November in Tuscany - Weekend 13 & 14 November

Here's a line up of weekend events for 13 & 14 November.

Sinalunga (SI) - Centre

This is a definite winner!!

A mini formula one with 9 Rioni (teams) and 4 go carts and 1 back up.

Saturday is set up in the morning and then test runs in the afternoon.

Sunday is race day!!!

Figline Valdarno (FI) - Agriculture, Environment, Food
There's loads going on here in and around the centre.

Florence - Piazza Santa Croce
Extra Virgin Olive Oil in abundance

Scarpiera (FI) - Circolo MSL
Truffles galore - with pasta, meat and the famous Tortelli Mugellani

Bagni a Ripoli (FI) - Via Roma
10am - 7.30pm Olive Oil

Pontedera (PI) - Via Rinaldo Piaggio 82
Pisa Unica Terra di Vino - Wine festival

Pisa - Piazza Chiara Gambacorti
Local products

Massarosa (LU) Stiava
Horse Chestnut festival

Anghiari (AR) Town Center
Novello wine, stalls and stands, Antique Fair, and much more

Viareggio (LU) Circolo il Fienile
Wine and dancing.

Camaiore - Montemagno, localita' Piopetti
Horse Chestnuts galore

Camaiore - Lungomare Lido di Camaiore
Local products

Montespertoli (FI) - Parco Urbano
White Truffle festival, wine and oil

Borgo San Lorenzo (FI) - Foro Boraio
Truffles, meat, wine and local delicacies

Pergine Valdarno (AR) - Town Centre
Oil, bruschette, paintings, ceramics, artisan products

Pian di Sco' (AR) - Town Centre
Oil and Horse Chestnut festival


This is just a general idea of what there is out there.
Prices, if relevant, may not be included, so check before going.

November in Tuscany - One Day Events

Here's a quick rundown on a few one day events on 13 and 14 November.

Saturday 13 November 

Piteglio (PT) 

Wild Boar dinner at Lanciole from 8pm on.

Sunday 14 November

Fuccechio (FI) 

Ponte a Cappiano from 3pm onwards autumn tasty morsels.

San Quirico di Vernio (PO)

Luciana, from 11.30am onwards, Novello wine and other tasty morsels.

Prato (PO) 

Piazza del Comune, from 4pm onwards, roast chestnuts and a musical concert.

Palazzo sul Senio (FI) 

Piazza IV Novembre, from 10am onwards, local tasty products.

Rufina (FI)

Piazza Umberto I, local products

Montale (PT) 

Piazza Matteotti, from 3pm onwards, Festa delle 3 Farine (Three Flours Fair) with products made from different types of flour.

Fosciandora (LU)

Lupinaia - the Chestnut Festival - loads to do and see in the centre, and Novello wine to taste.

Vico Pisano (PI)

Oil Festival - from 11am in Piazza Cavalca.

Bagni di Lucca (LU)

Fornoli - Festa del Ringraziamento, Harvest Thanksgiving. Morning mass starts with a procession of traditionally dressed people carrying harvest produce to the altar. Stands and music throughout the rest of the day.

Filatteria (MS)

Fagiolata sotto Casa - Beanfest! All types of beans in a vast array of different dishes.

Barga (LU)

Historic Centre - Horse Chestnut festival with other delicacies and Novello wine.

Pisa (PI) 

Area Expo - Novemberfest - German delicacies

Castagneto Carducci (LI)

Horse Chestnut festival, and beer made of horse chestnuts!!

Whilst we take care to make sure details are as precise as possible, Villas in Tuscany does not take any responsibility for listings, nor for any that are not listed.

Please check information and locations before setting out.

What's on NOW in Tuscany...

What's cooking in Tuscany right now?

With precisely a week to go till October this is what's happening:

Mostra Mercato Internazionale dell'Antiquariato in Florence - September through to October - a massive antiques fair.

Impruneta's (just outside Florence) Festa dell'Uva (Grape Festival) - 26 September is a great day of popular dances, performances, local produce to taste and a procession of allegorical carts of the four districts of Impruneta.

Castelnuovo Berardegna Wine Festival in Vagliagli - a week long of wine and local product tastings. Traditional dressed men and women accompany the carts during the procession.

Certaldo, near Florence, hosts the Sagra della Bistecca (la tagliata is a delicious cut of steak) e del Fungo Porcino from the 9 September to 10 October over each weekend within that period of time.

24 - 26 September in San Miniato, near Pisa, is the Sagra del Tarfufo Bianco e Fungo Porcino.
White Truffles and Porcino Mushrooms - and on show are the local specialities made with these highly prized foods.

Prato instead hosts a more highbrow affair over the 24 - 27 September weekend. An economics fair with music and exhibitions, and Nobel prize winners speaking too.

Truffles are worth 'investigating' if you have never tasted, smelt or seen one up close.
They are an underground mushroom basically, usually found around certain trees depending on the type of truffle, and look like a cross between gingseng, ginger and a potato.

They are highly prized, the season lasts until January during which bidding and trading for both black and white truffles can reach a veritable frenzy! They're already being sold online from £500 / $780 up for 300g.

The most expensive white truffle to date was bought by a casino owner who paid £165,000 / $330,000!!!
It weighed in at 3.3lbs.

They used to be sniffed out by pigs, but dogs are also used nowadays.

Please contact ViT for more information on villas or accommodation in Tuscany that will either organise a truffle hunt for you, or put you in touch with the local connoisseur when you are there.

Happy hunting!!

Last Minute Savings for April

Spring is in full swing!

The sun and April showers are fighting for the main stage in the UK, and there is even a bit of snow forecast.

The UK is grey and miserable again, and jackets are back on over the short sleeves that had started to show themselves in the last couple of weeks.

Tuscany, on the other hand, is full of beans.

Yes, there are showers, and yes it is grey some of the time, but not all, and it's getting better as I write.

With the sun out you can kick your shoes off and enjoy the lush green grass beneath your feet.

Get the shades on, the sun lounger out, and organise a picnic or a cocktail evening under that warm caress of the Tuscan Spring Sun.

There were some wonderfully hot days already in February, and March has been wonderful too.

So ViT is so looking forward to April and all that it has to offer.

So why not take advantage of the benevolent Italian weather and come over during April with a last minute booking?

With Florence, Siena, San Gimigniano, Montespertoli, Certaldo, Certaldo Alto, Gambassi Terme and many more within easy reach, this stunning villa in particular is a wonderful place to chill out for a week, catch some early rays, enjoy the delights of spring and save some money at the same time.

It's big enough to get a group of friends together and go - any excuse will do!

As always, if you need any help with choosing please contact ViT and I'll be glad to help.

A Fine Tuscan Chocolate Romance

Oh yes, carnivals are still going on all around here, and then just as the facepaints and costumes get put away San Valentino is upon us.

How do you say ''it''?
I love you?
Te quiero?
Ti amo?

Do you express yourself with a dozen roses delivered to your loved one's desk at work?
A romantic or saucy text?
A hand written letter for those who reminisce of the chivalrous golden times?
A dinner prepared at home with a top notch bottle of red?
A few days away in the Region of Romance Tuscany is so suited to?

Tell your loved one to pack hand luggage only and whisk yourselves away for a wonderfully womantic weekend (thank you Wossie) in the Tuscan hills, or Florence or any other citta' romantica you wish to stay in.

So many romantic locations and accommodations to choose from to suit all your desires.......well, let's keep it decent here!

But how would you love to visit Willy Wonker's chocolate factory (so to speak)??
How about a course in chocolate?
Surprise your loved one with a finger licking good time and a local bottle of wine.
By local ViT is, of course, referring to a DOC Tuscan Grape!!
Visit the Chocolate Valley, it couldn't be easier seeing as it is situated around Pisa and Florence, perfectly placed for airports, trains and highways.

Chocolate and Wine, and a Candle Lit Dine
Is what you need to say 'You're Mine'....
(not quite how ViT'd say 'it', but a little artistic license makes it all rhyme nicely...)

ViT is here to help you find the perfect accommodation, restaurant, wine or chocolate tastings to make San Valentino sparkle with that 'pzazz' these Latin Lovers are famous for!

Baci Baci

Tuscan Times are Picture Perfect...

Tuscan Times this morning started off with that amazing winter light. The last few days have been a little misty to say the least, but hey, mist around here makes like an Ansel Adams photo.

We had mist and some rain whilst further up north (Milan, much to the disgust of friends there) it was snowing again.

Villas-in-Tuscany (ViT) headed east instead to go to an absolutely stunning place, Bibbiena, to see one of the properties on the site and meet with the owners.
Started out great, but the further up it went the mistier it got.
A smattering of snow on the ground then got deeper the further along the road ViT progressed and it was snowing too!

One thing in Tuscany to permanently keep in the car during winter are chains for the wheels, which of course the ViT-mobile didn't have - yikes!
Well, didn't think for one minute I was off into Winter Wonderland did I, otherwise I'd have taken the Arezzo route, which I did on the way back down.

I did wonder at one stage if I was going to have to turn around, but holding the faith the ViT-mobile and I suddenly popped out of the Snow Queen's garden to a view of a dry and sunny valley - most welcome!

The villa is an absolute gem, in lush countryside, and we had a quick 'jar' of their limoncello to get some blood circulating, or that was the excuse anyway!
You feel straight away at home there as the atmosphere and Zizi' are just so welcoming.
They source and use all local products, so everything is fresh and tastes as it should.

Do listen to Zizi's directions and don't count on your gps one thousand percent.
'Doris' (the GPS dame) and I had a bit of a barny after she guided me to a road in a nearby town which had a set of street steps ''The Italian Job'' would have been proud of, as the only through way.
Doris was convinced that was the only way to go, the ViT-mobile on the other hand thought better of it.

So today ViT has stayed put as it has been warm enough to be in a light jumper out of the wind, and perfectly sunny for a Vitamin D top up.
Not chancing another snow adventure without skis, and besides, with a circus acrobatics workshop in the afternoon and M's hot chocolate afterwards there wasn't much that was going to coax me out of the warmth and sun!!!

Off tomorrow to a magical castle near Florence......

Che magia la Toscana!