Events in Tuscany on Saturday and Sunday

Here we are, the last weekend before Christmas. Bells are ringing and weather forecasts predict snow… what better way to say Christmas than this? Joking aside, here are the main events in Tuscany for this third weekend of December if you’re fine with covering up well to deal with the low temps around here at the moment.

Florence:

On Saturday and Sunday, December 18^th and 19^th, you can head over to Piazza Santissima Annunziata to the Arts&Crafts market. There will be several craftsmen showing their works, you might find something interesting for a gifts or two.

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It’s almost mid-December but it’s still warm. After a couple of freezing days we came back to mild, gray weather. So let’s see the main events for this second weekend of December:

Florence:

This weekend, head to the German Christmas Market in Piazza Santa Croce, open every day from 10am to 8pm. Then visit Florence Noel at the Leopolda Station until Sunday.
In Piazza Santo Spirito on Sunday December 12^th there will be the monthly arts and crafts market, while within walking distance in Piazza Tasso, at the Ex-Leopoldine Mercanatale, you’ll find a market of local farmers selling only organic products.

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Wow! Today is December 1^st and the countdown for Christmas has started! Florence has been lighted up with thousands of Christmas lights all around the city. As usual during the Advent there are several Christmas markets and lots of events all around Tuscany.

Christmas markets are the ideal places for finding unique Christmas decorations, handmade gifts and for tasting Christmas sweets and local products. Here you have a list of main Christmas markets in Tuscany 2010:

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Good and bad news in and about Tuscany

We have decided to start a new blog’s column, if we can call it this way. Every week we’ll collect the most interesting articles about Tuscany and its cities and regions. News telling about its excellence and about its worst. The following are the main articles and news about Tuscany of the past weeks:

Chianti Waste-Less – Florentine Chianti municipalities -  Barberino Val d’Elsa, Greve in Chianti, San Casciano and Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, will start producing less waste following a revolutionary project. The municipalities will provide restaurants, offices, shops, accommodations, as well as events and fairs with a “waste-less” logo in order to promote their green attitude. They will also promote a healthier and greener lifestyle for citizens, as well as the re-use of packaging and the construction of new salvage centers.

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Days are becoming shorter and the light jacket I wear in the mornings heavier. Afternoons are glorious right now in Florence though! Leaves have started to fall and the hills around Florence are changing colors, a beautiful sight. What I love about this season: the full calendar of events centered around the season’s products. Here are a few events for this second weekend in October in Tuscany: Read more »

Wine, Beer and Much More

September is almost at its end. Sometimes I don’t realize how fast time passes! Over the weekend there several events in Florence and its surroundings. Let’s see the most interesting going on this weekend. Read full post »

Autumn is here and we’ll soon the season will be to start wearing pullovers, scarves and hats again. Hoping that the weather will still be nice this upcoming weekend, here are the main events in Tuscany from which to choose from – so many choices! Read the full post »

I’m writing several new articles for our guide to Chianti and I think it’s a good idea to spend the weekend in the Chianti region to refresh memories and sensations of visiting the area. I have visited Chianti many times, but it will be fun to go back while I’m writing about it.

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!

On the night of Saint Lawrence, August 10th 2010, most of the wine cities in Tuscany will be animated by “Calici di Stelle” (Goblets of stars). For all night there will wine and food tastings, concerts, craft markets, guided tours and stars watching.

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!

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 »