Here we are again with good and bad news about Tuscany taken from famous international and Italian newspapers and blogs. These are the best articles of last week:

Tuscany means agriturismo – A recent study by Toprural, specialized in country/rural tourism, revealed that 3 Italians on 10 think that farmhouse is synonymous of Tuscany. About 30% of rural  tourists come to Tuscany for spending a green and relaxing holiday. After Tuscany comes Sicily with 9% of rural visitors.

The quality of life in Tuscany – The annual research about life’s quality in Italy by Il Sole 24 Ore awarded and, at the same time, punished Tuscany and its cities and provinces. In fact while the province of Siena is at the 5^th place, Florence province is at 31^st place. The city of Florence went down to 18^th place. But most of Tuscany provinces do better in services for environment, health and free time and place themselves in the top ten.

Italy is a top destination for 2011 for Lonely Planet – The famous guide Lonely Planet suggested Italy as one of the best destinations to visit in 2011. It’s at 7^th place for its undeniable appeal, even though it’s a mess. 

Massa Marittima, unknown jewel – Italy is not just big names as Venice, Florence and Rome, but it’s made of small and hidden treasures across the country. Among these there is certainly Massa Marittima, breathtaking destination in Maremma, renowned for its stunning Duomo.

Maremma disfigured by cement – There are far too many projects for building in the wild Maremma: a new harbor, the Tyrrhenian highway and lots of row houses. All these plans are just for the area of Orbetello, near the Uccellina Natural Park and the Argentario. It will be the destruction of one of the most beautiful areas in Italy.

The Italian Museum of the year is in Florence – The prestigious award “The Italian best museum of the Year” has been assigned to an almost unknown Florence museum: Galileo Galilei Museum. The scientific museum has been completely renovated this year and has become a reference for Italian scientific museums.

Some Renovations for Santa Maria Novella Museum – Florence Municipality has allocated 500 thousand euro for the restoration and renovation of several frescoes, paintings and walls of Santa Maria Novella Museums. In fact the beautiful Chiostrino dei Morti (The Cloister of the Departed) will be open to the public and turned into the main entrance of the museum.

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.

The best Resort in Europe – The Most excellent charming hotel, the most desired prize for luxury hotels worldwide by the guide Condé Nast Johansens, has been awarded to Monsignor della Casa Country Resort in Borgo San Lorenzo. This luxury hotel in Mugello near Florence has been recognized as the best European accommodation for its hospitality and for its atmosphere, that perfectly preserves the ancient look of the historical village. 

Collapses in Roselle – After the shocking pictures of the collapse in Pompei (Naples) in Tuscany it raises the alarm for the collapses of the Etruscan walls of Roselle. The city of Roselle is one of the few Etruscan cities that has preserved the whole city walls, almost 3,5 km. A part of the walls has been fenced in because of the serious risk of collapses. 

Diana Goddess Sanctuary in Alberese – In Alberese within the Maremma Natural Park, has been been discovered the sanctuary of the Roman Goddess Diana, goddess of virgins and wild animals. The temple dates back to 2^nd-3^rd centuries b.C. and covers about 350 sq. meters. Within the temple archaeologists have discovered three statues depicting Diana and her brother Apollo as well as some coins and several lamps. The temple is well preserved. 

The most beautiful coasts in the world – National Geographic drew up a list of the most charming coasts in the world. In the top 10 there was the Italian Cinque Terre, that as been described as a European treasure and a virtuous example to be followed.

Florence, a Top Destination – Florence has been voted the most beautiful and enchanting destination in the world by TripAdvisor.com. The city excelled cities such as Paris, Washington, Rome and Venice. Last week the young city major Matteo Renzi accepted the prize on behalf of the city of Florence. 

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.

Florence:

Up to Sunday, September 26 in Piazza Santa Croce is Che Birra!, a festival dedicated to Italian homebrewed beer. Beer and food tastings as well as thematic dinners all weekend long.
Saturday, September 25th in Piazza Duomo there will be the Carro Matto. At 16,00 the “crazy cart” and the parade will be in front of the Duomo for benediction before heading to Piazza della Signoria in celebration of the offer of wine from Rufina to Florence.
In addition in Piazza della Repubblica until Sunday Tunisian week is being celebrated with food stands, hand-crafted products from Tunisia, a restaurant and stage with various shows going on throughout the weekend.

Chianti:

On Sunday in Impruneta the famous Festa dell’Uva or grape festival takes place. It is one of the most famous festivals in Italy with a beautiful parade of allegorical carts. Each cart is decorated with grapes and has to represent the magnificence of the grape.
Near Castelnuovo Berardenga there is also the traditional Grape Festival of Vagliagli. There will be wine tastings, good food and live music all weekend long.

I would also like to suggest another special event related to wine. In the beautiful town of Scansano in Maremma on Saturday and Sunday the Grape Festival will be taking place. Wine cellars will be open and there will be several places for wine tastings all around the city center as Scansano celebrates its famous red wine called Morellino di Scansano. I was there two years ago and had a lot of fun. There is also live music and other events throughout the weekend.

Lots of things to do during this last weekend of September. I wish you a nice weekend in Tuscany!

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!

From April 16 to the 25th the 12th European Culture Week will be taking place all over Italy and Europe and thus in Tuscany as well. The event, successfully organized by the Italian Ministry for Cultural Assets and Activities, opens State museums, monuments, archeological sites, archives and libraries, both for Italian and foreign visitors with free entrance.

In Italy there will be over 2900 events during the week, with over 200 just in Tuscany. Free guided tours, as well as special exhibits and events, will be organized across the region, such as the extraordinary opening of the Gardens at Villa La Pietra and its Acton Collection.

The European Culture Week is certainly a unique occasion to discover and visit unique Italian masterpieces, as well as hidden Tuscan treasures enriching your unforgettable holidays in Tuscany. Aside from free entrance into state museums, you can enjoy a full schedule of events.

In the area of the upper Maremma hills where we went to explore, an agriturismo (farmhouse) seems to be the most common form of accommodation. The area is largely cultivated and is home to the Montecucco DOC wine region and, while it is lesser known than its neighbors, the Brunello di Montalcino or the Morellino di Scansano, it is no less good and enjoyable. For our last minute trip to Maremma we searched online and finally decided on contacting the agriturismo Il Passo degli Ulivi which offered independent apartments.

October brings in the low season so we knew it shouldn’t be hard to find availability for a last minute get-away. October is also when you have to admit to yourself that summer is definitely over and the weather gets a bit grey and cool. So not only were we surprised to get the whole agriturismo to ourselves, we also got really lucky with the weather warming up and we enjoyed almost a full week of sun!

Since we enjoy relaxing as well as hiking and exploring every time we go out somewhere in Tuscany, we appreciate places that offer a little kitchen corner and allow us the luxury of sleeping in and getting our own breakfast when we feel like it, or the possibility of being able to make our own sandwiches and snacks to take on our hikes.

The Passo degli Ulivi was perfect: it offered a comfortable apartment with a large kitchen with sofabed and TV, a double bedroom and bathroom. The agriturismo has 3 such apartments that share the outside terrace and swimming pool (covered at this time of year). The apartment was clean and the kitchen was really well-equipped and even included a toaster and American coffee machine. The rooms were furnished in old country style, the bed in wrought-iron and the ceilings had exposed wooden beams and the floors were terracotta. Everything was very comfortable, and the heating/AC system in the living room/kitchen area and in the bedroom were definitely a plus when the evenings were cool.

The property sits on a hill and enjoys a great view of the village of Civitella Marittima. The apartments have their own entrance and parking area, but they are right behind the family farm and surrounded by olive trees from which the family produces olive oil. One day we woke up and found the family beginning the olive harvest just outside our windows. The farm also makes their own wine. We met Donato, the owner, on our first day and he was very helpful in explaining the basics to get us settled in and in providing information on the area and the nearby restaurants. He had a map and a list of useful information on hand to give to us and which proved to be a great resource.

We had a great experience visiting and getting to know this area of Maremma. Staying at Il Passo degli Ulivi was certainly a part of it, and we highly recommend it to anyone wishing to enjoy a relaxing vacation in the countryside just as we recommend visiting this truly undiscovered corner of Tuscany!

We have just returned from a short vacation in Maremma: we decided at the very last moment to leave on this trip, taking advantage of the warm sun and nice days this mid-October was giving us.

We had never visited the upper part of Maremma close to Monte Amiata, between the Tuscan coast and Val d’Orcia. It was a nice surprise. The landscape reminds us of the Crete Senesi which so often are potrayed in postcards from Tuscany: soft hills of vineyards, brown and yellow fields with big, isolated trees in the middle of a cultivated field, woods with oaks and chestnut trees. There are few houses, mainly farms that often offer accommodation and may also have a restaurant where you can have a good typical meal.

We chose one of these “agriturismo” for our stay, but we’ll talk about it in the next post.
We spent almost a week visiting the small villages and towns in the area: Pari, Civitella Marittima, Paganico, Roccastrada, Roccatederighi, Campagnatico, Monticiano. These are all small, mostly well-conserved medieval villages, usually sitting on the top of hills and that surrounded a castle and were protected by stone walls. In October, they seem very quiet (almost too quiet!), with only a few locals and a random tourist. We particularly liked Roccatederighi which was more alive as a town and sitting on a hill made of volcanic rock: the houses, the church, the tower seem to rise from the rock itself and huge rocky spurs form almost another natural tower next to the ancient castle.

We didn’t eat at a restaurant at a local agriturismo since we were often further away but we did discover some really good restaurants: you can definitely tell that there are great places to eat in the area. We were particularly impressed by the Locanda nel Cassero in Civitella Marittima where we had two excellent dinners. The chef prepares dishes that are revisitations of the typical Tuscan cuisine made only with fresh local ingredients, so the menu changes every season and possibly every day. The restaurant is very popular and it was full even in this low season so they recommend to call and reserve (see www.locandanelcassero.com for more info).

With its tranquility and beautiful natural landscapes, this part of Tuscany and Maremma as a whole, is a perfect place to go hiking, mountain biking or horse riding. On the other hand, we were not able to find maps of the paths and unpaved roads for this particular corner of Maremma, or detailed descriptions of the itineraries. That didn’t stop us, but on some of our walks we lost the way several times as the paths were not clearly marked and we ended up walking much more than we intended to! We also went hunting for new geocaches since we saw several were hidden in the area and it was a perfect excuse to discover the hidden corners we might not otherwise seen

While geocaching and hiking we visited several castles, the most beautiful of which is the ruins of the castle of Sassoforte, of which only the great walls are still standing among huge vulcanic rocks.

Walking was fun (when we don’t lose the way) but it must be even better to go mountain biking on the hills of Maremma. There are plenty of wide unpaved road and paths in the woods and even on the main roads cars were few. At the end of our trip we met Riccardo, in Roccatederighi, who rents bicycles and organizes bike tours in Maremma. Riccardo was very friendly and helpful and found 2 mountain bikes for us to go for a short ride. Unfortunately, we had to cancel at the last moment, but we plan to go back at least for a weekend of pure mountain biking in Maremma. If you have the same idea you can visit Riccardo’s website at www.maremmainbici.it.

On our last day of vacation we visited the abbey of San Galgano, between Monticiano and Chiusdino. It was maybe the most beautiful place we visited on this trip and definitely a must-see. Only the walls of the magnificent medieval abbey are still standing: the roof and bell tower collapsed centuries ago. What is left now is a magnificent cathedral in a valley surrounded by cultivated fields and woods, with the sky as a roof. Entering into the cathedral you don’t have the impression of entering a ruin, because as you look upward and view the sky it almost seems that you have a clearer view towards God and to His Creation (at least that was my impression).

San Galgano is also famous for its sword in the stone, located within the Montesiepi hermitage near the abbey. Even if it a sword in a stone makes one think of King Arthur, the sword here has a very different story. Galgano used to be a knight but in 1180 he decided to give fighting up forever. With great strength and convinction to not use it as a weapon any longer, he struck his sword into the stone to use it as a cross where he could pray. Today, under the protection of a clear dome, it is still possible to see the ancient sword in the stone at the center of the Montesiepi chapel, which contributes a little magic to this place.