Tuscany, with its spectacular hill towns and scenery, is one of Italy’s top vacation destinations.

Tuscany’s travel attractions include historic cities and art, great wine and food, medieval hill towns, beaches, and beautiful countryside.

Florence

Florence is one of the most important Renaissance architectural and art centers.

Just a tip…if you haven’t enough time, after a visit to the most famous and important museums, take the rest of time to LIVE Florence and visit the city off the common tourist routes, simply strolling through the streets and admiring glimpses in different parts of the city.

Read more »

Throughout the Tuscan territory you’ll find small treasures where every corner holds a surprise: small realities, mentioned by I Borghi più belli d’Italia, (The Most beautiful Villages of Italy) full of charm.

Simple things that make unique places: narrow streets, tiny churches, restaurants with the typical Tuscan recipes and small artisan workshops.

From Arezzo, through the Crete Senesi and on to the Maremma: places that seem frozen in time, where the atmosphere of the past is still alive.

MONTEFIORALLE

It is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, dominates the upper valley of the Greve river. Over the centuries, the village spread beyond the walls to occupy the lower slopes of the hill, creating the town of Greve in Chianti.

Read more »

This weekend, 7 October, the race you simply can’t miss is held: L’Eroica, a recreational cycling event with thousands of enthusiasts on one of the most fascinating courses in Italy: the dirt tracks that are partly used by the Strade Bianche Semi-Classic around Siena.

Read more »

I have loved this holiday since I was a small child. I love the decorations, costumes, trick-or-treating, parties and all the joys of this wonderful, autumn holiday.

Halloween is becoming a popular day for costume parties and events in Italy. While the main holidays are still All Saints Day on November 1 and All Souls Day on November 2, the custom of celebrating Halloween is starting to take hold in many Italian cities.
Halloween costumes and startling displays of spiders can be found in many stores. Children’s costume parties are held during the day while in the evening many nightclubs, bars, and restaurants organize special Halloween costume parties.
‘Trick or treat’ became the favorite phrase of small children: they have adopted the American tradition of going door to door in costume to request for chocolates and candies. Read more »

The title says it all: as a tourist who explored the Palio by searching the web and collecting as much information as possible, I could have never really understood the real meaning of the Palio if I hadn’t gone there for myself. So I did, and it was one of the most intense events I have ever experienced.

On a sunny afternoon on the 16th of August, I arrived in the city of Siena with another 40 tourists from Norcenni Girasole Club, excited to see the race. Although I’m not a big fan of guided tours, I obediently followed our tour guide since I didn’t want to get lost.

We first arrived at the Basilica di San Domenico, where we got an explanation on how to enter the city center and arrive at the Piazza del Campo, where the Palio takes place. From that moment we were free to explore the city and enjoy all the festivities that were already going on.
Grateful for this freedom I first went inside the Basilica di San Domenico, while I was already there. Beautiful church with great architecture, combining a wooden ceiling with tall pillars and spacious chapels. Even here the Palio was present, where the Assumption of Mary was honored. Unfortunately I couldn’t take photos, so for the ones interested: you’ll have to go and have a look for yourself!

Because it was only 2pm I had about an hour to explore the city before heading to Piazza del Campo. So first I entered one of the many narrow streets of Siena and just took a look at the wonderful buildings and sculptures. To escape the crowd and enjoy a sandwich, I went to the square in front of the San Francesco, where it was very calm and quiet. That turned out to be the calm before the storm.

After a wonderful caffè I headed to the Piazza del Campo where I met some friends. It’s better to be with a group of people when you have to wait 4 hours before the actual race begins. Luckily, we thought, there was enough space to sit or walk around. Surprisingly, that changed within 1 hour when the square in the middle of the Piazza filled up and eventually contained at least 60.000 people. Around 4.30pm the parade began, introducing all of the original contrade (town quarters) including the ones that didn’t participate i the race. We also got to see the horses that would be competing in the race. Beautiful young animals which looked well looked after.

After at least 20 flag carriers and different floats passed, finally the moment we all waited for commenced. In the meantime the tension was clearly visible and you could feel the nerves rising. Among us were enthusiastic supporters of rival contrade, who couldn’t wait for the race to begin.

Eventually the line up before the start had to be redone three times before the judges decided that the race could begin. But when the rope fell down, immediately the crowd started cheering and shouting. People were overcome by emotions as their contrada took the lead or was left behind. At first it seemed that the contrada of the Leocorno (Unicorn) was taking the lead, but it was caught up by the contrada of the Giraffa (Giraffe) in the second lap. In the third lap it went wrong in the most notorious corner of all. The fourth horse in line stumbled over his own feet, and therefore, so did the horses behind him. There wasn’t a lot of time to pay attention to this, as the three remaining horses headed to the finish. While everyone was holding their breath, the contrada of the Giraffa drew closer to the finish line and… won!

Immediately people started crawling over the fence that separated the racetrack and the middle square. Supporters of the winning contrada were crying with joy and relieve, grateful their team had won. Followers of other contrade looked defeated and didn’t realise what happened yet. Because of all the emotions and the importance that winning the race brings along, a small fight started in the middle of the square. Later on people told me that there had been some betting going on and deals were made, so maybe it shouldn’t be called a fair race. But also this is a part of the Palio which belongs to its culture.

As tourists and defeated contrade slowly found their way home, the contrada of Giraffa began celebrating their joy. And for the following month the party will continue for these victors.
Myself, I was exhausted from all the impressions I had experienced that day. After returning to the campsite, I sat down with the people who joined me at the Palio and discussed the exciting day. We were just as enthusiastic as we had been a few hours ago, and we couldn’t believe we had been a part of this incredible event. And today, I’m still amazed but very grateful that I got to see the Palio. It was everything I expected and more.

By Suzanne

Twice every year, the city of Siena is filled with the sound of thundering hooves and emotional cheering. It’s ‘il Palio di Siena’: the one event that every citizen looks forward to with unimaginable dedication.

Il Palio in general
Il Palio di Siena is a historical horserace that is held twice each year on July 2 and in August 16. For this particular event the ‘Piazza di Siena’ is transformed into a race track with a thick layer of hard sand, called ‘tufo‘. In the middle of the Piazza, in the enclosed square, spectators can watch the race as close as possible. Ten selected jockeys in appropriate colours, have to race their horses bareback three laps around the Piazza. Usually the race doesn’t take longer then 90 seconds, and it’s not uncommon to see many horses return to the finish without their jockey.
While this may seem like an average horse race with slightly rough edges, this event has a far deeper meaning for the people of Siena. And though this event is becoming more recognized all over the world, this is something only few foreigners will understand.

Contrada
Dating back from the middle Ages, the city of Siena is departed into 17 areas, called ‘Contrade’. Each contrada has its own color and symbol which is strongly represented by the members of the different districts. The different contrade are named: Aquila (Eagle), Bruco (Caterpillar), Chiocciola (Snail), Civetta (Owl), Drago (Dragon), Giraffa (Giraffe), Istrice (Porcupine), Leocorno (Unicorn), Lupa (She-wolf), Nicchio (Shell), Oca (Goose), Onda (Wave), Pantera (Panther), Selva (Forest), Tartuca (Turtle),
Torre (Tower), Valdimontone (Vally of the Ram). Especially during the Palio there can be a lot of rivalry between these districts.

Exactly 100 days before the beginning of the Palio the contradas start with the preparations. Each district chooses its leader which is called ‘Capitano’. This capitano will in turn choose a jockey (Fantino) who has basically nothing to do with the contrade. The horses, which are chosen by lot and will be linked to districts, do however have a significant meaning to the citizens.
Another matter which shows the respect for the horses is the fact that each of them is being blessed by a priest three hours before the race commends.

The contrada that wins the race gets the actual Palio, which is a silk banner that is carried around proudly through the streets of Siena. They march to the ‘Basilica of Santa Maria’ in Provenzano, and the festivities will last as many days as the contrada has ever won the Palio (average is 40).

The combination of the historical background and the effort of the preparations for the Palio, cause the event to be of great emotional significance. That is why after the race you will find many people experiencing various emotions such as overwhelming euphoria or, oppositely, extreme sadness.

Piazza del Campo
The Piazza del Campo is a shell-shaped square in the historic centre of Siena and a true symbol of the city. It is renowned worldwide for its beauty and architectural features. It’s very particular conformation of the ground creates a big concave surface, paved with red bricks. The square is divided by 10 stripes creating 9 pointy surfaces, representing the Government of the Nine (Noveschi). This government ruled over the city from 1292 to 1355 and oversaw the greatest stability of the city and prosperity in the medieval era.

The Piazza is surrounded by the Pallazzo Comunale (town hall) and the Torre del Mangia, a 102 meter tower. Also there are the elegant residences of the Palazzi Signorili, which belong to the wealthy families Sansedoni, Piccolomini and Saracini.
Another important feature of the Piazza is the Fonte Gaia, a fountain that was originally used as a water supplier for the city. It was replaced in 1419 and the recent version has the shape of a rectangular basin and is surrounded by several bas-reliefs. Nowadays it functions as a genuine touristic attraction.

Curva di San Martino
The ‘Curva di San Martino’ is the most famous and yet the most notorious curve in the racetrack of the Palio. It’s the first corner that the jockeys will come across and many horses slip away while making the 95-degree curve. This is why the outer wall is lined with mattresses and a team of paramedics is prepared to provide first aid. It is especially dangerous as the horses are all packed together on the first lap.

Trecciolino
With his twelve victories during the Palio, he is the third most successful Italian jockey in the world. And more important he is one of the most popular jockeys in the history of the Palio di Siena. Trecciolino, who’s original name is Luigi Bruschelli, debuted in 1990, when he defended the colors of Civetta (Owl). His first victory came in July 1996, when he defended the contrada of Oca (Goose). From 1998 till 2005 Trecciolino has won the Palio at least once a year. In 2005 he received a special coat for winning the Palio in both July and August that year. The horse which brought him to both victories is called Berio, who is almost as popular as Trecciolino himself.
Since December 2008 he became the official jockey for the district Nicchio (Shell), but he has raced for other districts as well when Nocchio didn’t join.

The origin of his nickname is explained by him as: “It was given to me by the captain of Civetta (Owl) in 1990. Unfortunately, I fell in the first corner: the Curva di San Martino. In the past there has been a jockey who was called Trecciolo, who won the Palio three times. I was named after him.”

The jockey who Luigi Bruschelli mentioned was named Primo Arzilli, who actually won the Palio five times. Three out of those five victories were for the contrada of Civetta.

A visit to il Palio is definitely worth the visit. At least that’s what they told me. And after the research I’ve been doing for this article, I know it will be. That’s why I will be going to il Palio myself on July 2 to experience the thrill for the first time. Next time, I will let you know how it has been!

by Suzanne