santissima Annunziata Church for celebrating the birth of the Virgin Mary on September 8th. They carried a paper lantern to light the way. Today the Rificolona Festival is no longer a religious celebration, but a festival for children.

This year as well, Florence will be lighted up by hundreds of paper lanterns, that will parade along the historical center. On September 7th the parade will start around 9.00 pm in Piazza Santa Croce and will end up in Piazza Santissima Annunziata. On September 8th the parade will then be on the Arno River near Ponte Vecchio, starting at the Rowing Club.

After my last sunburn this past weekend on the Tuscan beaches, I’ve decided to skip the seaside and visit Valdorcia, an area I personally love because of its stunning landscapes, many of which have been immortalized in movies.

On Saturday we’ll first go to San Quirico D’Orcia for a quiet walk through the historical center, with the intention to specifically revisit the striking Romanesque Collegiata Church and the Leopoldini’s Gardens, a wonderful example of Renaissance gardens. For lunch we’ll then head on to Bagno Vignoni and have a delicious lunch with local specialities at the Locanda del Loggiato, where I’ve been in the past and return to often. Then we move on to Pienza where the Cheese Festival, or Festa del Cacio, will be taking place on the following Sunday, September 5th with its particular games. I also want to take the opportunity to visit the splendid Palazzo Piccolomini, a fine example of Renaissance architecture.

On Sunday, we’ll head on to Montepulciano to see the exhibition about the Macchiaioli, called “The Macchiaioli in Montepulciano. Hidden and Private Masterpieces”. The exhibit is at the Crociani Art Gallery at the Logge della Mercanzia and displays over 70 works by Macchiaioli masters from a private collection, generally not open to the public. In the afternoon we’re looking forward to witnessing the Bravìo delle Botti, a hard race where the eight districts of Montepulciano push large barrels uphill to win the Bravio, a precious painted cloth. The race has two strong men from each district thrust the heavy barrels along the streets of the historical center of Montepulciano, which were also seen in the recent Twilight New Moon series film. The race will start at 7pm but starting from 3 pm there will be a parade in historical costume and then a Renaissance show in the main square.

Wish you a happy ending for this August, hoping my suggestions help you plan your own last weekend of the month!

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

This weekend is Ferragosto, the day of the Assumption, which is a national holiday in Italy. So we have decided to spend the whole weekend in Mugello, the green valley to the north of Florence.

On Saturday we’ll go to San Godenzo, a small village on the border with Romagna. At the Cultural Center Enrica Rainetti in the fraction of Castagno d’Andrea is an interesting art show of the Macchiaioli, a style I love. Here the painter Giovanni Fattori lived for a few years and painted the famous “The livestock market in San Godenzo” displayed at the Palatine Gallery in Florence. The exhibit “Life of a collection, collection of a life” showcases 77 masterpieces by Giovanni Fattori and other great painters from the Macchiaioli movement. Since we are nearby, we’ll enjoy typical dishes of the Mugello valley at the famous Tuscan restaurant Da Sergio, also known as “the general”, in Dicomano. For the evening, we’ll move on to Borgo San Lorenzo, which will be celebrating its patron saint with a festival with food, music and a night market.

On Sunday, August 15th we’ll go back to Dicomano, first to visit the flea market open all day in the center, then for the chance to visit the archeological area of  Frascole which is normally closed to the public as excavations proceed. It will be especially open on this one day, with guided tours being offered between 10am and 12pm and from 4 to 7pm. I also want to visit the Archeological Museum of the Mugello which preserves Etruscan and other finds from all the valley. For dinner, I am not sure where we’ll go but we’ll surely have watermelon afterward to respect Italian custom of eating this summer treat on this day, the day of the Assumption of the Virgin.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

Our Apartment at Convivium Pow Wow Lunae

During our vacation in Lunigiana (details and pics coming soon), we selected a farmhouse near Aulla with a very original name: Convivium Lunae Pow Wow. We chose it mainly because of its central location in the Lunigiana area, perfect for moving around to visit the various villages during the week we were there.

The farm is about 15 minutes from Aulla very close to the town of Bigliolo, known for the particular beans grown in the area and a crop grown on this farm.

As soon as we arrived, two friendly dogs named Ulisse and Peggy came up to welcome us. We later found out there are two other dogs, sticking to their role of guard dogs, and several cats. Since we like pets, we immediately warm up to their friendly presence and wagging tails.

We soon meet the entire Grulli family, and get to know the owner, Aristide, in particular. He is in love with “his” Lunigiana and gets passionate as he shares its secrets and many riches. We understand immediately that a week might not be enough to see all that the Lunigiana offers.

The thing we like best of the Pow Wow farmhouse is that it is really a quiet, tranquil place and even a bit isolated: the ideal setting for getting away from work! Actually, our cellphones have trouble getting reception which makes it almost impossible to connect to the Internet through our mobile. This, added to the television that doesn’t work in our apartment, really permits us, albeit without a choice, to enjoy a whole week away from the modern world of continual interconnectivity.

The tranquillity of the place, however, is destined to not last long: already during our stay, workers were putting the finishing touches and getting ready to test a motocross/scrambling circuit right in front of the farm house!

Close to the house is a small lake but we didn’t have a chance to to visit it. The apartment is large and very nice, with wooden floors, wood beamed ceilings and several large windows. The windows offer a lot of natural light although in the mornings the curtains offered little protection against the sunshine, thus assuring we would not miss going out to see all corners of the Lunigiana. The kitchen corner and bathroom are however not that well furnished: in the kitchen, the cooktop/hob wouldn’t turn on without the help of matches (that we had to buy) and some basic cooking utensils, skillets and detergent were missing. In the bathroom, hot water was a distant dream and small comforts such as a piece of hand soap were missing.

The first two evenings we decided to have dinner at the farmhouse enjoying the labor of Mrs. Grulli and her two daughters in the kitchen. It isn’t a proper restaurant, you eat was is brought to the table as if you were back at home. Meals are in the main farmhouse hall in the company of the family while they share information on local sights, including the stories of the miracles and sanctuary built to the Madonna del Castagno in nearby Bigliolo. Aristide offered his suggestions for hiking trails and told us of several places he recommended we visit during the week… and thus we have a lot to tell you about our week in Lunigiana in upcoming posts!

Among the open museums on August 15th there the Uffizi Gallery, Academy Gallery and Pitti Palace and its museums, as well as the Medici Chapels, Palazzo Vecchio and the Archeological Museum. The open churches are the Duomo and the Opera del Duomo Museum, Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Baptistery, together with Santa Croce Church and Santa Maria Novella Church. The Church of Santo Spirito will be open only in the afternoon from 4 pm to 5.30 pm.

Museums and Churches will follow the regular opening hours. Here you find the list of open museums in Florence on August 15th with opening and closing hours.

So on Saturday morning I’m planning to go to Greve in Chianti and visit the weekly market, a market that really impressed Grand Duke Leopold I back in the 19th century. Nowadays, it’s a big market with a vast range of local products, as well as clothing and flowers. For lunch, I want to tray the famous Mac Dario at the Antica Macelleria Cecchini in Panzano in Chianti. It is a 10 euro menu made of a 250gr hamburger with roast potatoes, vegetables and onions, bread and water. It’s the Tuscan alternative to fast food . After lunch I’ll move on to Castellina in Chianti and spend the night there. Saturday night is the “Calici di Stelle” event and I want to do wine tasting and enjoy good Tuscan food.

On Sunday I intend to visit Gaiole in Chianti and its surroundings with its famous castles and churches. My plan is to take a guided tour of the Castello di Brolio with wine tasting included. For lunch I want to go San Gusmè, a beautiful medieval town where there is an excellent trattoria, Sira e Remino. I love the Pici Cacio and Pepe, handmade spaghetti pasta dressed very simply with cheese and ground pepper. In the afternoon, I’ll then stop at the Castello di Vertine and at Badia Coltibuono and maybe have dinner there before coming back home.

I cross my fingers so that it won’t rain – hope you have a nice weekend as well!

In the Chianti Classico region there will be many events: in Greve in Chianti there will be wine tastings, craft market and stars watching from 9.00 pm, in Castellina in Chianti the center will be animated by street musicians, craft market, wine and food tastings, and in Gaiole in Chianti wine and food tastings will start at 6.00 pm.

In Siena wine tastings will take place under the Loggia of Palazzo Pubblico from 9.30, together with guided tours to the Civic Museum and to Torre del Mangia, while in San Gimignano there will be in Piazza Sant’Agostino from 9.00 pm.

There will be also wine tastings and other events in Montepulciano, Castelnuovo di Berardenga, Castiglione d’Orcia and Campiglia Marritima, as well as other minor destinations. In fact the calendar of Calici di Stelle 2010 have many different events scheduled.

So look up high in the sky for your falling star while drinking a good glass of wine, and don’t forget to make a wish!

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!

What do you think about spending the night of St. Lawrence surrounded by Renaissance masterpieces?