Joy Joy Joy, as the sweet season is Coming! Christmas in the Tuscan land!

The beauty of Christmas and New Year in Tuscany lays on the way streets in cities are dressed up, the way windows are adorned, the way people smile. In the countryside you will find that an evening dark sky that promises nothing but snow contrasts with the homelike feeling of snuggling up in front of a warm fireplace, and that is a wonderful feeling.
We have already rented a villa in Tuscany during the holiday season twice so far, and that is why I am telling you it is a wonderful experience. The first time when we arrived at the villa we found that the owners had gifted us with a Christmas tree, all adorned and lighten up, the fireplace was crackling nicely, and we immediately felt like we owned this villa and it had been our home for some time!

Having dinners around the table while outside it occasionally snowed (it is rare for snow to fall in Tuscany, and when it does it lasts a couple of days), enjoying nice discussions on the comfortable sofas, and coming home from a lovely daytour in Florence or San Gimignano to prepare our favourite dishes filled us with a sensation of relaxation and peace that is hard to find enywhere else.
Here below is a short version of the Cristmas Eve's dinner at our friens' house. The gravy on the mashed potatoes could not be missing! Lovely! We will be in Tuscany again this year, let us know if you wish to have a hint on how to choose the right place! And even though it might be too soon...Merry Christmas!

Italian and Tuscan Forever Weddings

If you are dreaming of having a memorable wedding, Tuscany is undoubtedly one of the most romantic wedding destinations with its beautiful cities full of art and history, the fascinating countryside, enchanting hamlets, old farms and delicious food and wines.
Forever Weddings in Italy it specializes in arranging weddings and events in Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Certaldo, Lucca, Pienza etc...They can assist you with every aspect of your wedding from the legal procedures of ceremony to the single services required for receptions such as flowers, music, transportation, photography etc�
They will help you choose the right venue and suppliers for your particular needs and budget but we will not take over your wedding; we offer tailor-made services and advise on all aspects of wedding etiquette and traditions. Their wedding coordinators will be present on the day to make sure that everything runs smoothly for you from beginning to end so that you can relax and enjoy your dream day.
Forever Weddings in Italy arranges civil and religious ceremonies, blessings, renewal of vows and family get-togethers. Imagine a ceremony in a romantic setting hidden in the Chianti area or in a marvellous Renaissance villa or again in a Medieval castle where you might also stay with your families and friends for a few days and feel like at home.

Tuscan Tour

It rarely comes handy a great website to organize a tour in Tuscany.
The majority of sites have been able to design some tour in Tuscany, but few pay so much attention to the detail such as those of See Italy for Tours in Tuscany.
As soon as you get to the homepage you have the highlighted tours of the season. Each one is simple to understand, down to the chase and able to let you discover hidden treasures of Tuscany. A few tours in Tuscany are:


-Cooking & Touring Tuscany Tour (7 days)
-Cinque Terre and Tuscany Cooking Tour (5 days)
-Siena Cooking & Spas Tour (5 days)
-Tuscany Wine long week-end (4 days)
-Tuscany Cooking & Touring long week-end (4 days)
-Tuscany Autumn Cooking & Touring long week-end (4 days)
-Tuscany Truffles Autumn Cooking & Touring long week-end (4 days)
-Tango & Art Weeks in Umbria (8 days)

These are just a few, many others are to bound at See Italy.org.



Also by See Italy is Florence travel, a section that is specifically dedicated to Tourism and hotels in Florence.

I would suggest also another site about services in Siena:2 be in siena. where you will find useful information such us accommodations in Siena, Chianti wine tours, bike and Vespa rental and everything you will need traveling in Tuscany

Tagliata Senese di Maiale - Sienese Pork Chop

The cinta senese breed, native to the Montagnola Senese area and the Chianti area, is the mother of all pork breeds in Tuscany.
The Etruscans already reared it and then it was among the Romans during their migrations; the farmers of the Middle Ages survived plagues and famines thanks to this animal.

Video preparation of Tagliata of Cinta Senese pork chop


It was a good reserve of food for everybody as it could be reared in the wild state for its resistance to bad weather.
In the past times, for the slow growing up of this breed (slaughtered after 12 months from its birth), quicker growing up breeds were privileged.
Following the trend of the most recent times towards a re-discovery of ancient values and tastes, the Cinta Senese is now breeded again.
The "Cinta Senese" breed is reared in a wild or in a half-wild "controlled" state.
The breeding area must be characterized by woods, sowable lands and grasslands; the feeding is integrated with vegetable origin flours as barley, corn and fava bean flour.
Nowadays every pork is registered in the Genealogy Book (as it is for Chianina breed) existin ever since 1934 (date of first breed selections); the Book is kept by the Agriculture Itinerant Chair of Siena.

The Cinta Senese meat is homogeneously veined of fat, while in the other breeds the fat side and the lean side are sharply separated.

For that reason the cinta senese meat is extraordinarily scented and tasty.

As the old saying goes, "of a pork, you never throw anything away"; so many different salami products can be prepared: bacon-fat, bacon, hogs jowls, ham, sausages, coppa and many others.

Pisa events and the Folkloric Tuscany

Many important folkloric events take place in Pisa along the year, like: the Luminara di San Ranieri (the night of 16th June, the whole town is illuminated to celebrate the patron saint of Pisa




The Day after you can see the Palio di San Ranieri ( 4 teams race a regatta on the Arno, representing historical events). The Regatta of the Old Seafaring Republics (takes place on May and June, preceded by a parade that represents the four Republics: Pisa, Genoa, Venice and Amalfi).




But certainly the one that is more in the heart of Pisans is the Gioco del Ponte. It is a curious game between two teams � which means that the city of Pisa is divided in two rival parts: Tramontana and Mezzogiorno. It consists in two different parts.
First, there is a parade along the Arno river simulating a military procession. Then, there is a battle that takes place in the Ponte di Mezzo. During this battle both teams must give proof of their physical strength, reason why there is a hypotheses that this game has its origins on the classical antiquity.



The first known edition of the Gioco del Ponte more or less as it is now comes from the 1568. Ponte del Mezzo is the seat of the battle and the aim is to conquer a part or the entire half of the bridge occupied by the �enemies�. There are actually many teams of 20 men representing each faction, Tramontana and Mezzogiorno, and they fight in turn.




The fighting is represented by a cart in the middle of the bridge that must be pushed from both sides, till all the opponents are moved back to the end of the sliding rail. The winner is the faction that conquers more number of matches. It is interesting to observe that the cart didn�t exist before 1935, when the pushing was made with physical contact.

Ancient recipes of the Templars: Biscuits

These bay leaf Tuscan cheese biscuits are easy to make and the video is full of useful information on the everyday life that templars would experience to get the nourishments during their journey to the Sacred Land and the Crusades.

The video is about 5 minutes long. Enjoy!

The slad for those who wish to have a spicy day

Well do not get my word for it! Even the cook master in the video underlines that the aphrodisiac propertis of this salad have to be taken with a question mark.

Anyhow, the white truffle is famous in Tuscany for being aphrodisiac, and true or not, if you like truffles, this salad is spectacularly good.

Most of all, this is an experiment to help you non-Italian speakers (I should say understanders) to get what this great guy has to teach to the world on hidden Tuscan recipes. My previous videos of him where without English translations. Let me know if you like it, any advice you have. I will then go back and have the others dubbed too.

Thank you, enjoy, and also let us know if this really was an aphrodisiac salad!! :P

Tuscany from the air in slow motion with Hot air Ballooning

Hot air balloning is more and more popular in Tuscany and prices are going down as you see people of any age jumping on those large baskets and fly away for a 2 hours tour in the Tuscan skyes (towards the Tuscan sun, ok...my wife wants me to write that...anyways). Famous movies apart hot air balloning's price is around 100 euros per person (down from 200 or more euros of few years ago).

The video is just 2 minutes and a half long. Enjoy it!

Lunigiana, the land of the moon

Here you can reach the sea at Lerici, famous for its Gulf of poets, and Mary Shelley, who stayed at Lerici castle, a beautiful medieval sea-side castle of quite some fame.


We chose this area to live in above many other parts of Italy, and we have no regrets, in fact we now assist others,like ourselves, who want nice properties and locations, good prices, beautiful settings, sea access and general accessibility, and nice people! We are the team at Italy Simply and we can help and assist you with every little thing to do with getting here, being here, staying here, and much more.




Lunigiana is also the land of 100 castles, though they number more than this! The main family here were the Malaspina, a noble family dating back a long long time, thus named Malaspina 'bad spine' because one ancient ancestor, was out riding one day and ran into an Acacia spine, which caught him in the neck, and he cried out 'mala spina mala spina' which translates basically to 'bad spike bad spike!'




There is much to discover here, dont miss out on this area, come here and be delighted and amazed!



Zac B Mahoney

Exitement over your table with the Truffle Tarts!

Black truffles are called "scorzoni" [skowrzohnee] as refferred in the video.

This video in Italian language from Casa Tocci shows a very simple way of preparing black truffle tarts.

If you do not know Italian, I have written down here the recipe for you:

Set a handful of black truffles (dry ones, not the pickeled ones in a jar) and set them in a glass of "Vino Santo" (a sweet Tuscan dessert wine made from raisins and aged two years in small barrels) overnight.
Get some good quality pork lard and slice it thinly. Wrap each truffle with the slice of lard and then wrap the whole thing with a layer of tin foil.
Set the wrapped truffles under hot ashes (do not set besides live charcoal!!!) in your fireplace and leave there until soft (depending on the teperature it may take two hours).

That's it! Enjoy!

Folklore: Montepulciano Bravio

The Bravio is an extreme feat for the athletic pushers that alternate their strengths to compete with eleven pairs of rollers.
The huge and heavy wine barrels (hundreds of pounds) are rolled upwards the extreley steep uphills in town along a track of one mile and a half.

Just to let you have an idea of the extreme struggle, a couple of years ago one pusher died of a heart attack during the trials.

Here the Bravio in an 8 minute long video. It also is a good video to show the streets of Montepulciano.

The Mediterranean landscape of the lulling Elba

We spent two lovely weeks over at Villa Eucalyptus right on the coast and have shot this short video to share with all of you the relaxing sound of the Mediterranean waves, a lulling sound that will give you an idea of the beauty of Elba Island.

We hope you enjoy this very short video which is not even a minute in length.

The old way of Moving around: Treno Natura

This quick video shows the line of the Treno Natura that connects Siena to this wonderful culinary and historical town called Monte Antico in Tuscany.

This is a one day trip and anyone can join. You just need to reserve! All the information here!

This video is only 3 minutes and a little more! Enjoy!

Traditions and Middle age in the Medieval Festival

Volterra is a small town in Tuscany famous for its terracotta. The Medieval festival is called "Volterra - A.D. 1398" and is a one-week-long reenactment of the original Medieval Volterra as it was in 1398. The city center is closed and free from traffic during the weekend. The artesans create Tuscan artesanry in front of you and cook the medieval way.

This year 2007 the Festival also includes a noteworthy dinner at the castle on the 19th of August, 2007. A medieval dinner will be prepared and served by the "prisoners" in the courtyard of the "maschio" of the medicea fortress of Volterra.

Enjoy the video!

Hand Made tradition of Tuscan pasta

Simply work the dough with flower and eggs until it's smooth and soft.
Flatten it, spread a little olive oil...Oh well, you will be better off just watching the video. Just 3 minutes in length, it tells you a bit about olive oil, too.


Enjoy!

A great celebration of Wine tasting

The fun Pierluigi is a role model for wine tasting guides. A wonderful lunch, a great Chianti Classico to taste, and a little lesson on the secrets behind the making of a great Tuscan wine, Chianti and Chianti Classico. Enjoy!

July 2007 is the Palio of Sienna on the 2nd

The Palio of Siena of July 2, 2007 has been a continued sequence of spectacular events. Jokeys to the ground, horses running counterways, and an unforgettable head to head finish feat that brought havok in Siena.
Do Enjoy it, the Palio of Siena of July 2, 2007, here it is for you!

Tortelini Pasta hand made

Some details will escape your attention, like the grated nutmeg or some dialog that is not properly translated, but watching this lady preparing Tortellini for Christmas and New Year's is very relaxing, and if you follow what she is doing and the subtitles you will have great homemade tortellini yourself

The traditional way of making Bruscheta

Mixed Bruschetta


Ingredients:

Goat cheese and tomato (self explanatory)
VEGETABLE PUREE - FOR 10 PEOPLE:
8-1/2 oz (250 grams) Lentils
8-1/2 oz (250 grams) Chick Peas
8-1/2 oz (250 grams) Cannellini beans
salt, extra vergine olive oil, tomato concentrate--to taste
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 hot pepper (peperoncino)

Preparation:
Boil the vegetables and drain them; meanwhile fry the garlic, rosemary, and some of the hot pepper in the olive oil and then add the vegetables with a bit of their water. Add salt to taste and tomato concentrate for a touch of color. Pass through a food mill and add a bit of oil. Place on top of the toasted bread slices with a piece of bacon on each.

Towns: Sorano in Tuscany

The Masso Leopoldino represents one of the most striking features of this incredible town.

The Rocca - as it is called in italian - has been appreciated for its strategical qualities since the Middle Ages and was probably fotified by additional structures before the 9th century.



Taking a drive in the south of Tuscany during your vacation, you will find a special little town. Park your car in the outside parking space and prepare to walk up hill into a fantasy world.




The buildings both historic and the modern day rental vacation villas are made from the particular type of material called tuff. It is unique in color, and malability. The Tuscan vacation rentals farmhouses in the southern part of Italy are made of tuff.



Visit the incredible fortress, which is without cars and intervention of modern day activity. You will feel as if you have walked back in time. The large sandy colored blocks are testaments to the local activity.

The town of Anghiari in Tuscany

The most important period in the history of the town is connected with the Battle of Anghiari which was fought in the year 1440 between the Visconti armies from Milan and those of Florence which were allied with the Pope. Machiavelli spoke about the battle in his Historiae fiorentinae and Leonardo da Vinci did a huge (short lived) fresco painting of it in Florence. The position on a dominant hillside in the middle of a vast plain made Anghiari an important strategic point.




You will find a great little outside bar where you can sit have a drink while admiring a one of a kind landscape. The classic dish of Anghiari is bringoli: thick spaghetti handmade from just water and flour by the village housewives, covered with a sauce made from porcini mushrooms gathered in the woods of the Tiber Valley, or else with a chianina meat sauce. Right across from the bar, In the heart of the old town, you can see signs of its past history, arched windows, a large fresco and a multitude of coats of arms in both stone and terracotta.



The old watch route was the road found at the northern section of the city walls. Since 1444 this stretch of the circuit of walls has undergone a number of reconstruction works in order to make the village impenetrable in the event of an artillery attack.


Together with the ancient Cassero, the bell or clock tower is one of the tallest points on the Anghiari skyline. The tower was built in the thirteenth century being completed in 1323 and then destroyed by Vitellozzi Vitelli on the 24th June 1502.





MAY 2005: LA SCAMPANATA (MORNING BELL): This is an event that occurs once every five years and lasts for the whole month of May. The members of the "Societ� della Scampanata" (virtually the entire town) make a date to be in the main square at 6 o'clock every morning. Anyone who is late is dragged out of bed, given a more or less "fair" trial and then hoisted up onto a special carriage and pulled around the town while everyone else throws everything they can think of at him until he is completely covered and entirely unrecognisable.

JULY/AUGUST: MUSIC, THEATRE AND SPECIAL EVENTS AROUND THE OLD WALLS : Special shows and events that enliven the centre of Anghiari all summer. A mixture of concerts, guided tours, dinners and shows scattered through the natural backdrop of the little squares and corners that are the real centre of gravity.

FROM 10 TO 18 AUGUST: "TOVAGLIA A QUADRI" (THE CHECKED TABLECLOTH) - 1TH Year : A traditional Tuscan open-air dinner entwined together with a musical play performed across four courses. This entertainment has achieved a prominent position amongst the best of all the events of the summer in Tuscany. It takes place in the natural "stage" of the little piazzetta del "Poggiolino" in the heart of the old town centre and is created by the Pro Loco and the Teatro Stabile di Anghiari.

Discover beautiful Tuscany

Tuscany it is really an incredible place with a lot of towns and villages to discover like Sorano

The Masso Leopoldino represents one of the most striking features of this incredible town.



The Rocca - as it is called in italian - has been appreciated for its strategical qualities since the Middle Ages and was probably fotified by additional structures before the 9th century.




Taking a drive in the south of Tuscany during your vacation, you will find a special little town. Park your car in the outside parking space and prepare to walk up hill into a fantasy world. You will first follow the path up to the fortress which has stood here for years - get a ticket and visit the underground museum.






The buildings both historic and the modern day rental vacation villas are made from the particular type of material called tuff. It is unique in color, and malability. The Tuscan vacation rentals farmhouses in the southern part of Italy are made of tuff.




Visit the incredible fortress, which is without cars and intervention of modern day activity. You will feel as if you have walked back in time. The large sandy colored blocks are testaments to the local activity.

Reaching for Paradise at the Island of Elba

I reached this paradise by ferry in just one hour from the city of Piombino near follonica in the province of Grosseto, just one hour from Siena and two from Florence.
The Mediterranean breeze was already talking of great promises that were all kept by the great hospitality and warmth of the Elba people.
The entire island is a natural reservation, and here you will find spectacular natural sights, wonderful landscapes, preserved fauna, and cozy seaside villas and apartments.
Sunsets have been unforgettable.
The Elba Island has a moltitude of small beaches and little gulfs that are almost unknown to the majority of people and that you can reach only by private boat. We rented a small boat and loved to spend the whole day at "our private beach".

Each town is a lovely step to simple life, and nightlife is truly enjoyed at towns such as Marina di Campo, Procchio, Porto Azzurro, Capoliveri, Riomarina and many others wichoffer clubbing, dancing, live music, lovely strolls along the beach and plenty of fun for the wee ones.

Waging war and tasting food in Angiari

During the middle Ages, Anghiari was under the dominion of the Lords of Galbino subsequently passing into the Camaldolesi�s power.

Florentine�s State army was conducted by Giampaolo Orsini and Micheletto Attendolo and Milan�s army by Niccol� Piccinino.
The victory of the Florence State was such as decisive as to consent them to stay over the control of central Italy.
According to Machiavelli�s writes, the battle was held in about 20 hours and, nevertheless the hard combating, only one soldier died, felling off his horse, as faithfully represented in the mural �The Battle of Anghiari� which Florence, many years later, entrusted to Leonardo da Vinci to commemorate the epic achievement.
Leonardo started the work on cartoons transferring them to an internal wall of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. While he was working on the mural several main artists were coming to the capital to watch the painting and to learn about Leonardo�s innovative technique.
Peter Paul Rubens made a copy of �The Battle of Anghiari� hosts in the Louvre and Biagio di Antonio, from Paolo Uccello�s school, made another one kept in Dublin, in the National Art Gallery of Ireland.
The mural was unfinished and definitively lost during the drying process in Florence. However, it was substituted in Palazzo Vecchio by a same object Giorgio Vasari�s mural.

What to visit in Anghiano:

- The Fortress: an imposing defensive structure completed in the 14th century, further destroyed and rebuilt in different periods. Together with the ancient castle the fortress is keeping the clock tower coming back from the 17th century.
- Palazzo Marzocco: built up in the 15th century, it was the residence of the aristocratic Angelieri family. Nowadays is hosting �The Battle of Anghiari Documentation Centre�.
- Palazzo Taglieschi: a beautiful Renaissance building with an elaborated fa�ade, houses the National Museum of Arts and Popular Tradition hosting an interesting collection of paintings, frescoes, terracotta, statues, sacred furnishing and instruments coming back from different artistic periods. Its masterpiece is the wooden sculpture by Jacopo della Quercia representing �The Madonna and Child�.
- The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie: it was built up between the 17th and the 18th century and hosts a wonderful glazed terracotta named �Madonna delle Grazie� by Della Robbia�s family.

The heart of Chianti is Montefioralle

The town was originally called Monteficalle. It is situated on a hilltop facing the Greve valley, surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and cypresses. Parts of the ancient walls are still visible, while the small streets are marked by old homes, a donjon, and several towers.



The ancient village and castle of Montefioralle were an important stronghold during the wars between Florence and Siena. A house in the circular main street of Montefioralle is pointed out as the birth-place of Amerigo Vespucci. The doorway is identified by the wasp ("vespa") and V of the Vespucci family.




In 1250 it became the headquarters of the League of the Greve Valley. The town was once endowed with two sets of walls. It had an octagonal shape with four gates. With the fall of the Sienese Republic, Montefioralle lost its prior importance and most of its inhabitants moved to Greve. We advise you to visit the church of Santo Stefano and the parish church of Montefioralle.




It is an easy 20 minute up-hill walk from Greve and provides you with lots of picture spots, silence and landscape typical of this area. From Montefioralle, there is an interesting hike along the back roads to Panzano. Situated in the hills above Greve in Chianti, it is noted for the one street that completely encircles the church of S. Stefano (inside an interesting 13th century Madonna and 14th and 16th century Florentine paintings): a simple building is traditionally indicated as the house of Amerigo Vespucci. The church of S. Cresci can also be visited close by.

Montefioralle, which originally belonged to the Buondelmonti and Ricasoli families, began life as a fortification that could have hosted a sizable garrison (as well as refugees from the surrounding countryside in times of war), with a central keep and thick walls that now contain houses.

Lovely accommodation near Lucca

Warm atmosphere, old time charm and all kinds of modern comforts characterize this Villa near Lucca, restored with personal touch. For sure one of the best places to spend few days if you wish to visit Lucca and the north of Tuscany. The foundations of this ancient Villa date back to the 18th century
The Villa belonged to Mr. Bonuccelli that bought it from Washington since his family had emigrated to America, and the villa would allow his family left back in Italy, to live in it. In fact they lived in it, as it was, until 1945. Thankfully the bombings of WWII did not destroy this villa.

The Villa is located near Camaiore that is a town which extends from the fascinating summits of the Apuanian Alps to the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the heart of Versilia.

We really enjoyed our stay at the villa. A relaxing and refreshing experience in a lovely restructured and authentic Tuscan villa near Lucca.

Castagneto Carducci and Bolgheri

The Castle of Bolgheri has been known of since the 8th century, and it too belonged to the family of the Counts della Gherardesca. The original structure had a different location: the castle we can admire today is the result of a reconstruction after the arrival in Bolgheri of the army of Emperor Maximilian in 1496. In the beginning of the 20th century, the castle of Bolgheri was the center of the properties of the noble Gherardesca family ; the countess Franca Spalletti Trivelli (a Gherardesca), wife of the earl Clemente Zileri (who owned the Fattoria Poggio a Poppiano near Florence) inherited this estate of 130 ha (among which 50 ha of vineyards) from her mother.




If you are looking to take a quick trip here from the north, then head south direction south Grosseto, exit La California and continue towards south for 5 Km. Here begin on your left the cypress road. If you are heading over from Siena follow the road that leads to Massa Marittima (another goregous little stop) and then proceed towards Castegneto Carducci.


Perhaps one of the most distinctive aspects of this town is the 4.3 km of road wich stretch between the castel itself and the old roman road of Aurelian is the long and pictureqsue viale of cypress trees (more than 2000 trees), well known through the Tuscany region and often associated with the Tuscan landscape.

Between 1838 and 1848, in the famous Italian Poet named Carducci, lived in Bolgheri and with his poem Davanti San Guido, he immortalised the "Viale" that led to the small village from the antique Roman thoroughfare to the chapel of St Vitus, built in 1703.




"Cipressi che a Bolgheri alti e schietti / van da San Guido in duplice filar, / quasi in corsa giganti giovinetti / mi balzarono incontro e mi guardar"

(The cypresses trees that go from Bolgheri, high and sincere in a double line, almost as young giants run towards me and looked at me).



Comfortably small and very walkable, this quaint little village is the perfect place to stop off and have a bite to eat - or get that after lunch cafe while admiring the Italian architecture in the many times restructured castle.

Discover Pitigliano in Tuscany

Pitigliano lies in the green Etruscan hills of the Maremma, the most southern part of Tuscany. The historic center stands on a protruding tuff rock and still demostrates remains of an aquaduct. The history of the town stretches back to the Etruscans in pre-Roman times and even today Etruscan graves and pathways carved into the tuff beneath the town point to these ancient peoples.


The of Pitigilano, in southern Tuscany, town is situated on a steep tuff rock (a hardened type of volcanic magma), 313 metres above sea-level. Not far from Pitigliano and its vacation rentals is Lake Bolsena, a huge water-filled crater and the largest Italian lake.


Southern Tuscany, a beautiful place to look for a vacation rental villa, was once one of the most important centres of the Etruscans. There are numerous cave-tombs of that period around Pitigliano, caves cut deep into the tuff, that are today used as cellars and sheds. Of further interest is the Jewish history of Pitigliano.


In the 30`s the situation of the Jews deteriorated. By luck and good fortune as well as the assistance of some Italians, who risked their lives, apparently all the Jews of Pitigliano survived. Today there is no Jewish community any more, but the cultural heritage is maintained. You can visit a small museum in the old ghetto area of the town. Not only does it offer a glimsp of the Jewish livestyle, but also a great opportunity to see the catinas carved in Tuff.



The mostly volcanic mountainous area is called "Alta Maremma" (Upper Maremma). Most of this area is covered by tuff (in italian: tufo), a volcanic material, that was discharged from volcanoes in prehistoric times. Tuff can be worked quite easily as long as it has had no contact with air that hardens it. Tuff has been used by people living in the area from early times. Today most of the old buildings are gone, and most of the remains are made from hollowed out tuff.
As a well known archaeologist once said: There is nothing that lasts longer than a hole in the ground.

Archeological digs in Fiesole

Not far from Florence the historical digs of Fiesole can be found. There are two excellent musems and the ruins themselves which can be visited. In the winter the hours are from 9,30 in the morning to 5 in the evening and in the summer to 7 in the evening - continuous hours with no lunch break! This is a perfect place to come and see some of the ruins left by past cultures in a relaxing and comfortable setting. You will find parking for the cars - or if you want you can catch an orange ATAF bus from Florence, look for line number 7 to Fiesole.



The so-called �Fiesole stelae� date back as far as the late 6th century B.C. However finds from the Villanovan culture of the early iron age and the age of copper and of bronze have also been unearthed. The Etruscan settlement of Fiesole was probably the center of a zone where settlements were scattered over the hillsides which overlook the Florentine basin.



The entire floor rested on piers of bricks which drew hot air from an adjacent furnace (see photo). The walls also were interfaced with hollow terra cotta tiles on all sides to draw the heat through. Frequently the bath had a plug so the water could be emptied, maybe twice, maybe once, or not at all during the day. The pipes might either be lead or, more typically, tiles buried in the ground. Usually planted a foot or more under a very solid concrete floor, they were built to last.


A bathroom of the wealthy literally was a room with a pool of water filling up the entire floor, in essence a small swimming pool in present-day terms. The walls were lined with marble and complemented the three or four marble steps leading down to the submerged concrete floor.

Town of Seggiano in Valdorcia

Seggiano, located just south of Bagno Vignoe and San Quirico d'Orcia

is a quaint little town set in the the rural setting of Monte Amiata with many little towns with medieval characteristics.
Stone walls, gently sloping hillsides, olive groves and huge forests of beech and chestnut rich with a wild life that can be tasty on the table such as wild boar and deer.




You won't find much written about it in the tour guide books but it makes up a line of pleasant little stops along the way to visit the summit of Monte Amiata where you can picnic or simply enjoy hiking in one of the highest points of southern Tuscany. This imposing mount can be seen from distances as far away as Montepulciano.



This is a lazy little setting, and you will enjoy walking the streets and admiring the views. They are not geared up for tourism at all, so you won't find a lot of quaint little boutiques or fancy enoteca's with the latest in wine and cheese just simple good food in a typical Tuscan environment.



Though picturesque, they could have better planned the parking lot around the Renaissance church of Madonna della Carit�, which literally creates an asphalt garden in the middle of the olive groves.