Tuscany Unlimited Magazine July 2009 - Full Edition by Flare Communications

NE W

Tuscany Unlimited

LIVE, WORK AND PLAY THE TUSCAN WAY

JULY 2009 €4.75 TUSCANYUNLIMITED.COM

ISSUE 1

TUSCANY’S NEWEST LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

LIVE THE DREAM TUSCAN PROPERTY Find your perfect home FASHION & BEAUTY Summer style - your guide

MICRO TUSCANY GARFAGNANA

ROADTRIP Driving through Tuscany WHAT’S ON Lenny Kravitz at the Lucca festival TUSCAN TASTES Seasonal recipes

plus

Much, much more

LUCCA ~ TUSCANY

Luxury Villas and Country homes ~ Yacht Chartering Weddings and honeymoons ~ Cultural holidays Lucca is Tuscany’s best kept secret, an emotional territory rich in culture. Poppies collection of luxury villas and country homes are immersed in contexts of rare beauty, discretion and peace. Poppies create unique cultural holidays for the sophisticated traveler all year round.

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ART AND WINE GOURMET TUSCANY PHOTOGRAPHY AND NATURE GIACOMO PUCCINI TRAIL THE WALKER’S PARADISE ITALIAN ROOTS SLOW FOOD AND CULTURE ADVENTURE AND NATURE

Ask for details and an individual quote for your group www.poppies.it • sarah.poppies@gmail.com | +39 329 10 28328

Welcome

Join us in our celebration of what makes living in and visiting Tuscany so desirable. uscany Unlimited magazine is a friendly companion guide for expats who have made Tuscany their home and intrepid visitors who want to discover the ‘real’ Tuscany beyond the pages of their holiday brochure. Every issue will be packed with features designed to help readers make the most of living in, working in and enjoying this ‘bel paese’. But the magazine is far more than just a ‘how to’ manual… We’ll be interviewing expats, who have the good fortune to call Tuscany home and inspirational Tuscan natives in our quest to find out what makes living here just so special. We’ll visit Tuscany’s hidden gems; pay homage to the region’s most famous hot spots and highlight the region’s best road trips. Our food and wine pages are bursting with authentic, seasonal Tuscan recipes and out of the ordinary wines. We visit producers of typical local foods and crafts who proudly keep their centuries old traditions alive and kicking. Our living section is filled with ideas to help you achieve true Tuscan style, from the content of your make-up bag and wardrobe to the content of

your Tuscan home. Property features will provide advice on items such as buying a house in Tuscany. We venture into the great outdoors and discover what Tuscany can offer the sporty type – from hiking and cycling to yachting and paragliding. Every month there’ll be listings of the region’s biggest events and its more curious local celebrations, from headline acts (popular and classical) to food sagra and carnivals. Above all, we’ll take you on a journey into the soul of Tuscany – a journey you will want to take again and again. Many thanks to our contributors, all of whom are passionate about Tuscany and who want to share their knowledge and love for the place they call home with you. If you have ideas for features or issues you would like to see covered in the magazine please write or send me an email.

Tuscany Unlimited

LIVE, WORK AND PLAY THE TUSCAN WAY

Front cover: Barga: Photograph by Studio AF

JULY 2009 ISSUE NO.1

NE W

editor’s page | contributors

JULY 2009 €4.75 TUSCANYUNLIMITED.COM

TUSCANY’S NEWEST LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

LIVE THE DREAM TUSCAN PROPERTY Find your perfect home FASHION & BEAUTY Summer style - your guide

MICRO TUSCANY GARFAGNANA

ROADTRIP Driving through Tuscany WHAT’S ON Lenny Kravitz at the Lucca festival TUSCAN TASTES Seasonal recipes

plus

Much, much more

DIRETTORE RESPONSABILE Emanuela Benvenuti PUBLISHER/EDITOR Heather Campbell editorial@tuscanyunlimited.com PUBLISHER/ART DIRECTOR Compton Sheldon design@tuscanyunlimited.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Cristina Petrini editorial@tuscanyunlimited.com ADVERTISING Silvia Bulckaen advertising@tuscanyunlimited.com GENERAL ENQUIRIES office@tuscanyunlimited.com SUBSCRIPTIONS subscribe@tuscanyunlimited.com

Heather Campbell - Editor

CONTRIBUTORS TESSA KIROS Best-selling food writer on Tuscany suggests seasonal recipes

LISA MCGARRY Artist and author introduces us to Florence’s great piazzas

HEATHER JARMAN Takes us on gastronomic adventures around Tuscany

PAOLA CIUCCI Girl about town and personal shopper, tells us which shops to hit in Lucca

MIKE FOSKETT Share his experiences of house hunting in Tuscany

BARBARA JAKUSCONEK Sommelier and wine guide, discover Tuscan wines with an expected twist

OLIVIA VANNI Rev up and join her on a Tuscan road

Tuscany Unlimited Magazine is published by Flare Communications srl Piazza Umberto I, No.2, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Lucca 55032, Toscana, Italia P.IVA: 02156830461

trip N˚ iscrizione ROC: 18285 del 11/05/2009 RUPERT YATES-BELL Outdoor pursuits expert shares his knowledge of ‘wild’ Tuscany

Telephone: (0039) 0583 641 485 (0039) 0583 391 309 Fax: (0039) 0583 641 485 PAutorizzazione del Tribunale di Lucca No.899 Registro periodici dell 07.07.2009

LIVE, WORK AND PLAY THE TUSCAN WAY tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009

Contents

contents | tuscany unlimited

CONTENTS Places 18 Piazza del Duomo – Feel the History and the Amosphere 24 Micro Tuscany – Get to Know the Gorgeous Garfagnana Region

People

12 Paolo Nuttini – Braves the Tuscan Streets 34 Stefania Maffei – The Return of the Silkworm 40 Paolo Magazzini – Going with the Grain

Arts & Culture 6 News Bites

4 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

8 Arandora Star – A Tuscan tragedy 10 What’s On 14 Summer Festival Lucca 17 Books, Films and Music

38 Artist Profile: Eugenio Riotto 96 Travel Guide 98 Work – Are you Qualified?

contents | heather campbell

Food & Drink

44 Flavours of the Month - Tessa Kiros Cooks for July 48 Glass by Glass – Going Green in Chianti 51 Vintage Knowledge – Know your Wine 52 Tuscan Tastes – A Brief Guide

Fashion

54 Ready for the Beach – What to Wear 56 Shopping in Lucca – The hot spots

Gardens

74 Dig Tuscany – The Tuscan Garden 76 Grand Designs – Via Oliva and Park

Health & Activities Beauty 59 Sunshine Face – Make-Up for Summer 60 Bronzed v Pale – A history of Tanning 62 Spa of the Month – Il Ciocco

80 Fun, Sweat and Thrills – Hiking Round Tuscany 84 Art Break – In the Shadow of Michelangelo 86 Tuscan Road Trip – Val d’Orcia 90 Dive In – Isola d’Elba

e b i r c s b Su scany Get Tu delivered ited our door Unlimly to y direct or inbox ly month

64 Summer Healthcare Myths 66 Dr’s Notes – Pregnancy

Mia Casa

Property 92 Property Guide 94 House Hunter – The Quest

68 Romancing the Bathroom – Timeless Design from Silvano Grifoni 71 Home Style – Rustic Tuscan 72 Spaced Out – Retro 60s Design

tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009

news | bites

TUSCANY IN THE NEWS A round-up of the news making the headlines in Tuscany. Private jet, set for Lucca? If Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich gets his way, he’ll soon be parking his jet and those of his wealthy pals at his own airport in Lucca. The Premiership Chelsea

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich waits for the call…

Viareggio - a hot spot for wealthy Russian tourists

6 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

Football (soccer) Club owner has been linked to a deal to buy the Tassignano air strip in Capannori, just a five minute drive to the walled city

and only 10 minutes more to the Versilia Riviera – a favourite beach haunt for super rich Russian tycoons. The little Lucchese airport is in an excellent location for all the Tuscan tourist haunts, with Florence, Lucca and the sea within easy distance. Versilia in particular has become a holiday hot spot for wealthy Russians who have bought up luxury villas in the resorts of Forte dei Marmi, Marina di

Pietrasanta and the nearby hills. Now it appears Roman Abramovich wants a piece of the Tuscan dream. Roman Abramovich knows the strategic value of the LuccaTassignano site. His proposal is believed to develop it as a luxury airport servicing small private aircraft (maximum 14 seats). The airport is currently 80% owned by a group of businessmen from northern Tuscany. The other 20% is under the control of the Province of Lucca, the Chamber of Commerce and the municipality of Capannori. Rumour has it that the deal is reasonably advanced, but that Abromavic is holding out for comfirmation of a 20-year lease from the Italian civil aviation authority Enac. However, President of the Aeroporto Lucca Tassignano, Piero Giampaoli, had ‘no comment’ when pressed on the deal.

Knowing Abramovic’s penchant for football, perhaps he might be tempted by another flight of fancy - buying Serie A’s Fiorentina club.

Louvre loans rare Renaissance masterpieces to Florence A priceless selection of drawings identified as the work of some of Italy’s greatest Renaissance luminaries has gone on show in Florence in the building where Michelangelo once lived. Over 80 sheets of drawings are displayed at the Casa Buonarroti, including masterpieces by Pisanello, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Fra Bartolomeo, Benozzo Gozzoli, Maso Finiguerra, Battista Franco and Cavalier d’Arpino. The exhibition opens with a group of 21 International Gothic drawings,

displayed so both sides are visible. The front pages show ancient castles, with finely crafted architecture and figure drawings on the reverse. The scenes include An Angel Defeating Vices, Saint George and the Dragon, Crucifixion with God the Father and Mary Magdalene, and Architecture with Peacock and Birds in Flight. The bulk of the exhibition centres on a further 65 pages of drawings featuring architecture, mythology and biblical scenes by a range of artists from the 13th and 14th century. Also on display are nine niello pieces, renowned Renaissance metal artworks created by Florentine goldsmiths. These were made by engraving a metal plate and then filling in the hollows with

a black enamel-like compound made of silver, lead and sulphur. The drawings are all on loan from the Louvre in Paris, part of a much larger collection donated to the museum by French philanthropist and banker Edmond de Rothschild during the 1930s. The collection of 3,000 drawings and 30,000 engravings has been in the Louvre’s possession since then but a great many of the works were anonymous for a long period of time. It was only after extensive research by the museum’s Departement des Arts Graphiques that an unexpectedly large number of drawings were identified as the work of Italian Renaissance masters. The exhibition is the result of an agreement between the French body and the Casa Buonarroti Foundation following years of close scientific collaboration. This is the first exhibition the Louvre has organized in Italy and most of the works are on public display for the first time. ’Drawings from the Louvre: The Italian Renaissance in the Rothschild Collection’ at the Muse’e du Louvre’ is on display at Casa Buonarroti until September 14. (ANSA)

and reached its highest level since December 2007, socioeconomic think-tank ISAE reported on Wednesday. ISAE said its general confidence index rose from 104.9 points in May to 105.4 points. Improvements were recorded for views on the national economic situation, the job market and the prospects for putting away savings. From a geographic standpoint, consumer confidence climbed this month in central and southern Italy, was unchanged in the northeast and down slightly in the northwest. (ANSA)

Ferrero you’re really spoiling us Italian confectioner Ferrero -makers of that Italian institution chocolatenut spread Nutella, Ferrero-Rocher chocolates and tic-tac breath mints - is the world’s most reputable company, according to the annual survey by the Reputation Institute. Ferrero, which was fourth last year, climbed to the top spot ahead of Swedish furnishings giant Ikea and the American consumer products

conglomerate Johnson & Johnson. The Italian company received a total of 85.17 points out of 100 and was a healthy 1.19 points clear of second-placed Ikea. A report posted on the website of the business magazine Forbes explained that the Reputation Institute ranking was the result of a measure of corporate reputation calculated by averaging perceptions of four indicators trust, esteem, admiration and good feeling - obtained from a representative sample of at least 100 respondents in the companies` home countries. Ferrero is a family-run company created in 1946 in the northwest region of Piedmonte. The current family head, Michele Ferrero, has been Italy’s richest man for the past two years, after overtaking Italy’s premier and media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi. (ANSA) TU

Consumer confidence up in June Italian consumer confidence rose in June for the third month in a row

tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009

history | WWII On July 2nd, memorial services across Tuscany remember the victims of one of WWII’s forgotten tragedies.

n that day in 1940, off the coast of Ireland, a German submarine sank the Arandora Star, a cruise ship requisitioned by the British Navy on route to Canada with 1,200 deported prisoners onboard. Over 800 men lost their lives, among them, 446 Italian internees - 30 originating from the province of Lucca: Barga, Castelnuovo, Stazzema, Gallicano, Camporgiano. In the province of Massa-Carrara 18 were from Pontremoli. The others came from Florence, Pistoia, Pisa, Livorno and Siena. The vast majority of these ‘prisoners’ had emigrated to the UK from Tuscany in the late 19th /early 20th Century. The Garfagnana and Lucca emigrants headed mainly to Scotland, making their homes in Glasgow, Ayr and Edinburgh. From Lunigiana, another area of migrants,

the destination chosen was almost always London. Italians in Great Britain began a new life of humble work and after years of sacrifices and saving, many of them were able to open their own businesses. In the 20s and 30s there were many Italian-owned shops, cafes and restaurants throughout the United Kingdom. The Italian expat community was well integrated and respected by British citizens but life was about to change radically. When Mussolini declared war in June 1940, Churchill issued orders to “collar the lot” of them. In the space of 48 hours 4,000 Italian males between 15 and 70 years were arrested and taken to interment camps. Following a decision to transport a Arandora Star was sunk by U47 skipper Kapitaanleutnan Gunther Prien - the man who sailed into Scapa Flow Naval Base and destroyed the HMS Royal Oak (pictured here) nine months earlier on 14th October 1939.

Malinhead, Ireland, where the Arandora Star lies submerged beneath the Atlantic Ocean.

ARANDORA STAR TRAGEDY REMEMBERED 8 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

Arandora Star when she was a Blue Line cruiseship.

“I COULD SEE HUNDREDS OF MEN CLING TO THE SHIP. THEY WERE LIKE ANTS AND THEN THE SHIP WENT UP AT ONE END AND SLID RAPIDLY DOWN, TAKING THE MEN WITH HER ... ... MANY MEN HAD BROKEN THEIR NECKS JUMPING OR DIVING INTO THE WATER. OTHERS INJURED THEMSELVES BY LANDING ON DRIFTING WRECKAGE AND FLOATING DEBRIS NEAR THE SINKING SHIP” - SERGEANT NORMAN PRICE, EYE WITNESS.

number of internees to Canada and Australia the liner Arandora Star left Liverpool for Canada carrying some 1,570 Italian, German and Jews. The Arandora Star departed without escort nor the markings of the Red Cross that could make manifest the presence of prisoners on board. The liner slowly made her way past the Point of Ayre, then the Isle of Man, where some left the ship to be interred on the island for the rest of the war. Sailing at 15 knots, the Mull of Kintyre was soon in the distance and about 3am on the 2nd of July, 1940, the Arandora Star passed Malin Head, heading towards Bloody Foreland and out into the Atlantic. But it was not to be. Unknown to Captain Moulton and his officers, the German submarine U47 with her naval hero skipper, Kapitaanleutnan Gunther Prien - the man who sailed into Scapa Flow Naval Base and sank the Royal Oak and was decorated personally by Adolf Hitler - was heading back to his home port of Kiel when an officer on watch spotted the Arandora Star. U47 had only one damaged torpedo left and after some emergency repair work Gunther Prien hoped that another successful hit would add to his many successes. At 7am the Arandora Star was hit amidships near the engine room and, within half an hour, she was gone with the loss of 682 lives. Malin Head radio station picked up the SOS distress call and alerted other marine radio stations in Northern Ireland and Scotland. The rescue operations were under way and many of the internees who were rescued were sent on the next available troopship to Australia. The bodies of the drowned internees (except in rare exceptions) were never returned to their families many of whom had to wait decades to get the final confirmation that their loved ones were on the Arandora Star and had actually died. The plight of these familes has been taken up by the Andora Star Campaign that aims to obtain an official apology from the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and to seek compensation for the many Italian families who suffered personal and financial loss due to the Government’s policy of internment. And also to recognise the brave contribution made to the British war effort by sons, brothers and cousins of those interned. TU tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009

events | tuscany

What’s On:July Looking for an event in Tuscany? Here’s our guide to some of the art, music, folk and food events you can visit this July. FLORENCE ART/EXHIBITIONS INSTRUMENTS OF SCIENCE Place: Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza - Piazza dei Giudici Date: Until end of September Tel: 055 265311 GALILEO’S UNIVERSE: Images of the universe: from antiquity to the telescope - exhibition Place: Palazzo Strozzi - Piazza Strozzi. Date: Until end of August Tel: 055 2645155 Website: www.palazzostrozzi.org THE IMPRUNETA TERRACOTTA: Renaissance masters and today’s kilns Place: Piazza Buondelmonti (Impruneta) Date: Until 23rd July Tel: 055 243140 Website: www.imprunetacotto.it SPLENDOUR AND REASON: Art in Eighteenth-Century Florence Place: Galleria degli Uffizi - Piazzale degli Uffizi Date: Until end of September Tel: 055 2388651 Website: www.polomuseale.firenze.it Joconde. From Mona Lisa to the naked Gioconda - exhibition on the origins, the success and the mysteries of Leonardo’s Gioconda Place: Museo Ideale Leonardo Da Vinci Via Montalbano, (Vinci)

10 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

Dates: Until end of September Tel: 0571 56614. Website: www.museoleonardo.it

MUSIC MINERVAGIO’: Aperitif and etno live music DJ set Place: Grand Hotel Minerva - Piazza S.M.Novella Dates: 9th,16th, 23rd, 30th July CHIANTI IN MUSICA 2009: Concerts, lectures Place: San Donato in Poggio Date: 30th July -8th August CARMEN Place: English Church of St. Mark’s - Via Maggio Date: 30th July Tel: 3408119192 Website: www.concertoclassico.info TOSCANA JAZZ FESTIVAL 2009 Place: Piazza della Repubblica, Montaione Date: 28th and 29th July APRITI CIELO: International festival of theatre for children Place: Parco Fluviale Fabrizio De Andrè (Pontassieve) Date: From: 26th – 29th July Tel: 055 5961293 Website: www.estatefiesolana.it VIVERE JAZZ 2009: Carioca by Stefano Bollani

Place: Fiesole Roman Theatre - Via Portigiani, 1 - (Fiesole) Date: 20th July Tel: 055 596129 Website: www.estatefiesolana.it

Place: historical centre, Palazzuolo Dates: From 17th July – 19th July and from 24th July – 26th July

SIENA ART

FESTIVALS TORTELLO (FILLED PASTA) AND GNOCCO FESTIVAL Place: Grezzano, Borgo San Lorenzo Date: 31st July THE FLIGHT OF CECCO SANTI REENACTMENT Place: Historical centre, Vinci - (Vinci) Date: 29th July ST ANNE’S FEAST Place: Piazzetta S.Anna - (Greve in Chianti) Date: 26th July 5TH UNICORN FESTIVAL Place: Historical centre, Vinci - (Vinci) Date: 25th-26th July NIGHT ROWING PALIO OF ST. LAWRENCE Place: Lungarno dei Cantieri, Limite sull’Arno - Limite sull’Arno Date: 19th July ECCOLE DI NUOVO - Vintage cars and motorcycles meeting Place: Piazza della Repubblica Date: 19th July MIDDLE AGES AT THE UBALDINI COURT FESTIVAL. Middle Ages Festival 2009

COLLECTABLES AND SMALL ANTIQUES FAIR Place: Siena Date: 19th July Tel: 0577 281619 Website: www.siena90.it

MUSIC 66TH SIENESE MUSIC WEEK Place: Siena Date: From 9th July – 17th July Tel: 0577 22091 Website: www.chigiana.it SIENA JAZZ FESTIVAL Place: Siena Date: 24th July – 8th August Tel: 0577 271401 Website: www.sienajazz.it

CHIANCIANO TERME MUSIC 9TH EDIZIONE - Festa della Musica Place: Chianciano Terme, public gardens Date: From 16th – 19th July

AREZZO ART

ANTIQUES FAIR Place: Piazza Grande, Arezzo Date: 4th-5th July VALDARNO ANTIQUES FAIR Place: Piazza della Republica and Via Roma, Arezzo Date: 12th July

PALIO DI SAN JACOPO: Competition between districts Monticello, Buffalo, Borgo Antico for the award of the Palio di San Iacopo Place: Gallicano Date: 18th and 25th July www.paliodisanjacopo.it

VERSILIA

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF FOLKLORE Place: Camporgiano Date: 25th-27th July

MUSIC PUCCINI FESTIVAL Place: Torre del Lago Puccini Date: 9th July 22nd August Tel: 0584 359322/ 427201 Website: www.puccinifestival.it CLASSICAL MUSIC Place: Parish church S. Michele Arcangelo in Corsanico Massarosa Date: July-August 30 Tel: 0584-954016 Website: www.corsanicomusica.it

THE BANDA DEL SILLICO: The Bandits of Time, medieval festival Place: Sillico, Pieve Fosciana Date: 26th July Joss Stone, appearing at Pistoia Blues Festival, July 4th.

ACTIVITIES

Info: info@ual.lucca.it

LA VERSILIANA FOR CHILDREN: Open air plays and workshop for children Place: La Versiliana Park in Marina di Pietrasanta Viale Morin Date: From 3rd July to 31st August Tel: 0584 265757-58 Website: www.laversilianafestival.it

LUCCA

THEATRE

UNUSUAL LUCCA: Guided tour of Lucca Place: Meet in Piazza San Michele Date: Every Sunday evening in July and August at 9pm

SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Place: Villa Borbone, Viareggio Date: 14th July - Macbeth, in English; 23rd July - A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in English; 30th July - Othello, in English Tel: 329 6255133 Website: www.shakespearefestivalviareggio.net

PISTOIA MUSIC PISTOIA BLUES Place: Piazza Duomo, Pistoia Date: 3rd-5th July Tel: 0573 994659 Website: www.pistoiablues.com

ELBA ACTIVITIES MARELBA IN PORTOFERRAIO: Sea sports days (sailing, swimming, diving, kayak, canoeing, fishing, snorkelling, windsurfing) Place: Portoferraio Date: 2-5th July. Tel: 3473756169 Website: www.marelba.it

FESTIVAL LA LEGGENDA DELL’INNAMORATA IN CAPOLIVERI: Procession of more then 100 people dressed in historical costume from the town centre as far as the Innamorata beach. By the light of 100 torches they commemorate the sad story of two young Capoliverian lovers who drowned in the sea. Date: 14th July Tel: 0565 939104

OCTOBERFEST: Beer Festival Place: Piazza Chiappini, Castelnuovo Date: 30th July- 9th August

MUSIC

FESTIVAL

PUCCINI CONCERTS Place: Church of San Giovanni, Lucca Dates: The rest of the year

WINE AND FOOD: Typical wine and food of Garfagnana Place: Sillico, Pieve Fosciana Date: 3rd-4th July Website: www.sillico.it

TOUR

MUSIC

FEAST OF PEOPLES AND PEOPLE: Food from around the world Place: Gallicano Date: 4th-5th July Tel: 0583 7307202 Website: www.comunegallicano.it

INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC: 2009 Concerts Place: Teatro Alfieri, Castelnuovo Date: 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th July Website: www.turismo.garfagnana.eu

INTERNATIONAL STREET ARTISTS Place: Camporgiano Date: 4th-5th July Website: www.pontineltempo.it

GARFAGNANA

ACTIVITIES OBSERVATION OF THE STARS Place: Park Orecchiella Date: 3rd-4th July

FARRO FESTIVAL Place: High Garfagnana Date: 11th-12th July Website: www.pontineltempo.it

FEAST OF CRISCIOLETTE Place: Cascio, Molazzanna Date: 30th July-2nd August Website: www.lacriscioletta.it THE SINGING TREES: Live music Place: Botanic Gardens, Lucca Date: Every Friday night in July and August Tel: 0583 583086 Website: www.operadellemura.it

MAREMMA MUSIC CIVITELLA IN MUSICA 2009 Place: Civitella Marittima Date: Until 19th July Tel: 3204398008

FESTIVAL SAGRA DEL CINGHIALE Place: Rispescia Date: 25th -26th July

COSTA DEGLI ETRUSCHI ACTIVITIES ROWING BOAT RACES: Between local districts Place: Livorno Date: Throughout July

FESTIVALS FESTA IN PIAZZA Place: Piombino Date: 5th July

PISA MUSIC UNDER THE TOWER Place: Camposanto Monumentale, around the Tower of Pisa Date: 8th-9th July COLLINAREA FESTIVAL: Theater, jazz within a medieval setting Place: Lari Castel Date: 13th July-14th August TU tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 11

famous visitors | paolo nutini

THESE TUSCAN STREETS Scottish singer/songwriter Paolo Nutini’s Tuscan roots keep bringing him back to the fish n’ chips capital of Italy.

12 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

aolo Nutini is riding high right now. His second album ‘Sunny Side Up’ entered the UK Charts at Number 1; a hugely successful, though unusual collection of tracks and a brave departure from the easy listening ‘These Streets’ debut album which reached the Top 3 spot in the summer of 2006, shortly after his 19th birthday. His mother is Scottish, and his father is of Italian descent, from Barga, in northern Tuscany, and it was to here the Nutini’s returned for regular family holidays. Paolo still comes back each year and has many friends in the walled city, which is quite the hotbed of artistic and musical talent. Jazz festivals, internationally renowned artists such as fellow Scot John Bellamy and a lively theatre programme at the Teatro dei Differenti gives this old hill top town its own unique vibrancy. On 24 July 2007, Paolo was awarded The Golden St Christopher medal, the highest honour the city can give, to celebrate his extraordinary contributions to Barga and its people. Barga is the nearest thing Scotland has to a colony, due to its connections with the Italian community in Scotland. In fact it prides itself on being ‘the most Scottish place in Italy’. Over the centuries there has been a constant flow of Barga-Scot descendents between the old homelands. The Italians who moved to Scotland brought the country great benefits, like cappuccino, spaghetti and good ice-cream. The Scots that returned to Barga brought with them fish and chips a delicacy that has been politely accepted by the Barghese who now host Italy’s only La Sagra del Pesce e Patate. In fact Paolo Nutini’s parents own a fish and chip shop in his hometown of Paisley, on the outskirts of Glasgow, which was opened by his great-grandfather. However, Paolo was destined to pick up the guitar not the chip pan, thanks to his grandfather’s musical influence: “He was a big music lover, my Nonno,” says Paolo, “he loved boogie woogie piano, he adored opera, and it was him that really encouraged me to sing. He always wanted somebody in the family to make music their living. He’s not around to see it, unfortunately, but I’m doing just what he wanted, and I’m doing it in his honour.”

BIOGRAPHY Paolo Nutini Born: 9/1/1987 Paolo Nutini’s first experience of the music business was working as a roadie for Scottish band Speedway. He subsequently spent time at a Glasgow studio as a jack-of-all-trades, and it was during this period that he began singing live with his own band. Nutini relocated to London to further his career and a series of gigs in low-key venues began to attract the attention of record labels. He landed a major label recording contract with Atlantic Records in summer 2005 and was fast-tracked onto the support gig network, performing at concerts by leading acts including the Rolling Stones. Nutini’s debut album ‘These Streets’ reached the UKTop 3 in summer 2006, while the single ‘Last Request’ was also aTop 5 hit.The album revealed definite talent behind the usual record company hype, with the pleasant mix of ballads (Last Request) and Bruce Springsteenstyle rockers (Jenny Don‘t Be Hasty) driven by Nutini’s soulful vocals. His second album ‘Sunny Side Up’ knocked Eminem‘s ‘Relapse’ off the top spot.

SUNNY SIDE UP Atlantic Records (2009) Tracks 1 - 10/10 2 - Coming Up Easy 3 - Growing Up BesideYou 4 - Candy 5 - Tricks of theTrade 6 - Pencil Full of Lead 7 - No Other Way 8 - High Hopes 9 - Chamber Music 10 - SimpleThings 11 -Worried Man 12 - Keep Rolling TU

tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 13

music | summer festival

Roc

iazza Napoleane in the heart of the walled city of Lucca, will be transformed into one of the classiest outdoors pop venues you’re likely to find this summer. Headliners include: Lenny Kravitz, Anastacia, Moby, James Morrison and Amy MacDonald. Reliving the glory days are Burt Bacharach and James Taylor. The event, one of the biggest events of its kind in Italy, takes place between July 5-26. Part of the 11-day music fest includes Summer Giovanni, a free concert providing a platform for young unsigned bands to try their luck.

Directions to Piazza Napoleane: Entering the gate of Porta San Pietro, also called Porta Vapore, (it’s the closest to the train station) go straight until you reach Piazza del GIglio leaving the theatre on you right side. For more information and ticket sales visit: www.summer-festival.com and www.summer giovani.com

Summer Festival Lucca 2009 8 July – Anastacia 10 July – Biagio Antonacci 11 July – Lenny Kravitz 15 July – Enzo Avitabile 16 July – James Taylor 18 July – Burt Bacharach 23 July – Summer Giovani 24 July – James Morrison/ Amy MacDonald 25 July - Moby 26 July – John Fogerty

Artist: Lenny Kravitz Home Town: New York, New York, USA

14 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

Lucca rocks this July up the volume at this

LENNY KRAVITZ

kin’the walls

y with headline acts pumping year’s Summer Festival.

JAMES MORRISON

AMY MCDONALD

Style: Pop/Rock Top 10 UK Tracks: Fly Away (1999), Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993). Albums: Let Love Rule (1989), Mama Said (1991), Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993), Circus (1995), 5 (1998), Lenny (2001), Baptism (2004), It Is Time For A Love Revolution (2008) Also Famous For: Dating famous women – Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Kylie Minogue, Natalie Imbruglia, Vanessa Paradis, Stella McCartney. Divorced from former The Cosby Show star, Lisa Bonet Concert Dates: Saturday, 11th July, 8.30pm Ticket Price: €36 + pre-sales charge

Artist: James Morrison Home Town: Rugby, Warwickshire, UK Style: Soulful pop Top 10 UK Tracks: You Give Me Something (2006), Wonderful World (2006), Broken Strings (Feat. Nelly Furtado) (2008), You Make It Real (2008) Albums: Undiscovered (2006), Songs for You, Truths for Me (2008) Concert Date: Friday, 24th July (With Amy MacDonald) 9.30pm Ticket Price: €30 + presales charge

Artist: Amy McDonald ANASTACIA

Home Town: Glasgow, Scotland, UK

tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 15

music | summer festival Style: Folk/country pop Top 10 UK Tracks: Mr Rock and Roll, This is the Life (2007) Albums: This is the Life (2007) Concert Date: Friday, 24th July (With James Morrison) 9.30pm Ticket Price: €30 + pre-sales charge

Artist: Moby Home Town: Harlem, New York, USA Style: Techno dance Top 10 UK Tracks: Porcelain (2000), James Bond Theme (Moby’s Re-Version) 1997, Go (1991) Albums: Moby (1992), Ambient (1993), Everything is Wrong (1995), Animal Rights (1996), Play (1999), 18 (2002), Hotel (2005), Last Night (2008), Wait For Me (2009) Also Famous For: Ongoing spat with rapper Eminem. Great-great-grand-nephew of Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick Concert Date: Saturday, 25th July, 9.30pm Ticket Price: €30 + pre-sales charge

Artist: Anastacia Home Town: Chicago, Illinois, USA Style: Pop Top 10 UK Tracks: Left Outside Alone (2004), Sick and Tired (2004), I’m Outta Love (2000). Albums: Heavy Rotation (2009), Pieces Of A Dream (2006), Left Outside Alone (2004), Freak Of Nature 2002, I’m Outta Love 2000, Not That Kind (2000), Anastacia (2000) Also Famous For: Beating breast cancer. Concert Date: Wednesday, 8th July, 9pm. Support Act: Karima. Ticket Price: From €35 + pre-sales charge

Artist: Burt Bacharach Home Town: Kansas City, Missouri, USA Style: Sophisticated pop Top 10 UK Tracks: Trains and Boats and Planes (1965) Albums: Numerous film soundtracks such as, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

BIAGIO ANTONACCI

16 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

Arthur (1981). Most recent compilation of his songs: Gold (2006). Solo album, At This Time (2005). Also Famous For: Writing songs for stars such as Dionne Warwick. He’s written over 70 Top 40 hits in the US, and 52 Top 40 hits in the UK spanning four decades. Still touring in his 80s. Concert Date: Saturday, 18th July, 9.30pm. Special guest, Karima Ticket Price: From €35 + pre-sales charge

Artist: James Taylor Home Town: Boston, Massachusetts, USA Style: Folk Rock Top 10 UK Tracks: You’ve Got A Friend (1971) Albums: James Taylor (1968), Sweet Baby James (1970), Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon (1971), One Man Dog (1973), Walking Man (1974), Gorilla (1975), In the Pocket (1976), JT (1977), Flag (1979), Dad Loves His Work (1981), That’s Why I’m Here (1985), Never Die Young (1988), New Moon Shine (1991), Hourglass (1997), October Road (2002), Covers (2008) Also Famous For: Previously dating Carly Simon Concert Date: Thursday, 16th July, 9.30pm Support Act: Amos Lee Ticket Price: From €35 + pre-sales charge

Artist: John Fogerty Home Town: Berkeley, California, USA Style: Swamp rock Albums: The Blue Ridge Rangers (1973), John Fogerty (1975), Centerfield (1985), Eye of the Zombie (1986), Blue Moon Swamp (1997), Deja Vu (All Over Again) (2004), Revival (2007) Concert Date: Sunday, 26th July, 9.30pm Ticket Price: €32 + pre-sales charge

Artist: Biagio Antonacci Home Town: Milan, Italy Style: Pop/Rock Albums: Sono cose che capitano (1989),

MOBY

review | tuscany JOHN FOGERTY

TUSCANY, THE MUSE Books, films and music with a Tuscan flavour… BOOKS Tasting Tuscany: Exploring and Eating off the Beaten Track by Beth Elon Publisher: Bantam Books (2006) Beth Elon - a renowned cookery-book writer - has lived in and loved Tuscany for more than thirty years and in Tasting Tuscany shares with her readers a side of Tuscany that is not widely known. Beth has included in her book suggested itineraries so that the reader can follow in her footsteps and explore a Tuscany that is off the beaten track. A central feature of the itineraries are the restaurants that Beth has discovered over the years and which will allow the reader to experience a culture of life that values natural and traditional food. Tasting Tuscany includes over one hundred recipes from restaurants so that even when you are back at home you can recreate the delicious and authentic food you will have enjoyed on your travels. Order: www.amazon.co.uk

BURT BACHARACH

The Piazzas of Florence:

Adagio Biagio (1991),Liberatemi (1992), Biagio Antonacci (1994), Il mucchio (1996), Mi fai stare bene (1998), 9 Novembre 2001 (2001), Convivendo - Parte I (2004 ), Convivendo Parte II (2005),Vicky Love (2007) Concert Date: Friday, 10th July, 9.30pm. Ticket Price: €35 + pre-sales charge

Artist: Enzo Avitabile Home Town: Naples, Italy Style: World music/ jazz fusion Albums: Avitabile (1982), Meglio Soul (1983), Correre in fretta (1984), SOS Brothers (1986), Punta il naso a Nord (1988), Alta tensione (1988), Street Happiness (1988), Stella dissidente (1990), Enzo Avitabile (1991), Easy (1994), Aizetè (1996), Addò (1996), O-Issa (1999), Salvamm’o munno (2004), Sacro Sud (2006), Festa, Farina e Forca (2007) Concert Date: Wednesday, 15th July, 9.30pm. Support Act: Scorribanda Ticket Price: Free.

Summer Giovani Bands: New, unsigned talent. Concert Date: Thursday, 23rd July, 9.30pm. Ticket Price: Free. TU

Mapping a Renaissance Spirit By Lisa McGarry Publisher: Murdoch Books (2008) Artist, Lisa McGarry has captured the essence of her adopted city Florence through an intimate exploration of twelve of her favourite piazzas. McGarry’s evocative narrative weaves together history, art, architecture and the colourful cast of characters she meets during her daily excursions around the city. Original watercolour maps beautifully illustrate each piazza and the landmarks within. Order: www.bookdepository.co.uk (free delivery worldwide).

MUSIC Sunny Side Up Paolo Nutini Atlantic Records (2009) Fans of Paolo Nutini’s debut album, ‘These Streets’ might raise an eyebrow or two at this sophomore release. Produced by Ethan Johns (Kings Of Leon), ‘Sunny Side Up’ features an eclectic and ‘rougher’ range of songs that set it somewhat apart from its slick predecessor. Paolo Nutini’s family on his father’s side originated from Barga, northern Tuscany. Order: www.amazon.co.uk

DVD La Boheme - The Film (2009) Lucca-born Giacomo Puccini’s immortal opera is brought to life in a new, specially filmed, big budget feature-film version directed by Academy Award nominee Robert Dornhelm (The Children of Theatre Street), produced by Jan Mojto’s Unitel, one of the largest producers of audiovisual classical music films in the world, and starring the opera world’s ‘dream team’’, soprano Anna Netrebko and tenor Rolando Villazon. Order: www.amazon.co.uk tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 17

architecture | piazzas

Florentines’ Cupola runneth over...

Firenze’s piazzas are enduring examples of the city’s architectural and social heritage. Lisa McGarry, author of The Piazzas of Florence, takes us on a personal tour of the city’s most favourite squares, beginning with a visit into its religious heartland, the Piazza del Duomo. Photographs and map by Lisa McGarry iazza del Duomo and Piazza di San Giovanni (with pic of baptistery and duomo) Piazza del Duomo and the adjoining Piazza di San Giovanni are very different from Florence’s other major squares, which are usually spacious, open volumes with buildings sitting around them like spectators. Instead, as befits their importance in the city, the

18 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the baptistery, or Battistero di San Giovanni, take centre stage in their respective piazzas. Although hints of the Duomo appear from countless points throughout the city, there are no grand spatial preparations like those provided for the cathedral of Saint Peter’s in Rome: Florence’s Duomo announces itself quite suddenly. A number of differently shaped spaces

THE FLORENTINES’ WISH TO NEVER BE AWAY FROM THEIR CUPOLA TOO LONG MAKES PERFECT SENSE

flow around Piazza del Duomo. There’s the area between the cathedral and baptistery, which is always full of people gathered before the baptistery’s famous gilded doors or waiting in line to enter the Duomo. Others are just passing through, heading towards Piazza San Marco to the north, or south to the busy Via dei Calzaiuoli, which connects the city’s religious heart with its civic counterpart in Piazza della Signoria. A long space runs along the cathedral’s north side, where the Duomo casts its shadow most of the day—an area to avoid in the winter if possible, but a refuge from the heat of summer. A couple of cafés sell cold refreshments, convenient for those waiting in line to climb to the top of the Cupola. There are also several shops, including a branch of Il Papiro, a signature name in the business of paper goods. Beyond this section of the piazza, along Via dei Servi, are more delights for lovers of fine stationery: Scriptorium specialises in leather albums and journals, inks and pens, and Tassotti sells beautiful paper items decorated with their own designs. To the east, an area opens up around the cathedral’s tribunes, with the ochre-coloured Museo dell’Opera del Duomo as the focal point—that is, if you don’t count the mass of the cathedral itself; at this end lies the Cupola, which soars to a height of one hundred and fourteen metres. From here, the piazza curves around to the inviting south-facing part of Piazza del Duomo, where illegal vendors lay out their posters on the stone pavement and arrange sunglasses on their ingenious cardboard ‘tables’, and caricaturists and watercolourists sit beside

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architecture | piazzas

FLORENCE WAS ALREADY MAKING WAY FOR THE RENAISSANCE IDEALS THAT WOULD EMERGE HERE—IDEALS FOUNDED ON THE MORE RATIONAL AND LOGIC-BASED CLASSICAL THOUGHT AND ARCHITECTURE.

20 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

easels with worn samples of celebrity portraits on display. A number of shops face the Duomo’s colourful marble side, including the one-of-a-kind Art Store. Run by Mandragora, a Florence-based publisher, it stocks a collection of books, typical Florentine stationery items, and unique jewellery, prints and pottery by local artists. In the days of Roman Florentia the area was a residential zone, but the founding of the church of Santa Reparata some time between the sixth and seventh centuries established a long religious tradition on this site. Today Piazza del Duomo and Piazza San Giovanni cover nearly two hectares, but there was little open space to relieve the clutter that enveloped the baptistery and Santa Reparata until architect Arnolfo di Cambio’s plans for a new cathedral were launched in 1294. The people of Florence declared they would have ‘the most beautiful church in Christendom’. Since size was one of their measures of beauty, the thirty thousand citizens it was to hold admirably expressed their ambitions. In fact, the initial design blossomed impressively as the decades of its long construction period passed: the Duomo grew to a length of one hundred and fiftythree metres and a width of about thirty-eight metres. In those times, churches played as much a civic role as a religious one, so the Duomo was really designed as an indoor extension of the piazza, and it served many of the same functions. The doors on both the north and south sides were kept hospitably open, allowing people to pass through freely and eliminating the long circumvention of the church’s perimeter. This sociable and informal interaction between the city’s most important building and its piazza perfectly suited the Florentine character: citizens could come to the cathedral to do business and socialise, as well as to attend mass. More than a hundred years after building had begun, there was still no provision for executing the dome over what had become a much larger crossing at the end of the nave. A gaping hole allowed the elements to filter in decade after decade, until Filippo Brunelleschi presented his solution in a competition held in 1418. The architect offered an innovative and comprehensive answer to the dilemma: a double-shelled octagonal dome that would be selfsupporting during its construction. As work continued on the dome, Arnolfo’s partially built façade remained unfinished and was finally dismantled in the 1580s. Not until three hundred years later did a neoGothic design by Emilio de Fabris finally complete the cathedral. As with all major city projects, it has been criticised—for being trivial, commonplace, uninteresting and too conservative—but the façade does harmonise with the bell tower, the baptistery and the original portion of the church’s

exterior, which all date back to several centuries earlier. While the Cupola inspires awe and the façade often provokes criticism, many people seem surprised, and even disappointed, by the Duomo’s sparse interior. It’s true that the cacophony of colours and patterns decorating the exterior only serves to emphasise the vast bareness of the vaulted interior, but I find its simplicity very beautiful. The frescoes inside the Cupola, the colourful stained-glass windows around the dome’s drum and the elaborately detailed sixteenthcentury polychrome marble floor somewhat soften the austerity of the basilica, but little else detracts from the power and purity of its architecture. Lined with immense columns, the large nave functions much like a corridor that culminates in the central altar under the dome, fulfilling the same preparatory role as the cortile in the piazza before Saint Peter’s in Rome.

Giotto’s Gothic glory Standing to the right of the entrance façade and slightly apart from the Duomo is the Campanile, the bell tower designed by Giotto in 1334. Its particularly graceful ascent makes it noteworthy, but this one is also rather unique compared to the typical Gothic bell tower. At its height, Gothic cathedral design integrated multiple bell towers, which sprang out of the church and tapered lightly towards the top—as if about to take flight, but not sufficiently independent to do so. In contrast, the Duomo’s bell tower sits foursquare and freestanding—a building in its own right. In Italy in general, and particularly in Florence, the Gothic aspirations for light and height were not realised to the same degree as in northern Europe. Instead, Florence was already making way for the Renaissance ideals that would emerge here—ideals founded on the more rational and logicbased classical thought and architecture. A multi-talented artist and designer, Giotto di Bondone was also in charge of the Duomo at the time work began on the Campanile. In his Lives of the Artists, Giorgio Vasari offers an example of Giotto’s confidence in his abilities. Apparently, Pope Boniface VIII had sent a messenger all over Italy to collect designs from potential candidates for a commission at Saint Peter’s. When the time came for Giotto to offer a sample, he picked up his brush, dipped it in red paint, and made a single perfect circle. The messenger assumed this was a joke, but Giotto assured him that the simple gesture would more than convey his talent; indeed, the Pope invited him to work at Saint Peter’s.

Enter into paradise The Battistero di San Giovanni was believed to be a Roman temple until well into the Renaissance. Its early history remains uncertain, but the original structure likely

dates as far back as the fifth century, with the foundations having alternately supported a church, a cathedral and a baptistery. The trademark facing of contrasting geometric marble was installed between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, and became a source of inspiration for future Florentine buildings, including the Duomo. Arnolfo visually connected the new cathedral to the existing baptistery by using green and white horizontal stripes of marble to emphasise their structural elements, and the baptistery’s octagonal floor plan is echoed in the Duomo’s octagonal crossing and three tribunes. Doors decorated with bronze panels adorn each of the baptistery’s three entrances. Andrea Pisano designed and cast the first set, which originally faced the Duomo’s main entrance. Ghiberti’s Porta del Paradiso, Gate of Paradise (so-called by Michelangelo), assumed this prestigious position when they were completed in 1452. While the doors certainly deserve the compliment of being dubbed the entrance to Paradise, the name takes on a deeper meaning because the area between an Italian cathedral and its baptistery was traditionally known as the paradiso. This space, where the two piazzas merge, is always the busiest; all day long, people crowd before the baptistery doors and fill the steps in front of the Duomo. Although the originals are slowly being restored and then displayed in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, the in situ copies still show how each of Ghiberti’s ten square panels gracefully expresses, through a combination of painterly and sculptural means, a sequence of events from the Old Testament. Ghiberti also made the decorative panels for the doors that face north, where visitors normally enter; this first set of his shares the Gothic quatrefoil shape of Pisano’s. For centuries a forum hosting a multitude of daily interactions, today the city’s religious centre remains a hub for many activities. The devout come to worship and the curious to gawk, as the Duomo and Battistero continue to serve in their religious capacities, and people of all ages and walks of life fill the piazza. Ever-present tourists bring the

THE PEOPLE OF FLORENCE DECLARED THEY WOULD HAVE ‘THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CHURCH IN CHRISTENDOM’ tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 21

architecture | piazzas flavours and languages of many cultures, horses nibble from their nose bags while waiting for their next carriage-load of passengers, and artists luxuriously roll their r’s as they cajole passers-by with: ‘Prego, Bella, I draw your portrait.’ I find these two piazzas that lie at the city’s religious heart most fascinating because of the relationship between the buildings and their open space. There are many shapes a piazza can take, but the way in which Piazza del Duomo and Piazza San Giovanni completely encircle their most important buildings is unique. I like the way the patchwork of endless details on the Duomo’s façade remains bright, even under the grey days that fill the interior with gloom, how the thoughtful statues of Arnolfo and Brunelleschi quietly look upon the bustle as sirens from the Misericordia’s ambulances call attention to local emergencies. The cheerful bells note the passing hours, reaching across the river to my home in Piazza Pitti, and glimpses of the dome appear throughout the city and the surrounding hills, creating a connection to this centre no matter where I am—the Florentines’ wish to never be away from their Cupola too long makes perfect sense. Extract adapted from The Piazzas of Florence by kind permission of Lisa McGarry and publishers, Pier 9 an imprint of Murdoch Books. Price £14.99. Order from amazon.co.uk and the bookdepository.co.uk (free delivery). Also available for sale in The Paperback Exchange, Florence, www.papex.it. TU

l Explore the crypt, where the excavated remains of Santa Reparata and other archeological findings are preserved in a museum. A small bookshop and Brunelleschi’s grave are also located in the crypt. (Access is via stairs on the south side of the Duomo’s nave). l Climb to the top of the Duomo’s Cupola to view the city from its most revealing perspective. Partway up, the corkscrew passage emerges onto an interior balcony at the base of the dome’s drum, where the images of Inferno from Vasari’s Last Judgement loom at horrifyingly close range.The remainder of the climb is between the two shells of the dome, making it possible to see the construction details.

Lisa McGarry is a writer and artist who lives in Florence. Contact: www.lisa-mcgarry.com

MAKE TIME TO … l Experience the Duomo in its traditional context, during one of the

IN THOSE TIMES, CHURCHES PLAYED AS MUCH A CIVIC ROLE AS A RELIGIOUS ONE, SO THE DUOMO WAS REALLY DESIGNED AS AN INDOOR EXTENSION OF THE PIAZZA 22 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

daily Masses.The 10:30 am Mass on Sunday features beautiful choral music that fills the basilica and floats out to the piazza along with the worshippers at Mass’s end.

l Alternatively, take the slightly shorter ascent to the top of the bell tower for an up-close look at the Cupola; the Campanile’s graceful Gothic windows provide impressive vantage points from which to look upon the changing perspective of the city’s rooftops. lVisit the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, where the originals of the most important artwork from the Duomo, Campanile and Battistero are displayed (as well as wooden models, drawings for the various façade competitions and special exhibits). l Pop in to the Battistero to look at the glittering mosaic ceiling, the baptismal font and the patterned marbles of its walls and pavement.

Museo dell’Opera del Duomo.

lWander down Via dell’Oriuolo to the Museo di Firenze Com’era, a museum featuring a collection of drawings, maps and models showing ‘Florence as it used to be’.

tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 23

micro tuscany | garfagnana

Bridge in time

Medieval fortresses guard its ancient, long forgotten borders; wolves, bears and wild boar roam its soaring mountain parks - a journey into the Garfagnana is a journey in to a wilder Tuscany, dove il tempo non corre: where time never runs.

andwiched between the marble-topped Apuan Alps and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, dissected by the river Serchio, there is a wide valley; its slopes clothed by thick beech and chestnut woods, expansive mountain pastures and seemingly inaccessible, cliff-perched villages. This is the Garfagnana; a land relatively

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untouched by the passing of the centuries, protected from the outside world by its geographical barrier. And a land where above all, hospitality is a pleasure, the table is always set and laden with many local products. For the people who refused to leave their valley home - despite enduring centuries of deprivation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; have preserved the old forms of agriculture and ways of life here, not out of nostalgia, but out of a sense

of justice. But Garfagnana is not a theme park; it is not a living museum. What it is, is a place where traditions are adhered to simply because they work, and because they’re good for the soul. Beauty and utility are the cornerstones of the Garfagnana land.

History Archeological finds confirm the existence of Neolithic man living and hunting in the Serchio valley. Later the Ligurian apuans became entrenched in the area before being defeated and deported by the Romans during the founding of their encampment at Lucca in 180BC. After the barbaric invasions the slow recovery of civil and religious life in the valley was supported by the widespread presence of the church and its parish system. Included in the domain of the Countess Mathilda, the Serchio Valley was continually contested between Lucca, Pisa and Florence until when, between the 14th and 15th Centuries, the communities, tired of the long period of political uncertainty and wanting social tranquillity devoted themselves to various nobles: Barga to Florence, Garfagnana to the Estenses of Ferrara. Castiglione and the other lands instead remained faithful to Lucca. In the 1400s, there was then a long period of peace under the Estense domination, which continued, almost without interruption, until the Napoleonic period and then to the Italian unity. Tied to this, was the arrival in Garfagnana of the poet Ludovico Ariosto, sent as an inspector for the Estenses to govern the Province for about three years. These historical events have left important examples of art and architecture in the area: parishes and Romanesque churches populate the little villages taking refuge in the rocky outlines; hermitages and monasteries are to be found in often inaccessible locations, placed for better contemplation. Fortresses and castles control ancient borders or important roads of the past, medieval bridges with bold arches span the torrents.

Villages The villages of the Garfagnana and the rest of the Serchio valley still show their original character clearly, with narrow and winding roads, stone buildings with wide verandas facing south to allow the drying of agricultural produce: maize, chestnuts and walnuts. The churches and palaces hold important works of art - despite the distance from the main artistic centres. From medieval wooden sculptures and the Robbian terracotta, to the carved and gilded wooden altars, widespread in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The cathedral of Saint Peter and Paul in Castelnuovo, preserves some earthenware by Della Robbia’s school.

Barga Of medieval origins Barga is surrounded by walls which have remained intact. It is characterized by a maze of alleys defined by Renaissance palaces. The cathedral rises above the town. It was constructed in the 11th Century and was the symbol of Romanesque architecture of the Serchio Valley. The interior is noteworthy as is the holy water fount, the baptismal font and the pulpit. In the forecourt there is a splendid panorama of the Apuane Alps with Mount Forato clearly visible. Barga is a lively, cultural citywhich contains amongst others, the Theatre of the Different, the civic museum of the region and, in Castelvecchio, the museum of poet Giovanni Pascoli’s house.

Pieve Fosciana This village has antique origins. The centre is enriched with beautiful stonework, and has the important Romanesque parish church of St. John the Baptist, which dates back to the year 1,000. It’s also worth visiting the thermal spring of Pra’ di Lama, which has hot sulphurous water appreciated by the local people for its therapeutic properties.

Castelnuovo Garfagnana The fortress Ariostesca, in the ancient centre of the town, is an elegant Renaissance building, probably built around an ancient ruin, maybe a tower-house dating back to the 11th Century. The fortress was radically transformed under Paolo Guinigi at the beginning of the 15th Century. Since Castelnuovo was the capital of the Estense province, the fortress became the administrative seat of the local government. The current name derives from the commissioner and poet, Ludovico Ariosto, who lived in Castelnuovo from 1522 to 1525. tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 25

micro tuscany | garfagnana Second World War events seriously damaged the building as well as the rest of the town, leading to a number of restorations. The origins of the parish church dedicated to Sts Peter and Paul dates back to at least to the 10th Century, however, the current building dates back to the 1500s. The church features a nave and two aisles and contains an interesting glazed terracotta alter-piece of the Robbia school dedicated to St Joseph. A beautiful 15th Century crucifix known as ‘Black Christ’ may also be admired together with a ‘Madonna with Saints’ attributed to Michele di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio.

Castelnuovo.

Bagni di Lucca Bagni Di Lucca originally comprised of three separate districts, Bagno alla Villa, Corsena and Piano di Corsena. It was noted for its buildings, the villas, the palaces, some public monuments and the thermal baths which attained their maximum splendour between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Don’t miss the antique pharmacy Betti founded in 1729, the beautiful church of Saint Peter and the remarkable chain bridge.

Borgo a Mozzano The real symbol of this village is the Devil’s Bridge, (Ponte del Diavolo, or della Maddalena). A popular legend behind its devilish name is that a master mason who having realised he couldn’t finish the construction of the bridge in the allotted time invoked the help of the Devl. The Devil agreed to complete the bridge that night in exchange for the first soul that crossed it. The contract was signed but the constructor, full of remorse, confessed to the local bishop

26 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

Isola Santa.

who advised him to send a pig across the bridge first. The Devil, having been made a fool of, jumped into the river and disappeared for ever Every April, Borgo a Mozzano holds an Azalea exhibition. Also of interest are the fortifications of the Gothic Line and the Monte Agliale observatory which is open to the public.

Coreglia Antelminelli The village of Coreglia Antelminelli is situated on the most elevated point of the Apennines. Important historical features are the Romanesque church of Saint Michael and the pre Romanesque church of Saint Martin. The village also contains the Porcelain Museum of Emigrants. Coreglia Antelminelli was included as one of ‘the most beautiful villages of Tuscany’.

Gallicano Situated on the right bank of the Serchio river, Gallicano is an ancient village which still preserves its Roman layout in places. Extremely active in handicrafts and industry, it has learnt to exploit the natural resources that surround it in particular the waters of the Turrite and Serchio rivers, which converge here as well as the iron mines of the nearby massif of La Pania. From an artistic point of view, the most important building is the Parish Church of St Jacopo, located on an elevated spot overlooking the village.

Ghivizzano It was one of the most important army centres of the valley and was the centre of military operations for the powerful Castracani family. Every year Ghivizzano organises the gastronomic festival “Norcini a Castello”.

Fabbriche di Vallico Fabbriche di Vallico was settled during the medieval period. It takes its name from the blacksmiths who came from Lombardia (region in the north of Italy). The village has beautiful palaces with loggias and doorways dating from the sixteenth century. The most notable monument is the mule saddle bridge overlooked by the erstwhile customs house between the Duchy of Modena and the Republic of Lucca. From Fabbriche di Vallico it is easy to reach the Alto Matanna area, which is near to the ridge of the Apuano. You can complete some of the best excursions in the Apuane Alps from there, finishing at the mountains of Forato and Procinto.

Traditions Because of its centuries old isolation the Serchio valley has preserved many ancient traditions. The year is sprinkled according to

the seasonal changes with events that even though rooted in remote times, are still today well known to the population. The Christmas period, besides living cribs and the Befana (a kindly old witch who brigs children toys and sweets on Twelfth Night) sees the life of the villages and the church animated with holy plays, where stories from the holy scriptures are acted out with music and traditional songs. On Christmas Eve in the Upper Garfagnana great ritual bonfires of pagan origin (Natalecci) illuminate the valley landscape. Probably linked to traditions associated with ritual fires lit at the time of the solstice, the Natalecci are lit in the village church square, like at Camporgiano. There is also a bit of a contest between districts, such as occur at Gorfigliano as to who can light the best bonfires. The Nataleccio is a cylindrical construction (10 metres high) around which are woven a large quantity of juniper branches. During the ceremony the men light the flame and shout good wishes in celebration of the fire. Easter is traditionally celebrated with moments of great religious intensity with processions and portrayals of Christ’s Passion involving the inhabitants of the whole town. Another widespread summer event in Garfagnana is bowling the cheese. This game is very old – it is, in fact, documented in the 1400s – and emphasises the importance that sheep rearing had in the rural economy of the area. The dry cheeses, especially the Pecorino, of different weights and sizes are rolled along lanes of beaten earth. A cord is wound tightly around the outside edge of the cheese and run up by the player, to make it go faster. The one who makes the cheese go further without leaving the lane takes home the cheese put up as a prize. tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 27

micro tuscany | garfagnana Maggio singer.

military architecture in the whole of Tuscany. Originally medieval, the fort was reinforced with bastions during the reign of the Este family in the 16th Century. Recent work has restored the original beautiful raised grassed walking area, which has as its background the Apuane Alps. You will find the fortress in the Commune of San Romano from where it is clearly visible. The Pelliccioni Marrazini palace in the town centre hosts a museum section dedicated to the Fortress of Verrucole. The palace also hosts the centre for the documentation and enhancement of the traditional IGP (Protected Geographical Identity trademark) farro of the Garfagnana, as well as a small museum dedicated to oil produced from nuts. For information call: 0583 613181.

The village fortifications of Castiglione Garfagnana

The arrival of summer and the harvests is the period when the song of the Maggio comes back. It is a form of popular epic theatre that is extremely enchanting and ancient, now limited to this narrow area of the Apennines betweenTuscany and Emilia. Following themes of ancient epic poems or chivalrous deeds, local authors compose long texts in rhyme which tell of intricate deeds of the Turkish king and the Christian king, the paladins from France, the Moors, of Ulysses and theTrojan warriors and a thousand other stories that have the struggle between good and evil as a common theme.The Maggios are recited in the open air, in the shade of centuries-old chestnut trees or in the courtyards of farmhouses.The actors, in costumes they have made themselves, sing the verses accompanied by a musical motif played by a violin and an accordion.The shows, about 50 each year concentrated in the months of June, July and August, attract large audiences who actively take part, with tears or expressions of joy as the deeds on stage unwind.

28 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

Taking the bear to Modeno When during the 1400s, the communities of the Garfagnana area placed themselves under the protection of the Estenses, they received as a sign of recognition, exemptions from taxes and privileges. For example, the inhabitants of the community of Soraggio, a little village of mostly shepherds, got a concession to allow their flocks to graze in several pastures, ducal fields on the Modena side. The only condition was that each year, for Christmas, they had the task of taking a live bear to Modena as a present for the Duke to enrich his menagerie. It is easy to imagine how the capture of this not exactly docile animal and its transport along tortuous footpaths especially in the winter was not an easy task. It all became more and more difficult, too, with the gradual extinction of the bears. The inhabitants of the Soraggio valley didn’t miss pointing out the impossibility of keeping their word despite their pledge. Thus the burden, sanctioned in a notarial deed of the 27th June 1451, was substituted with a less difficult one; to take a wild boar, or more simply, a fat domestic pig to the Duke. From then on, to express the difficulty of carrying out a task of great responsibility, but with complicated solution, the expression: ‘It’s like taking a bear to Modena’ became widespread.

Fortresses The Verrucole Fortress Originally composed of two strongholds the fort is one of the most representative of

One foot in history and one in the present: this is what you will find when you enter the circular walls of Castiglione Garfagnana. Nearly a kilometre of walls, in the main part restored, enclose the lively and spirited village. The stronghold of the 8th Century (the Castrum Leonis), the medieval church of Saint Michael and a little outside the village the extraordinary medieval bridge over the river Esarulo are not to be missed.

The Montalfonso Fortress Constructed during the 16th Century for the Duke Alfonso II of Este, this is a large fortified complex endowed with seven asymmetrical bulwarks. Each one has a different view of the Garfagnana, of the Apuane Alps and of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. Of particular interest is the main entry which has one of the original sentry boxes and the coat of arms of the Este family. The fortress is reached by the pathway of Ariosto which starts in Via Azzi at Castelnuovo Garfagnana. Within the walls are several administrative offices and a restaurant.

The Tower at Sillico The town of Sillico is rich in ancient edifices, amongst which are important Renaissance palaces, revealing signs of old medieval fortifications. At the top of the village stands the tower with its four-cornered plan, testimony to its strategic role, resulting from the exceptional panoramic position. Sillico has a permanent exhibit at the Carli Palace and it is the departure and arrival point of the Pathway of the Moro. During July and August the village holds a Renaissance festival.

The Stronghold at Trassilico Situated on a summit that dominates the village, the stronghold was the site of fortifications since the 12th Century. The

stronghold had an important role in presiding over the town limits during the domination of the Este family. The strategic position of the stronghold provides a particularly interesting panorama of the Serchio Valley and the Apuane Alps.

The Lucchio Castle The mountain rocks, the stone of the medieval village and of the fortifications combine to create an environment distinctly medieval and have rendered Lucchio one of the most scenic villages in Tuscany. Renowned for its narrow streets, today almost uninhabited, you arrive at the ruined castle whose origins are lost in history and legend. There is a breathtaking panorama in Val di Lima. At one time there was a windmill in the village.

Churces, hermitages, sanctuaries Hermitage of Calomini This architecturally delightful complex, dating from the 11th Century, is set into the base of an imposing sheer cliff. Over the centuries there have been many extensions of the original, particularly in the 18th Century, when the community of monks greatly increased in number. In 1914 the hermitage passed to the Cappucin monks of Lucca, who manage it to this day together with an herbalist shop. The main church is richly decorated in 18th Century

Hermitage of Calomini.

style, while the older part comprising the sacresty, the kitchen, and the old monks’ cells, are excavated into the rock. For information: 0039 0583 767003.

The Sanctuary of San Pellegrino in Alpe The church and inn of San Pellegrino (pilgrim), the existence of which is recorded around 1100, has always welcomed travellers passing through this important

Apennine valley. According to legend, San Pellegrino was the son of the King of Scotland in Roman times, who, returning from the Holy Land, retired to live in the area, where he died, after performing many wonders, at the incredible age (for the times) of 97. The truth seems to be that the travelers inn might have been called San Pellegrino d’Auxerre, after French bishop, who gave his name to many such institutions in the Middle Ages. The relics of the Saint housed in the sanctuary are first mentioned at the beginning of the 18th Century. You can also find here the Don L Pellegrini Ethnographic Museum which holds and extremely important collection of material cataloguing the everyday crafts, country and rural life of the region which was in danger of disappearing from history. San Pellegrino in Alpe is reached from Pieve Fosciana either directly by the Chiozza road or the Castiglione road via the Passo delle Radici.

Pieve di Santa Maria di Loppia This building is almost 1,000 years old with three naves and a semicircular apse. The lower part of the facade has a series of blind arches which are repeated at the end of the apse. The three storey high 15th Century bell tower, superimposed with twin mullioned windows, rises to the left of the building. In addition to the gilded and

Verrucole Fortress.

sculpted altar dating from the 17th Century, the church has preserved some 17th Century canvasses. It is one of the most evocative and charming places in the middle Serchio valley. The Pieve at Loppia is on the road which rises from Fornaci di Barga up to Barga.

The Parks The Apuan Alps The natural beauty of the Garfagnana region has been preserved by the designation of two national parks. The first includes the whole Apuan range, in a vast area of more than 540 square km. The Apuan Alps have a typical alpine profile due to geological events millions of years ago. They run parallel to the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Apennines. The Apuan range’s geology consists of metamorphosed rocks, containing almost pure calcification, used in marble statuary. It is a paradise of for botanists, for cavers, mountaineers and walkers and is characterised by a massif meriting the name of Alp, because of its impressiveness and its rocky outlines.

Orecchiella Park Three nature reserves make up the heart of the Orecchiella Park on the Apennine slopes, an area of about 52 square km rising from 1,200m up to the 2,054m of Mount Prado and inhabited by rare species that have completely disappeared in other areas. The territory represents a good example of environmental recovery of a greatly degraded area; excessive tree felling, fires, together with over-grazing caused serious environmental damage. In the 1960s the State Forest Company began the project to protect the territory without hindering the human activities which were considered necessary to the life of local people. The naturalistic museum at the visitor centre takes you on a journey through the life of the park. Walking along the park’s many pathways you will pass through oak and chestnut woods at lower altitudes, while higher up you will come to beech woods. Higher still and you’ll find blueberry patches and mountain meadowlands. The park is home to deer, roe, wild boar, mouflons, foxes, martens and if you are particularly lucky and patient, even marmots. Wolves live here too, however, it is not easy to see them. Eagles have always lived in the Orecchiella mountains together with the royal owl, the kingfisher, the woodcock, kestral and many others. Over 130 different species of birds have been registered. The centre’s animal enclosures house deer, mouflons, roes, black grouse and brown bears.

The lakes The remarkable abundance of water in the tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 29

micro tuscany | garfagnana Campocatino.

entire valley has always been exploited to produce energy. At one time the water fed mills and factories. In the first half of the 19th Century a series of dams were constructed which created many lakes. The landscape was enriched with new sheets of water, which created new ecosystems and new opportunities for water sports. In some cases like in Vagli, the periodic emptying of the hydroelectric basin reveals ancient settlements hidden under the water.

Orrido di Botri The numerous watercourses which descend

from the Apennines of Tuscany- Emilia and from the Apuan Alps have occasionally produced remarkable incisions which find their major expression in the Botri ravine, one of the principal Italian canyons. It is made of a sharp and imposing limestone gulley with steep sides which nearly touch at the peak. The ravine is located in an Apennine landscape that is craggy, filled with beech trees, and dominated by the summit of mount Rondinaio and of the Tre Potenze which are nearly 2000m high. The visit requires specific equipment and an expert guide. The entrance to the ravine is in Ponte a Gaio reached from Tereglio (in the province which connects Bagni di Lucca and Calavorno). For information: 0039 0583 800022 or www.apians.com

Garfagnana’s larder The traditional Garfagnana cuisine is simple both in the ingredients and in the preparation. With cereals (farro, corn and then maize) it is based particularly on chestnuts, pork, the trout to be found in the mountain torrents and dairy produce. This substantial simplicity can still be found today in many dishes of genuine taste and antique flavours that bring out the best of the local agricultural produce. Farro: An ancient grain, used by the Romans, Egyptians and Babylonians. Grown in poor soil at mid-to-high altitude. It is used in many ways together with other legumes (farro soup), in pies and as a salad. Maize: The ancient variety of ‘eight rows’ maize is grown in the most fertile fields and

30 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

is called formentone. It is a variety of corn used to obtain soft and aromatic flour to prepare polenta. Chestnuts: In autumn the fruits of the chestnut trees are picked up, dried on a slow fire in a metati then ground into flour. Bread: Garfagnana bread was traditionally baked only once a week, usually on Sundays. The addition of potatoes in the mixture is used to give it softness and to preserve it. Cheese: The flocks of sheep graze grass of the mountain meadow-lands to produce a high-quality milk used in the production of the fine and sought-after pecorino cheese. Honey: Apiculture is also widespread in Garfagnana, thanks to the clarity of the air and to plentiful blossoms. From spring to autumn tireless bees produce some of the best honeys in Europe; the clear acacia honey, the fragrant multi-flower honey and the pungent chestnut honey. Cold Meats: In Garfagnana the pig is considered an essential animal for the nourishment and gastronomic tradition. The preparation of its meats is like a ritual in which all the family takes part. The most traditional salumi are biroldo (made of fat, blood, and meat from the head), mondiola (a sort of salami) and lardo (a sort of bacon fat). Beans: For many years on the banks of the Serchio river farmers cultivated legumes in the so-called fagiolaie. These legumes were the base of the farmers’ nourishment. In the traditional cuisine you can find beans and lentils together with cereals and pork.

Garfagnana Golf.

Trout: Since time immemorial, the trout has been caught in the fresh and clear streams in Garfagnana. It is preserved following a special system called marinata. Fruit: In the woods, bushes and moors of the high mountains, you can find a lot of colourful and fragrant fruits such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and gooseberries. These fruits are transformed into sweet pies, jams and syrups so in late winter you can remember the smell of the last hot summer.

Activities Hiking A dense network of signed footpaths extend over both mountain ranges making excursions of different lengths, ranging from a few hours to several days, possible. The Garfganana Trekking, created by Comunita Montana, is a nine-day loop starting from Castelnuovo and reaching the most important summits of the two mountain ranges. A network of ‘way outs’ join the route to the bottom of the valley allowing the tour to be shortened, tailoring it to the needs of the visitor.

Horse Trekking It is possible to ride along the whole length of the valley along a series of tracks, the socalled Garfagnana Bridleways, stopping at suitably equipped points. A lot of the agriturismos in the are are equipped to take care of horses as well as their riders. Others

have riding schools and organise guided excursions of one or more days.

Mountain Bike The Garfagnana valley is also an ideal area to explore by mountain bike, especially at the lower altitudes. In fact, a whole series of mule tracks allow you to pass through the various villages from where you can get to the valley bottom in order to reach the Lucca-Aulla railway line. On this line, you can take advantage of the bike transport service. Some agriturismos hire mountain bikes on site.

Ski-ing Garfagnana also has a lot to offer skiers with ski resorts at Casone di Profecchia, Passo delle Radici and Passo della Formica.

Other activities For golf lovers, Pieve Fosciana boasts a beautiful 6-hole course with a covered driving range and putting green. Website: garfagnanagolf.com. Canoeists can paddle around the lakes of Vaglia, Garmaolazzo and Pontecosi to name just a few. Fishing enthusiasts can choose from a large number of torrents as well as the Serchio river and the fishing lakes of Gallicano. Swimming pools, tennis courts and athletic tracks can also be found throughout the region.

Tourist Attractions Selva del Buffardello Adventure Park, San Romano, www.selvadelbuffardello.it.

Grotto del Vento, Fornovolasco – Vergemoli www.grottadelvento.com. This is the most complete cave complex open to the public in Europe. The origin of its name, meaning the windy cave, is self-evident: the cave takes its name from the strong air currents that flow through it caused by the difference between the outside and inside temperatures (there is a constant inside temperature of +10.7 °C). Antro del Corchia, Levigliani di Stazzema. www.antrocorchia.it Although exploration of the cave, the third deepest in Italy, began in the 1800s, it was only in 2001 that the public at large was able to admire the majestic columns of stalactites and stalagmites, the shields, hardpans and also the underwater formations such as the ‘cave pearls’.

Botanical Gardens Pania di Corfino

INFO POINTS Museums Museum of the Liguri Apuani, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana. Tel: 0583 644801. Ethnographic Museum Don Pellegrini, San Pellegrino in Alpe. Tel: 0583 649072 Museum of Rennasisance Ceramics, Camporgiano. Tel: 0583 618888 Botanic Gardens Pania di Corfino, Parco Orecchiella. Tel: 0583 644911 Centro Visitatori e Museo Naturalistico, Parco Orecchiella. Tel: 0583 61909

Situated at the base of the majestic walls of the Pania of Corfino, the botanical gardens are home to the most significant botanical species in the Orecchiella Park. For more information tel: 058364491 Ecomuseo dell’Alta Garfagnana, Minucciano. Collection of old agricultural and everyday equipment and utensils recording the rural life of the region

Tourist Office

The Gothic Line

Restaurants

From 1943 to 1944 the commandants of the German army made a defensive line from the Adriatic to the Tirreno as the last phase of the North Italy invasion. This crossed the Serchio valley and caused great suffering for the local inhabitants. The US Army’s 92nd Infantry Division (Buffalo Soldiers) were installed here and their story was highlighted in Spike Lee’s 2008 film, Miracle at St Anna. At Sesto and Borgo a Mozzano there are well preserved bunkers, antitank traps, communication trenches that are part of the Gothic Line. For guided walks along the Gothic Line contact Comitato Linea Gotica - proloco Borgo a Mozzano. Tel: 0583 888881, 9.30-12.30 / 3-5pm. Email: proloco@borgoamozzano.org

Osteria ‘Vecchio Mulino’, Castelnuovo A small Osteria and food shop. Part of the Italian Slow Food scheme. Tel: 0583 62192. Website: www.ilvecchiomulino.com

What to buy It is possible to buy typical farm produce, farro, chestnuts and honey in the small shops or directly from the farmers. Jams, dressed pork products, cheeses and Ricotta are still made with traditional family care. Local handcrafts include woven items such as bedcovers and carpets in typical patterns.

The Markets Are held in the various centres of the Garfagnana valley. The most important is certainly that of Castelnuovo held every Thursday morning. There is also Piazza al Serchio (Tuesday), Gallicano (Wednesday) amd Pieve Fosciana (Saturday)

Tourist Information Office, Centro Visite Parco Alpu Apuane Piazza delle Erbe 1, Castelnuovo Garfagnana. Tel: 0583 65169/0583 644242. Website: www.turismo.garfagnana.eu and www.pontineltempo.it

Il Pozzo, Pieve Foscianna Typical local dishes. Also part of the Italian Slow Food scheme. 0583 666380 Scacciaguai, Barga SophisticatedTuscan food. Tel: 0583 711368 Il Molin del Sassone, Fornaci di Barga Traditional Garfagnana cuisine. Tel: 0583 706038 Eliseo, Gallicano Traditional Garfagnana cuisine. Tel: 0583 74031.Website: www.eliseo.info Accommodation There is a wide variety of places to stay in Garfagnana. From agriturismos, apartments to mountain hostels. For more information visit: www.ingarfagnana.com

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living legends | silk production

The silk queen In an attic in Segromigno Piano, a sleepy rural village near Lucca, Stefania Maffei, is breathing life back into the city’s obsolete silk tradition.

ilk was once Lucca’s most precious export; at one time there were 11 factories weaving the luxury fibre supplied by an army of peasant farmers that patiently raised the demanding silkworms to the point at which they could sell their cocoons to a factory agent. During the Dark Ages the city shone brightly as the leading centre of European silk production. The trade in this exotic and luxurious textile continued unabated until the 20th Century when the wounds of WWII and cheap Chinese imports brought this ancient industry to a sudden end. No longer a profitable ‘crop’ the silk worms were discarded; the mulberry trees (their only source of food) destroyed to make way for more modern cultivation and with that, centuries worth of knowledge passed down from generation to generation was lost for ever. Well, almost forever. Thankfully Stefania Meffei has made the research and preservation of silkworm production a personal mission. But the art of silkworm husbandry is not easy, particularly when there are so few records. “I had to learn everything from scratch,” says Stefania. “All the

34 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

BREEDING SILKWORMS AND SELLING THEIR COCOONS BROUGHT THE PEASANTS INTO THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM IN WHICH THEY COULD BECOME CONSUMERS OF PRODUCTS, THUS HELPING TO GROW THE ECONOMY.

people who knew about silkworms had passed away, so I started my research at the National Archives in Lucca and also on the internet.” Luckily the web turned up an old Italian manual for silkworm production, and also a care centre in the south of Italy that was still breeding silkworms and harvesting the silk as a form of therapy for the physically handicapped and a prisoner rehabilitation programme. Armed with these two sources of information Steffania purchased her first stock of silkworm eggs and, with a lot of trial and error, produced a record harvest of silk last year weighing in at 5kg. Not exactly a boastful amount, but it was the culmination of a staggering amount of work and dedication. “Last summer I worked very hard,” she admits. “Twice, every day, from March to July I had to go out to pick the mulberry leaves to feed the silkworms. Unfortunately, it rained almost every day and because you can’t feed them wet leaves each leaf had to be dried. I began by picking 10 leaves for each feed, but ended up bringing back half a tree’s worth when they were close to their final phase of development.” The commercial value for silk does not make this a financially rewarding pastime. One kilogram of finished silk is only worth about €100. But it’s not about money, says Steffania. “I make it for me. My grandmother, and my husband’s grandmother both bred the moths in their homes and they told us stories about looking after them and how they could hear the silkworms at night munching

away on their precious mulberry leaves. “I always had a curiosity about these little creatures, but at last three years ago I was able to try it for myself. This was not easy, for example, I didn’t even know what a mulberry tree was, or where I could find one. Before the war many families in my village would have five or six mulberry trees somewhere on their land to feed their silkworms. They are mostly gone now, but luckily I found a local farmer who still had some ancient trees growing in his field and he agreed for me to take the leaves.” Silk production was the first opportunity in which the peasant farmers in the region could earn money. Although self-sufficient in terms of food grown on their land, there was no income to allow them to buy items such as clothes. Breeding silkworms and selling their cocoons brought the peasants into the economic system in which they could become consumers of products, thus helping to grow the economy. Looking after the needs of the silkworms was the job of the children in the family. The father would then either sell the cocoons to a visiting agent, or take them to the silk market in Lucca to have them valued, then an offer would be made from the buying agents working on behalf of the factory owners. When researching silk production in the National Archives in Lucca, Stefania discovered a handwritten document, dated 1640, which recorded the names of each farmer as they arrived at Porta Santa Maria for the silk market. It also recorded the total weight of their consignment and the amount of tax they paid in order to enter the city and sell their cocoons. The main selling took place on Via del Filatore, which sadly no longer exists, but Stefania acquired a black and

living legends | silk production Stoving the chrysalis The natural course would be for the chrysalis to break through the protective cocoon and emerge as a moth. However, sericulturists normally destroy the chrysalis so that it does not break the silk filament. This is done by stoving, or stifling, the chrysalis with heat. Steffania finds this aspect of the silk extraction intolerable, and in her view, unnecessary. “Yes, the filament is broken, but I don’t think it is terribly hard to find the other end. I began by stoving the cocoons, but now I can’t face doing this. I get quite attached to these peaceful creatures. You can’t help it, after spending so much time caring for them. So I have decided that I will allow the moths to emerge naturally, not kill them in their cocoons.” However, the moths will not survive long out of their protective home. Centuries of selective breeding have rendered it incapable of feeding at moth stage.

The Filature white photograph dated 1935 which illustrates just how busy the market was in Lucca, before that is, the onset of WWII that decimated the industry. Raising silkworms is a labour of love and requires great patience. “You have to love them otherwise you cannot do it,” says Stefania. “I get quite attached to them. They are so quiet and tranquil, and very beautiful when the make their cocoons. It is wonderful to watch their metamorphosis. They change colour and become almost transparent so you can see the silk inside their little bodies. They are truly amazing creatures.” Stefania Maffei - stefania.seta@yahoo.it

Making silk MY GRANDMOTHER, AND MY HUSBAND’S GRANDMOTHER BOTH BRED THE MOTHS IN THEIR HOMES AND THEY TOLD US STORIES ABOUT LOOKING AFTER THEM AND HOW THEY COULD HEAR THE SILKWORMS AT NIGHT MUNCHING AWAY ON THEIR PRECIOUS MULBERRY LEAVES.

Only the healthiest moths are selected for breeding. Their eggs are categorized, graded, and meticulously tested for infection. Once the eggs are incubated, they usually hatch within seven days emerging at just 3.2mm in length and must be pampered in a carefully controlled environment. Under normal conditions, the eggs would hatch once a year in the spring when mulberry trees begin to leaf. But with the intervention of sericulturists, breeding can occur as many as three times per year.

Feeding the larva The mulberry leaves are finely chopped and fed to the voracious silkworms every few hours for 20 to 35 days. During this period the worms increase in size to about 8.9cm. They also shed their skin, or molt, four times and change colour from gray to a translucent pinkish colour.

Spinning the cocoon When the silkworm starts to fidget and toss its head back and forth, it is preparing to spin its cocoon. The caterpillar attaches itself to either a twig or rack for support. As the worm twists its head, it spins a double strand of fiber in a figure-eight pattern and constructs a symmetrical wall around itself. The filament is secreted from each of two glands called the spinneret located under the jaws of the silkworm. The insoluble protein-like fibre is called fibroin. The fibroin is held together by sericin, a soluble gum secreted by the worm, which hardens as soon as it is exposed to air. The result is the raw silk fiber, called the bave. The caterpillar spins a cocoon encasing itself completely. It can then safely transform into the chrysalis, which is the pupa stage.

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Sorting and softening the cocoons The filature is the system in which the cocoons are processed into silk thread. In the filature the cocoons are sorted by various characteristics, including colour and size, so that the finished product can be of uniform quality. The cocoons must then be soaked in hot water to loosen the sericin. Although the silk is about 20% sericin, only 1% is removed at this stage. This way the gum allows the following stage in which the filaments are combined to form silk thread, or yarn.

Reeling the filament Reeling may be achieved manually or automatically. The cocoon is brushed to locate the end of the fiber. It is threaded through a porcelain eyelet, and the fiber is reeled onto a wheel. Meanwhile, diligent operators check for flaws in the filaments as they are being reeled. As each filament is nearly finished being reeled, a new fiber is twisted onto it, thereby forming one long, continuous thread. Sericin contributes to the adhesion of the fibers to each other. The end product, the raw silk filaments, are reeled into skeins. These skeins are packaged into bundles called books. Steffania’s husband Stefano made their own reeling machine - using amongst other things an old bicycle wheel – by interpreting the designs of machines that appeared in old prints and diagrams. However, it isn’t motorised which means the process needs two people to work it, which limits the amount of time Stefani can use it. “I would really love to find someone who had an automatic machine that they no longer needed, then I could really increase the amount of filament I reeled.” Although Stefania has no desire to become rich, she would love to be able to process a steady supply to then spin into yarn and make her own silk products. “At the moment all the silk from last year’s production is still in the bags I packed them into. Unfortunately, I don’t have a machine to spin the filament into yarn, which I need to do in order to make the textile. Again, I would love to find someone who could help me find such a machine, called a molino della seta.

Forming silk yarn Silk thread, also called yarn, is formed by throwing, or twisting, the reeled silk. First the skeins of raw silk are categorized by colour, size, and quantity. Next they are

soaked in warm water mixed with oil or soap to soften the sericin. The silk is then dried. As the silk filaments are reeled onto bobbins, they are twisted in a particular manner to achieve a certain texture of yarn. For instance, ‘singles’ consist of several filaments which are twisted together in one direction. They are turned tightly for sheer fabrics and loosely for thicker fabrics. Combinations of singles and untwisted fibres may be twisted together in certain patterns to achieve desired textures of fabrics such as crepe de chine, voile, or tram. Fibres may also be manufactured in different patterns for use in the nap of fabrics, for the outside, or for the inside of the fabric. The silk yarn is put through rollers to make the width more uniform.

Degumming thrown yarn To achieve the distinctive softness and sheen of silk, the remaining sericin must be removed from the yarn by soaking it in warm soapy water. Stefania has had to make her own soap from olive oil and soda crystals to ensure the gentlest of cleaning and therefore prevent weakening of the fibre. Degumming decreases the weight of the yarn by as much as 25%.

Finishing silk fabrics After degumming, the silk yarn is a creamy white colour. It may next be dyed as yarn, or after the yarn has been woven into fabric. The silk industry makes a distinction between pure-dye silk and what is called weighted silk. In the pure-dye process, the silk is coloured with dye, and may be finished with watersoluble substances such as starch, glue, sugar, or gelatin. To produce weighted silk, metallic substances are added to the fabric during the dying process. This is done to increase the weight lost during degumming and to add body to the fabric. If weighting is not executed properly, it can decrease the longevity of the fabric, so pure-dye silk is considered the superior product. After dyeing, silk fabric may be finished by additional processes, such as bleaching, embossing, steaming, or stiffening.

Spun Silk Not all of the silk filament is usable for reeled silk. The leftover silk may include the brushed ends or broken cocoons. This shorter staple silk may be used for spinning silk in a manner of fabrics like cotton and linen. The quality of spun silk is slightly inferior to reeled silk in that it is a bit weaker and it tends to become fuzzy, like cotton wool. The waste material from the spun silk can also be used for making ‘waste silk’ or ‘silk noil.’This coarse material is commonly used for draperies and upholstery.

The Future Sericulture is an ancient science, and the modern age has not brought great changes to silk manufacture. Rather, man-made fibres such as polyester, nylon, and acetate have replaced silk in many instances. But many of the qualities of silk cannot be reproduced. For example, silk is stronger than an equivalent strand of steel. Some recent research has focused on the molecular structure of silk as it emerges from the silkworm, in order to better understand how new, stronger artificial fibres might be constructed. Silk spun by the silkworm starts out as a liquid secretion. The liquid passes through a brief interim state with a semi-ordered molecular structure known as ‘nematic liquid crystal’, before it solidifies into a fibre. Scientists have been able to manufacture durable fibres using liquid crystal source material, but only at high temperatures or under extreme pressure. Researchers are continuing to study the silkworm to determine how liquid crystal is transformed into fibre at ordinary temperatures and pressures. TU tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 37

artist | proﬁle Sculptor Eugenio Riotto’s smooth and sensual interpretations of the human form are filled with energy, and a spiritual intensity that reflect the Sicilian-born artist’s approach to life and his art.

he dominant theme is love; a kiss between a man and a woman or an embrace between a child and its mother or father. Riotto’s sculptures invite us into the heart of all things to reveal a tender loving spirit.

Artist: Eugenio Riotto Medium: Sculpture Studio: Pietrasanta, Versilia Website: www.eugenioriotto.it

Q&As

The heart of things

Q: Why are you an artist, and when did you first become one? Eugenio: An artist is born; it is not something you can become. Q: What famous artists have influenced you, and how? Eugenio: I admire many artists, but I always try to speak about myself, my thoughts and my emotions. Q: What inspires you to create art? Eugenio: Let’s say that I am making a very personal journey which I express through my art. Q: What approach do you take with your subject? Eugenio: I am interested in the psychology of the human begin, his fears, anxieties, values and feelings. Q: How do you know when each art work is finished?

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Eugenio: When it starts giving me an emotion. Q: What do you enjoy the most about being an artist? Eugenio: Being an artist means living in harmony with your time and with the others, this is important to me. Q: Could you talk about your latest series of work and what you are trying to achieve with them? Eugenio: There are no first or latest works, because they are not ‘work’ for me but ‘art works’. Each one of them is transmitting an emotion. Q: Why is art important? Eugenio: For me, art is a need; as necessary as eating, drinking, breathing, making love and sleeping. Q: So what do you think makes a piece of art endure over long periods of time, generations, or even hundreds of years? Eugenio: No art work is eternal or absolute. Its fascination depends on the time in which it is viewed, and on the thoughts of the people viewing it. Each art work tells its real story which may become universal. Q: What other interests do you have outside of creating art? Eugenio: I love life and everything representing it; I respect death as well because it makes me appreciate the importance of life.

intro |

FOOD & DRINK

WINE | VINEYARDS | RECIPES | SEASONAL INGREDIENTS | FOOD HEROES

VITAL INGREDIENT Page 40

FLAVOURS OF THE MONTH Page 44

VINTAGE KNOWLEDGE Page 51

Tuscan food is often referred to as ‘slow food.’That is to say it is produced, cooked and eaten slowly in contrast to the mass produced fast food that makes up such a large part of the modern diet. It preserves local culinary traditions that have been developed in Tuscany over centuries. Our food and wine pages are bursting with authentic, seasonal Tuscan recipes to help you recreate those Tuscan flavours at home with features on some of the region’s most special ingredients.

GLASS BY GLASS Discover an organic Chianti Classico with a long history. Page 48

tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 39

vital ingredient | farro

FOREVER EMMER 40 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

Each July, the mediaeval villages of Petrognola and Sant’Anastasio prepare a great feast and invite the public to the Contee del Farro, a festival celebrating the farro harvest, its territory and traditions. It was at this festival three years ago that gastronomic tour organiser, Heather Jarman, first encountered local food hero Paolo Magazzini…

Paolo the farro champion aolo is so local that it’s easy to miss the hero. As far as he knows, his family has always lived at Petrognola, high up in the mountains of the Garfagnana in the northwestern corner of Tuscany. Like many of his neighbours, he’s a farmer, as was his father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He has a small herd of beef cattle, which are slaughtered within 30 km of his farm and sold directly to the public without any middlemen. He also bakes potato bread, with his own potatoes, in the old village wood-ﬁred bakery and sells it throughout

the Garfagnana. His wife runs the village shop and bar, the latter more as a social service than a business. Of medium height, dark hair and solid build, he could be mistaken for any of his farming neighbours. He seems a bit shy and reticent, but from his open face and clear eyes shines a passion for his way of life close to the land and the special wheat he cultivates.

Great-grandpa Farro As you sit eating your morning toast or munching a prosciutto panino, you probably don’t realize that the wheat from tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 41

vital ingredient | farro

FAIR DAYS AND FARRO DAYS At the Contee del Farro (12 and 13 July), in courtyards wreathed with vine leaves punctuated with sheaves of emmer, guests will find the old standbys of minestra di farro (a hearty soup of emmer in a red bean purée — borlotti or similar) and torta salata (a delicious savoury tart filled with a mixture of ricotta, eggs and emmer) plus the more recent invention of insalata di farro (cold boiled farro mixed with seasonal vegetables and dressed with Lucca olive oil). All beer lovers should attend for the superb birra di farro (emmer beer), produced by Paolo’s neighbour, Roberto Gianarrelli and every bit as good as the best German and Belgian wheat beers. Emmer is usually prepared as a whole grain, but some of the production is stone-ground and the lowgluten flour, mixed with ordinary flour, can be used for pasta, bread and biscuits.

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which your bread is made has a long and complicated family history. Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) may be the reigning king and macaroni wheat (Triticum durum) the queen, but still alive and well are some aged aunts and uncles and some even more ancient great-grandparents. One particularly distinguished greatgrandparent is Triticum dicoccum, known more familiarly as emmer or farro. Confusingly, a genetically distinct relation Triticum spelta is also nicknamed farro or spelt. Paolo Magazzini grows emmer, not spelt. This is the only type of farro grown in the Garfagnana. It arrived in Italy in Neolithic times, about 7,000 years ago. Much later it was widely grown by the Romans, along with its offspring spelt. At some point its great-grandson bread wheat, with many agronomic and culinary advantages, elbowed its ancestor out of the way, and until just a few years ago, it could only be found hiding out in the Garfagnana. The shallow rocky soil of Paolo’s farm on the lower slopes of the Appennine mountains suits emmer perfectly. In late June a field of golden ripe emmer is a beautiful sight, standing tall with the bristly ears shimmering against the distant blue-green chestnut-cloaked peaks. An undemanding crop, emmer is resistant to the diseases that afflict its modern relations and needs no more fertiliser than the manure produced by Paolo’s small herd of Garfagnina beef cattle. The cattle benefit in turn from feeding on the lucerne (known as alfalfa in the US) that Paolo rotates with the emmer in a three-year cycle, a practice which also enriches the soil with nitrogen. In fact, a dose of chemical fertiliser would make the emmer grow too tall and more liable to fall flat on its face in early summer electric storms. The grains would remain small and

IT’S ONE OF PAOLO’S HEROIC QUALITIES THAT HE DOESN’T SEE ANY OF EMMER’S PRIMITIVE TRAITS AS PROBLEMS. LIKE AN OLD FRIEND, ITS ECCENTRICITIES ENDEAR IT TO HIM skinny, and an already low yield would be further reduced.

Ear Bashing One defect of this ancient wheat is its semi-brittle ears that tend to shatter into bits and fall on the ground during the harvest. A brittle ear was beneﬁcial to the wild plant that scattered its own seeds, but farmers got more food from those mutants that had less brittle ears. Bread and durum wheat evolved two characteristics that won them ﬁrst place in early farmers’ hearts: they developed ears

that don’t break up at harvest, and when threshed, their grains slip cleanly out of the inedible hulls. It’s much more diﬃcult to extract a grain of emmer from its tightly enclosing hulls. Every farm needed a special grindstone, but nowadays an enormous specially adapted rice-polishing machine is used in a process called ‘brillatura’. It leaves the bran and germ intact, and the uninitiated might mistake the polished grains for pearl barley. Paolo looks surprised when I ask why he continues to grow a crop that modern

AN UNDEMANDING CROP, EMMER IS RESISTANT TO THE DISEASES THAT AFFLICT ITS MODERN RELATIONS

TRIED & TASTED Zuppa di Farro di Nonna Lucia (Grandmother Lucia’s Farro Soup)

Ingredients l 1 kg borlotti beans, soaked for 12 hours l 100 g lardo (pork back fat) from Garfagnana, sliced very thinly l 100 g soffritto (finely chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic) rosemary (a few sprigs) sage (a few sprigs) l 200 g rossi di Lucca beans (or borlotti), soaked for 12 hours l 1 kg farro from Garfagnana (or use spelt and soak for 12 hours before cooking) l extra virgin olive oil l salt, pepper

Method

Web Bites Contee del Farro: www.pesaco.org (Italian) Farro Beer: www.lapetrognolo.com (Italian) Produce Wholesaler: www.delcolle.com (Italian) farmers in the rest of the world would sneer at. It’s one of Paolo’s heroic qualities that he doesn’t see any of emmer’s primitive traits as problems. Like an old friend, its eccentricities endear it to him, and he picks out its good characteristics and seeks ways to enhance them in a modern world.

Choosing Quality Over Quantity He helped to secure its IGP status from the EU in 1996, which guarantees quality by stipulating where and how it’s grown, and

which more than doubled its market price. So although the ready-to-eat yield is only about 15 quintals per hectare (1 quintal equals 100 kg) compared to 40 for bread wheat, his income is 30% higher than he would earn from the same number of hectares of bread wheat. IGP accreditation costs a bit, but he can’t help gloating that he doesn’t have any of the expensive inputs required by bread wheat: commercial seed, chemical fertiliser and pesticides. Paolo’s own enthusiasm for emmer has been fortiﬁed by his recent partnership

with the consortium, Del Colle, a wholesaler and exporter of cereals, legumes and spices. Its aims are expressed by its strapline: ‘La Tradizione in Cucina’ (‘Tradition in Cooking’). Ten IGP emmer farmers sell their cereal to the consortium. Paolo cleans the grains in the brillatura machine and delivers it to the warehouse in Guamo on the Lucca plain, which packages and distributes it. Paolo envisages a bright future for emmer. Since the 1990s emmer has spread to other parts of Tuscany, to Umbria, the Marche, Molise and Lazio, and in a brand new initiative, to Emilia Romagna. As to Paolo, his main satisfaction comes from working the land to produce a living. In his lifetime he assisted the introduction of mechanisation and the transformation of emmer into a modern crop. He remembers a simpler life with fewer material possessions. Now he needs more things, but he has more money, and underpinning everything is the land. A measure of Paolo’s contentment with his own life and trust in his old friend emmer is his dream that his two teenage sons will carry on as he does. His older son is applying to study agronomy at university, so he has good reason to believe his dream will come true. TU

Boil the soaked borlotti beans in ample water, adding a little salt toward the end. When they are soft, purée them with a passatutto (food mill) and set aside. Heat some olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the lardo and sauté it until the fat runs. Add the rosemary, sage and soffritto and sauté for about 5 minutes until it starts to take colour. Add the whole, soaked red beans of Lucca and cook for about 10 minutes.The beans form a crust on the outside while remaining soft inside. Add the borlotti bean purée and enough water to make a thin soup. Bring it to a boil. As soon as it comes to a boil, remove it from the burner and add the farro. Leave it to rest for 30 minutes. Put it back on the burner, bring to a boil and simmer for 20–25 minutes until the farro is cooked. Remove the rosemary and sage sprigs. Serve in a large soup plate with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Recipe: Stefano Brandani, La Taverna dei Birbanti, Crasciana, Lucca Tel: 0583 85465 Hours: June–September: every day, 11am–3pm & 6pm–midnight October–May: Thursday–Saturday, 11am–3pm & 6pm–midnight Menu: TypicalTuscan cuisine, pizza in a wood-fired oven, excellent wine cellar.

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recipes | cook tuscany

FLAVOURS OF THE MONTH:

July

44 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

Tuscan cuisine is all about using fresh, local ingredients to create simple, yet delicious dishes. To help you cook up your own flavours of Tuscany we’ll be inviting guest food writers to share a few of their favourite recipes based on seasonal Tuscan food items. This month the delectable Tessa Kiros, author of Twelve, A Tuscan Cookbook and resident of Siena, delights in July’s bountiful fruit and vegetable harvests. By:Tessa Kiros Photographs: Manos Chatzikonstantis

here are plums, nectarines, melons, peaches and tomatoes bursting out everywhere. And green, unripe walnuts — some of which will end up in the wonderful liqueur Nocino. There are chillies, onions and celery to form the beginning of many dishes. Not unnoticed are the bright, mixed summer berries and the unbearably tempting smells of other people’s barbecues, mingling with July heat and checked tablecloths. On the weekends the cities are empty and the beaches swollen with fair-weather friends. Absent are the small children who have already been in June and will not return again until September. New ice-cream shops seem to have flung open their freshly-painted doors everywhere to keep up with the demand. There are new mauve outbursts of fresh delight on the rosemary and lavender bushes and Armani-beige bundles of corn stacked up everywhere in the fields. But the prize this month must go to the leaves-youbreathless rows of sunflowers, standing tirelessly in the heat and diligently, pupil-like, facing the front...

ripe tomatoes, are most often used to make sauces. For stuffing, large, ripe, yet firm, tomatoes are selected. Serve these as an antipasto or as a side dish.

Serves 6

l 6 medium-sized ripe, round tomatoes l 5 tablespoons olive oil l 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped l 250g long-grain rice l 250ml water l 1 small stalk of celery, trimmed and finely chopped l 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese l 10 basil leaves, roughly chopped breadcrumbs

Method Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Slice off the tops of the tomatoes and set aside. Gently scoop out the flesh with a spoon, taking care not to break the tomatoes.

RECIPES FOR JULY Pomodori con riso Tomatoes stuffed with rice There are a variety of tomatoes used in Tuscany. The salad tomato, with a pinky-green tone, is sometimes enjoyed slightly underripe. Plum tomatoes, or any very tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 45

recipes | cook tuscany Put the tomato shells into an oven dish in a single layer. Lightly season inside and out, with salt. Purée the flesh in a blender, or pass through a food mill and put into a bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a small saucepan with the garlic. Add the rice and half the water. Add the celery and the puréed tomato, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes on a medium heat.

Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and the basil. Fill the tomato shells with the prepared mixture. The rice will swell a little, so do not overstuff the tomatoes. Replace the tomato tops and splash with the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle the tops with breadcrumbs. Add the remaining water to the oven dish. Cook in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, until the rice is

Scaloppine alla pizzaiola Veal escalopes with tomato and mozzarella

the rest. Wipe the pan clean and add fresh olive oil for the next batch.

A pizzaiola is a pizza maker, so any dishes that go by this name feature the basic pizza ingredients — mozzarella cheese, tomato and oregano. In Italy, veal can be bought ready for scaloppine. They generally come from the tenderloin of milk-fed veal. Ask your butcher to cut thin 60g slices, or they can be cut thicker and gently pounded to flatten. Have your ingredients ready before you start, as this takes only a couple of minutes to cook. The recipe quantities here serve three. To serve more, you can cook the meat in batches and transfer to a plate to keep warm while cooking

Serves 3

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l 250ml fresh tomato sauce* (see opposite) l 1 teaspoon dried oregano l six 60–70g slices of veal tenderloin, trimmed of fat l 60g flour for dusting the veal l 4 tablespoons olive oil l 125g mozzarella cheese, cut into 3mm slices

Method Prepare a smooth tomato sauce and stir in the oregano. Gently pound the veal slices

cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed and the outsides of the tomatoes are lightly golden.

dessert. The combination of fruit, cream and sponge makes it an all-time favourite.

Torta al burro con pesca noce caramellate Butter cake with caramelised nectarines

Makes one 24cm cake

This is a stunning, summer afternoon tea cake which works equally well as a

between two sheets of baking paper, if necessary, to a thickness of 3mm. Season with salt and pepper and dust lightly in flour. Heat the olive oil in a large, wide frying pan. Add the veal slices and on a medium-high heat, fry the slices for a minute or so on each side to brown lightly. Add the tomato sauce to the pan and top each piece of veal with one or two slices of mozzarella cheese. Turn the heat to low and cook through for a couple of minutes more until the mozzarella cheese softens and melts very slightly. Serve immediately.

l 200g butter, cut up into small pieces plus a little extra for greasing l 220g caster (superfine) sugar plus 8 tablespoons for the nectarines l grated zest of 1 small lemon l 3 eggs l 1 teaspoon vanilla essence l 250g of plain (all-purpose) flour plus a little extra for cake tin l 1 teaspoon baking powder l 170ml milk l 4 medium-sized, firm, ripe nectarines l 1 quantity mascarpone cream* (see below)

Method Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Put the butter into a bowl. Add the 220g of caster sugar and the lemon zest, and whip until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, whipping well after each addition and mix in the vanilla. Add the sifted flour and the baking powder, and mix. Add the milk and whisk to incorporate. Butter and flour a 24cm springform or 26cm bundt (ring mould) cake tin. Pour in the mixture. Bake for 50–60 minutes, until the top is golden and crusty, and a skewer inserted comes out clean. While the cake is baking, drop the nectarines into a saucepan of boiling water for a few seconds. Remove with a

slotted spoon to a bowl of cold water. Slip off the skins and cut the nectarines into halves or quarters. Heat a saucepan over a medium–high heat on the stovetop until it is hot. Add the nectarines and when they begin to colour, add the 8 tablespoons of sugar. Lower the heat slightly. Toss the nectarines with the sugar until they are golden and the sugar has caramelised. Remove from the heat. Remove the cake from the oven. Gently loosen the sides of the cake. Leave to cool a little before removing the side of the cake tin. Serve warm or at room temperature, in slices with a nectarine or two, drizzled with caramel and a dollop of mascarpone cream.

Crema di Mascarpone Mascarpone cream This is a lovely, thick and rich cream to serve with dessert. You can add a little more sugar if you prefer a sweeter cream.

Makes about 500ml l 250ml cream l 2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar l 1 teaspoon vanilla essence l 250g mascarpone

Method Put the cream into a bowl with the sugar and the vanilla, and whip until it just begins to thicken. Gently whisk in the mascarpone, taking care not to overbeat it. You may adjust the consistency by adding more cream or mascarpone. Use immediately or cover, and store in the fridge, but give another whisk before serving.

Spaghettini al pomodoro Spaghettini with tomato sauce A general standard for measuring a superb home cook is often their pasta al pomodoro. As the diminutive implies, spaghettini are thinner than spaghetti, and seem to be the favourite choice for a tomato sauce in many households. Add a good tablespoon of butter to the pasta when mixing in the sauce - it makes a slight and delicious difference. If you prefer, drizzle a little olive oil over each portion to serve. For an arrabiata (hot tomato sauce), add a little chilli to the tomato sauce while it’s cooking, or drizzle a little chilli oil over the pasta to serve.

Serves 6

l 400 ml tomato sauce* next column, l 500g spaghettini l 1 tablespoon butter l about 120g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method Make the tomato sauce. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook the spaghettini following the package instructions. If your tomato saucepan is not big enough, transfer the sauce

to a bowl large enough to contain all the pasta, and keep it warm. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water. Add the pasta (and butter) to the sauce, and mix through quickly, adding a few drops of the cooking water if necessary. Serve immediately with the Parmesan cheese.

* Pomarola con Gli Odori Tomato Sauce with Herbs Makes about 700ml

l 6 tablespoons olive oil l 1 red onion, peeled and chopped l 1 small stalk of celery, trimmed and chopped l 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped l 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped l 1.2kg ripe, fresh tomatoes, skinned and chopped or 900g tin of tomatoes with juice, chopped l a few parsley leaves, roughly torn l about 6 basil leaves, roughly torn

Method If you are using tinned tomatoes, the cooking time will be slightly less – about 15 minutes from when the tomatoes begin to boil. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic, and sauté on a gentle heat until they

have softened. Add the tomatoes and the parsley, and season with a teaspoon of salt and a little pepper. Simmer on a medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the tomatoes have melted into a thick sauce. Add the basil leaves towards the end. Roughly puree the sauce inTUa blender. If you will not be using the sauce immediately, store it in a jar in the refrigerator. Cover the tomato sauce with a thin layer of olive oil. The sauce can also be frozen for future use. To preserve a fresh tomato sauce If you are preserving a sauce, you will probably use a larger quantity of tomatoes. Do not multiply the onions and carrots, etc, accordingly. For an increased quantity, add another onion, carrot and piece of celery, etc, and a few more tablespoons of olive oil. Pack the sauce into clean, sterilised glass jars and close the lids tightly. Put them upright into a large pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil and boil for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the jars cool completely before removing from the water. Check that a vacuum has been created on the lids and store in a cool, dark place. They will keep for many months. Once opened, store in the refrigerator and consume quickly. TU

Extract adapted fromTwelve, ATuscan Cookbook, kindly supplied byTessa Kiros and publishers Murdoch Books, price £16.99. Order from www.amazon.co.uk. Also available for sale inTuscany at the following locations: Florence, Edisons, Libreria Porcellino; Siena, Libreria Senese' and Feltrinelli: San Gimignano bookshop.

tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 47

glass-by-glass | organic wine

Looking for an organic wine that takes you back in time? Barbara Jakusconek thinks she’s found the answer at San Giusto a Rentennano, deep in the heart of Chianti Classico’s wine making area.

Green day for the Black Rooster tringent quality, history, expert knowledge and passion, these are the main ingredients behind the San Giusto a Rentannano approach to wine making. A highly acclaimed Chianti Classico producer, San Giusto has raised the bar yet again with its QC&I Certified Organic wine. San Giusto wines are perennial stars with critics such as Robert Parker, Stephen Tanzer and the Wine Spectator, garnering only the highest accolades. The cult wine, PerCarlo, is a 100% Sangiovese barrique-aged wine produced in tiny quantities. Their Vin Santo is a benchmark wine, composed almost entirely of the Malvasia varietal and a little Trebbiano. Perched on a hilltop in the area of Gaiole in Chianti Fattoria San Giusto a Rentennano (a name of Etruscan origin) produces organic wine and olive oil. Originally established in AD 970 as a monastery for Cistercian Nuns it was abandoned by the sisters in 1200 due to a lack of fresh water source. The neglected building was then taken over by the Florentines who used it to mark their boundary with Siena. San Giusto a Rentennano today, is a family run winery (with a plentiful water supply), owned by the noble family, Martini di Cigala, originally from Liguria. The grandmother of the present owners was a Ricasoli, whose

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family first bought the property in the late 13th century. In the mid 19th century, Baron Bettino Ricasoli ‘the Iron Baron’, created the blend of grapes for the Chianti Classico (70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo, 15% Malvasia), which is very similar to the blend used today. Today the blend is a minimum of 80% Sangiovese and 20% other local red grapes. Malvasia, a white grape, is no longer used.

Certified Organic San Giusto a Rentennano is actively run by brothers Luca and Francesco and sister Elisabetta who have been consulting with famed enologist Attilio Pagli since 1999. Very much a hands-on family business, they have a great respect for their land and are committed to carrying out most of the work manually. In 2006 they finally received their organic certification after five years of organic production. You can often find Luca working in the vineyards alongside the winery employees - a rare sight in this part of the world - as tractor driver, vine pruner, grape harvester, plumber, electrician and general odd job man all rolled into one. He is of course involved in the commercial and managerial side of the business, and you’d rightly wonder how it’s possible to be so involved. This desire to be immersed in all stages of the wine-making process gives you an idea of

their philosophy and their knowledge of wine. The quality of the wines I tasted is the result of their attention to detail and passion for what they do. The 160 hectare San Giusto estate is located on the Siena side of the Chianti appellation in the Gaiole zone. The oldest vineyards are 35-40 years old, from which they select the best indigenous Sangiovese and Canaiolo clones to graft onto their new vines. During the months of July and August they carry out a ‘green pruning’ - cutting off grapes that are beginning to change colour from green to red - to result in better quality grapes when ripe. Harvesting is from midSeptember to mid-October, depending on the weather. During colder weather the vines are cut back; but nothing is left to waste. Pruned branches are mixed with cut grass and manure, stored for up to three years, then used as a natural fertiliser. The family are aiming to be self-sufficient and have installed photovoltaic panels that produce up to 80% of the energy requirements for the winery.

Swimming against the Grain Luca, the youngest of the family, kindly gave me a tour of the estate, showing me not only the beauty of the place but also shared some of his childhood experiences on the farm. The attic is now where the white grapes for the Vin Santo are left to dry on racks, but says Luca, in the past it was used to store grain, so deep he could swim in it. The ageing cellars are in the remains of the original part of the monastery most of which was destroyed by the Sienese in the 14th C. Wandering through the labyrinth of cellars, it feels like you have stepped into another century; the cool air touching your skin and the smell of the place lets you imagine you can feel the ageing of the wine.

The Wine San Giusto a Rentennano has various wines to offer. We will start with their basic product:

Chianti Classico DOCG 95% Sangiovese and 5% Canaiolo. Aged for 10-12 months in medium sized casks and oak tonneaux, aged in the bottle for at least six months. Produced every year. The bouquet is very fruity, ripe, red fruit like cherries. In the mouth, very well-balanced. The aftertaste is cherries.

Chianti Classico Riserva Le Baròncole DOCG 97% Sangiovese and 3% Canaiolo. Aged for 16-20 months in French oak barriques, aged in the bottle for at least six months. Produced only in good vintages. The bouquet is fruity with ripe, red fruit like blackcurrant. In the mouth, very well-balanced. Good potential for long-ageing. The aftertaste is a mix of ripe, red fruit. tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 49

glass-by-glass | organic wine PerCarlo IGT 100% Sangiovese. This wine is considered a ‘Super Tuscan’; a term invented by a journalist who tasted a good table wine from Tuscany and to elevate it in importance, called it Super Tuscan. Aged in French oak Barriques for 20-22 months and a further 18 months minimum in the bottle. Produced only in good vintages. The bouquet is of coffee, chocolate and some notes of red fruits. In the mouth, very well-balanced. Good potential for longageing. The aftertaste is dark chocolate.

The bouquet is dry fruit, dry figs, walnuts and dates. In the mouth, very well-balanced and velvety. Aftertaste was figs. Great potential for ageing. After tasting all these wonderful products I had to get back to reality, leave the past and return home to the present. Driving down a beautiful cypress-lined driveway to get back on to the main road, I left behind a great day, having sampled fantastic products and been in wonderful company. Barbara Jakusconek www.chiantievents.com

ONCE UPON A TIME IN TUSCANY…

La Ricolma IGT 100% Merlot. I have never been a fan of wines with a 100% merlot but this was outstanding and the producer explained why it was different from others. He harvests the merlot grapes at the end of September leaving them for a longer period on the vines; instead many other wineries tend to harvest them at the end of August. Aged in French oak Barriques for 20-22 months and in the bottle for at least six months. The bouquet is fruity with strawberries and rosemary scents. In the mouth it is very well-balanced. The aftertaste tends towards red fruits. Vin Santo San Giusto Chianti Classico DOCG 90% Malvasia and 10% Trebbiano. The white grapes are dried on racks for about 140 days, about a month longer than other Vin Santo producers. This is why their Vin Santo is sweeter and smoother than most others. A traditional wine of the area, for which there are many theories regarding its origins. First theory: Vin Santo or Holy Wine was served in the Church because once a bottle it is opened it can last for a long period. The second theory is that it was made during the period of Easter. The third theory is that it is similar to a dessert wine from the island of Xantos. Here in Tuscany it is served as a dessert wine with Cantuccini biscuits. Aged in small chestnut barrels for six years and in the bottle for another 18 months.

TASTE TOUR Make sure you book in advance. Fattoria San Giusto a Rentennano Loc. San Giusto a Rentennano 53013 Gaiole in Chianti (SI) ITALY Tel: 0577 747121 Fax: 0577 747109

e-mail: info@fattoriasangiusto.it www.fattoriasangiusto.it/ Their wines and oil can be purchased at the winery and also from agents listed on their website. www.chianticlassico.com TU

WHY IS CERTIFICATION IMPORTANT? Certification is very important because it helps protect consumers from fraud. Although growers may claim their produce is organic even if it is not certified as such, certification is the consumer’s greatest assurance that the grapes used in the wine were produced in accordance with legally established organic standards, and that the grower has been required to document and demonstrate the validity of its organic claim.

WHAT IS ORGANIC WINE? First and foremost, it’s a wine made from certified organically grown grapes. The fundamental idea behind organic wine is that making wine from grapes grown without pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers is clearly better for our planet and therefore, in all likelihood, better for you, the wine drinker.

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Roaming along the winding road La Chiantigiana, which takes you through the heart of Chianti, you will experience a multitude of emotions. You will be captivated by the amazing landscapes of the area. As if travelling through time, you can admire the ancient castles, abbeys and fortresses which dominate the hilltops. Entering Chianti you will be welcomed by the symbol of a Black Rooster.This is the symbol of the Consortium of the Chianti Classico. The heart of the Chianti Classico’s wine making area is today considered to be Gaiole in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti, Radda in Chianti and Greve in Chianti. Legend has it that the Black Rooster dates back to the wars for the conquest of the Chianti territory, between old adversaries Siena and Florence. As the legend goes… Once upon a time, a knight from Siena and a knight from Florence were chosen by their respective cities to race against each other to mark the boundaries of their lands.The race was to start at first light and in order to be the first to wake-up they both used what was considered the alarm clock of the time, a rooster. The evening before the race, the Sienese knight treated his white rooster to a sumptuous banquet hoping to please him.The Florentine knight decided not to feed his black rooster at all.The next morning, when the first light was gently touching the countryside, only one rooster broke the silence.The Black Rooster of Florence, desperate for food woke up extra early allowing the biggest advantage to the Florentine knight. The white rooster, still fast asleep, failed in waking up the Sienese knight. The Florentine knight succeeded in marking the boundaries of Florence well into the Chianti area. Consequently the Black Rooster was adopted as the symbol of the Chianti Classico.

wine | chianti classico Was 2001 a good year for the Chianti Classico, or was 1999 the vintage of choice? Find out with this guide from the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium.

2001 Evaluation: 5 stars Total production: 6.9m gallons Vintage: The wines show qualitative parameters superior to those registered in the most recent vintages insofar as the medium values of alcohol content, colour intensity and net dry extract are concerned.

VINTAGE KNOWLEDGE Chianti Classico Vintages from 1995 to 2004

1998

Evaluation: 5 stars Total production: 7.26m gallons Vintage: Wines with excellent structures, rich in colours and aromas and blessed with long lives.

Evaluation: 4 stars Total production: 7.79m gallons Vintage: Wines derived from musts with good or in many cases excellent sugar content with good levels of acidity, a substantial content of colouring substances and sweet tannins.

1996

1999

Evaluation: 4 stars Vintage: Wines with interesting structures, great harmony and roundness that are also fine and elegant.

Evaluation: 5 stars Total production: 7.9m gallons Vintage: Wines with great structures, fullbodied, concentrated and rich in noble and evolved tannins, great equilibrium, roundness, softness, complexity and sapidity.

1995

1997 Evaluation: 5 stars Vintage: Potent wines with exceptional structures and finesse, extremely elegant and above all long-lived.

2002 Evaluation: 2 stars Total production: 7m gallons Vintage: Wines with solid bodies and moderately intense colours, agreeable flavours but capable only of brief aging.

2000 Evaluation: 4 stars Total production: 7.6m gallons

2003 Evaluation: 4 stars Total production: 6.4m gallons Vintage: Despite anomalous climatic conditions and the ferocious summer heat wave, the wines of this vintage showed excellent qualitative characteristics, including intense colours and aromas, good structures, extremely high alcohol levels and a predisposition to medium-long maturation.

2004 Vintage: Extremely concentrated grapes, high sugar levels and good phenolic maturation. The wines possessed characteristics ideal for moderate to extended maturation. The flavour is intense and odorous.

Evaluation: 4 stars Total production: 6.6m gallons Vintage: Wines with good structures and notable alcohol levels, ideal for medium-long maturation. More details: www.chianticlassico.com TU

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flavour | bites

Tuscan tastes

Gastronomic Adventures

owledge of Lucca Traditional flavours and kn Tuscany Garfagnana and Southern

The Tuscan style of cooking is richly flavoured and wholesome. Here is a bite-size guide.

Discover the secrets of the traditional foods of Lucca,the Luccathe Garfagnana and Southern Tuscany. Spend an inspiring day or longer with friendly food guru Heather Jarman.

he extreme simplicity of Tuscan cuisine is its core strength, as the flavours that emerge during the cooking process are vibrant and pure. Seasoning and sauces are used sparingly, mostly relying on staples like wine and olive oil. Tuscan olive oil is considered to be one of the best in the world, and there are a number of gradients available. The gradients are directly pertinent to acidity, and the acidity is gauged based upon the number of olives that are bruised before the pressing takes place. Truffles also are extraordinarily popular in the Tuscan cuisine, and these elusive delicacies are all the more coveted because of their very scarcity. Most chefs would pay exorbitant amounts to get truffles before the wild pigs manage to locate them. There are two main kinds, black and white, and while both are rare, white truffles are near impossible to find; however Tuscany is fortunate to have quite a few areas where these grow in profusion. The standard Italian meal is like a choreographed dance, where there are certain steps, and it is best not to vary from the set pattern. The first round is the appetizer, known as the antipasto. The first course, or the primo piatto, consists of either rice or pasta, and the second course, secondo piatto, comprises of meat and fish. A dessert or dolce is next, followed by a cup of espresso and a glass of grappa. TU

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Each season hasits own special excitements! Sapori e Saperi Adventures are vacations for people who daydream about finding a shepherdess on a hillside with her flock and being transported to her cantina to watch her make pecorino cheese; people who canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stare at a bottle of olive oil without wondering when and how the olives are picked, pressed and bottled; people who love to cook and eat. The Adventures open locked doors to a brand new palette of exquisite flavours (sapori) and new skills and knowledge (saperi). Sign up for one of our seasonal week courses or contactÂ us to arrange a personalized tour for you or your group from a day to as long as you like. Adventures for families are particularly popular and include special activities for children. Contact Heather at: info@sapori-e-saperi.com Italy: + 39 339 7636321 UK: + 44 (0) 7768 474610 www.sapori-e-saperi.com

intro |

LIFE & STYLE

HEALTH | SHOPPING | ACCESSORIES | MAKE-UP | RELAXATION Get ready for the beach with our fashion and beauty guide to what to wear and how to wear it this season. Our guide to top shops in Lucca is a must read for fashionistas, and if all that shopping has exhausted you check out our Spa of the Month for some serious pampering suggestions.

KEY TRENDS Page 48

Sun-kissed or porcelain white, skin colour is just as influenced by changing fashions and trends as our shoes and bags. Page 60

BEACH BABES Page 54

TOP SHOPS: LUCCA Page 56

SPA TIME Page 62 tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 53

fashion | trend

Ready for the beach SIZZLE ON THE SAND THIS SUMMER BY CHOOSING THE RIGHT BEACHWEAR AND ACCESSORIES.

STARTING POINT, CHOOSE A COSTUME: The mischievous bikini for extra tanning coverage; the full swimsuit for the more lady-like amongst us; then thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the trikini, with the portholes or daring cuts, the must-have look this season. The accessory may be a hat, a big bag, an oversized pair of glasses. A necklace gives a stylish twist for cocktail hour on the beach.

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TRIKINI & BAGS

HATS Wide-brimmed sun hats are the perfect mix of skin-saving shade and retro beach siren chic. Never underestimate the power of statement accessories, especially on the beach. Headscarves can work just as well.

Graphic necklines, portholes and strategic design: These costumes are on trend right now. Just add the right bag... And so on to the beach!

BIKINI & SUNGLASSES Even if you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford a â&#x201A;Ź200 Dior pair, some big, over-sized, on-trend sunglasses can instantly transform your look. The two-piece design or tiny triangle bikini-inspired hippy chic with sunglasses, perfects the Seventies mood. tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 55

shopping | lucca

Vanessa Paradis is the face of Miu Miu available from Moda Mignon

TOP SHOPS:

LUCCA Personal shopper, Paola Ciucci knows all the best places to shop in Lucca. Here she shares a few of her favourite hot spots and sprinkles in a few ideas about where to go to recharge your energy during your retail therapy. mmersed in the gentle graciousness of an exceptional landscape and surrounded by its imposing walls, Lucca presents itself to the world in a way that is reserved and elegant. Hidden down the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s narrow and

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ancient streets there is a treasure trove of refinement and beauty to be discovered in its shops, restaurants and bars, where rich history and tradition blend comfortably with modernity and fashion. As a Lucchese, I suggest the following places for a top shopping:

Shoes PATRIZIA MARTINELLI The temple of shoes and bags, for those who love what is out of the ordinary. Via del Gallo, 11 Tel: 0583 923167

Fashion Boutiques TENUCCI Tunucci’s shops are among the most chic in the Lucca area. The original shop, Fillungo, is also one of the oldest. The Tenucci family started selling hats and furs here in the 1800s, and the shop retains much of its original décor. The Tenucci family’s shops carry brands such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Etro, Fay,

Tenucci.

Shoes by Patrizia Martinelli

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Gucci at Moda Mignon.

shopping | lucca

Hogan, Aspesi. Tenucci Donna Via dell’Arancio, 10 Tel: 0583 493167

MODE MIGNON Here you can find the best of high fashion both for women and men, from Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Miu Miu, and Jil Sander to Gucci. Piazza Bernardini, 2 Tel: 0583 491217 Website: www.modemignon.it

TENUCCI UOMO Via Fillungo, 54 Tel: 0583 491332

FILLUNGO 81 Trend fashion boutique women and

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men: Via Fillungo, 81 Tel: 0583 496519

Jewellery GIOELLERIA CARLI This is the oldest jeweller in town. Founded in 1665, this shop’s décor dates back to 1831. Here one can find both antique jewels and modern objects. Via Fillungo, 95 Tel: 0583 491119

Refreshment ANTICO CAFFÈ

DI SIMO This is the old caffè where the cultural life of Lucca grew up during the 19th Century. Giacomo Puccini used to meet his friends right here. The bar looks the same today as it did in that period and serves a buffet lunch of traditional lucchese dishes. Via Fillungo, 58 Tel: 0583 496234 Website:

www.caffedisimo.it

Bar Ristorante Pult This is a bar rich in tradition that

glow | tuscany turned into a very trendy place to stop for an aperitivo or to have dinner in a lounge atmosphere right in the heart of the city. Via Fillungo, 42 Tel: 0583 495632 www.pult.it

Sunshine face

Giacomo Puccini was a regular at Antico Caffe di Simo.

IL CUORE ENOGASTRONOMIA A Mecca of good local food where you can not only have lunch or dinner but also buy a good bottle of wine, a bottle of gourmet

KEEPING YOUR MAKEUP LOOKING FRESH DURING THE SUMMER HEAT IS NO EASY TASK. TRY THESE TIPS TO GET YOUR ESSENTIAL SUMMER BEAUTY ROUTINE. Face Facts

olive oil, or other deli items. Via del Battistero, 2 Tel: 0583 495632 www.ilcuorelucca.com

Bookshop EDISON BOOKSTORE The most complete bookstore in town. Via Roma ang. Via Cenami www.edisonlucca.it

Home Style SANTORI L’ARREDAMENTO Best antiques and designer furniture in the Lucca area. Via del Battistero, 21 Tel: 0583 469352 www.santori.it

PAOLA CIUCCI www.livinglucca.it

Wearing SPF and protecting your skin from the sun is essential for everyone. Besides preventing skin cancer, it will keep you looking younger longer. If you want more SPF coverage this summer, but don’t want to give up a favourite foundation to get it, here’s a little D.I.Y. trick. Just dilute your existing foundation by adding SPF, and there’s no need to waste time or money looking for a new product. If you don’t like to wear foundation, after applying your SPF, simply use a spot concealer on any blemishes, and whether you use foundation or not, we can all benefit from using a loose (not pressed) powder in the summer. Just a little touch of powder can lightly even out your skin tone and decrease shine. Be sure to feather the powder gently around the eyes to avoid a dry and cakey look.

Eyes Keep them neutral and simple. There is a fine line between makeup that enhances and make-up that is just distracting. Instead of using eyeliner in the

summer, try using black or dark brown eye shadow for a softer yet defining look that will last. Apply the shadow, as if it were liner, using an angled brush. Wet the brush before applying the shadow to make the colour more intense and then lightly line both above and below your eye. Use a shimmering creamy colour at the corner of the eye to brighten up your eyes and make them look bigger. Apply masacara to your top lashes first to thicken and lengthen, and without adding more mascara to the applicator, lightly brush your bottom lashes using a sideways motion.

Cheeks Apply a bronzer on the cheekbones and then apply a peachy blush on the apple of the cheek.

Lips For a pretty and protected pout, use an SPF lip balm, blot, and outline your lips with natural colored lip liner. Fill your lips by using a blending brush to spread the liner evenly – Apply two coats for a richer look. TU tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 59

skincare | tanning

Skin fashi Most of us love having a suntan. Not only do we think we look good but it makes us feel good. But attitudes towards sun-kissed skin have changed dramatically over the centuries…

n the past, a tan has been a sign both of poverty and of wealth, while fashion has revered and reviled it. These days people are generally more careful about the sun than they were 20 years ago but it’s still worshipped on the beaches. Nothing new there - sun worship has been going on for centuries. For many ancient religions it was a god, providing warmth and wellbeing while nurturing harvests. But a suntan in bygone centuries was confined to the poor and those working as servants or on the fields. Back in the days of Ancient Rome and

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Greece a tan was a complete ‘no no’. Women used lead paint to whiten their faces - unfortunately they didn’t realise they were killing themselves through lead poisoning and premature death was quite common. Then there was the use of arsenic as a whitener in the early 10th century which also produced a deathly pallor literally. This trend continued for several hundred years. In the days of Queen Elizabeth I, women slapped copious amounts of powder on their faces. This had a dual purpose - to cover the smell because they didn’t wash very often and to make

ion A SUNTAN IN BYGONE CENTURIES WAS CONFINED TO THE POOR AND THOSE WORKING AS SERVANTS OR ON THE FIELDS.

them whiter. They even used to paint very thin blue lines on their foreheads to make their skin look translucent. Victorian ladies and Southern belles never went outside without hats and parasols to protect their delicate features. In the 1920s, there was an abrupt change in mentality. Style icon Coco Chanel returned from her holidays with a suntan. The craze swept through the French society, and soon suntans became very popular. Going to tropical countries for vacations became fashionable for the upper classes. The poorer classes who could not afford such vacations were now the ones to be pale. It wasn’t really until the 1940s that suntan lotion became popular and this was only because of its bronzing effect. Some of the sun lotions in those days only just fell short of basting oil which wasn’t good news at a time when swimming costumes were becoming ever skimpier. By the 50s the bikini was the most talked about fashion accessory. Suddenly a suntan became a symbol of having money and leisure time. Certainly a bronzed face in winter showed that you could afford to have a break at a time of year when less monied mortals were confined to their offices. By the late 1970s a whole generation began to bake themselves in the sun. Alluring advertising campaigns featuring bronzed and beautiful bodies soaked in sun tan lotion drove millions to the beaches and on foreign holidays. Little did people know in the 70s that, 30 years later, they would become the generation in which the incidence of skin cancer was at an all time high. Nowadays, everyone is far more aware of the dangers of the sun. Children are being taught sun safety at school and every summer adults are confronted by skin cancer warnings in TV and newspaper health campaigns. In some countries, ardent skin cancer campaigners even take to the beaches to dole out dire warnings and sun protection advice. The culture of the suntan is however mostly seen in the West. For many peoples in the tropics, a dark complexion remains unfashionable. In India, for example, women prefer the monsoon season as it gives them the clear, pale complexion that their Bollywood idols sport. Fair-skin is a sign of beauty in many parts of Asia. A tan is not a healthy sign; it’s a sign of skin damage. Skin experts know that to avoid the sun altogether would be completely impractical but a bit of sun know-how could save your life in a few years - although pale skin has yet to make a comeback. TU

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spa | il ciocco

Everyone needs a good pampering once in a while so why not treat yourself to some seriously luxurious special treatment, high up in the tranquil Tuscan hills.

Spa from the madding crowd estled on a chestnut-covered hill top overlooking the stunning Garfagnana valley Il Ciocco Hotel & Resort is a privately owned hotel with an ethos for really looking after guests lucky enough to have discovered it. This 4star hotel is a veritable wellbeing paradise with not one, but two dedicated sections. Guests come here just to relax and be pampered in the prestigious Daniela Steiner Beauty Spa and to get fit and feel healthier in the Wellness Centre. The hotel is set in a 2,000 hectare park where you can lose yourself in the open spaces, breathe

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in the sparkling clean air and stroll through the woods and green meadows.

Beauty Care The Daniela Steiner method pampers its clients in dedicated â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Care Suitesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with unique treatments based on natural ingredients, accompanied by pleasant background music. Comfortable chaiseslongues stuffed with goose feathers, atmospheric music and candlelight create a relaxing atmosphere for you to forget your stresses and tensions and make you feel as if you were in your own home.

The Treatments The First Total Cleansing treatment lasts two hours and includes a full body, scalp and face exfoliation and a nourishing head to toe massage. The Volcanic Clay is a deep purifying body treatment with herbal steam and volcanic earth. For this treatment Daniela Steiner, along with her sister Ulrike, developed a heat-inducted marble lounge chair. It is an anatomical chaise longue heated from the inside and made of palisander marble, chosen for its superior strength over other types of marble. The Second Purifying treatment consists of a body exfoliation with mineral sea salts and a slimming seaweed wrap. The Care Suite Fresh Lemon Bath is an energizing and detoxifying bath. Face, neck and décolleté treatments begin with the Classic Facial and can be completed, after a careful skin analysis and a deep cleansing, by DS Luxury Facial, Reactivating Face Care and Visible Anti-Aging treatments, always performed with the highest quality products from the Care Suite Daniela Steiner line – which are also available to purchase, if you can’t bare to leave the hotel without a piece of Daniela Steiner! Manicures and

pedicures are also offered. Information and bookings: Graziella del Plato, Tel: 0039 0583 7191; E-mail: infospa@ciocco.it

Wellbeing The Wellness Area is dedicated to body care with its fully-equipped gym, serene swimming pool and therapeutic water treatments which include a whirlpool bath, Roman sauna, Turkish bath, Finnish sauna, bio sauna, wasser paradise (a course of jets of water of varying force with aromatherapy) and the ice waterfall (a special room for cold treatment that helps to correct the body temperature after being in the sauna or Turkish bath). There is also an in-house Shu Uemura hairdressing salon where you can experience a complete make-over from professional make-up artist Vincenza Melillo whose client lists include: Naomi Campbell, Sharon Stone, Uma Thurman, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger, Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie and Cameron Diaz.

Dining The tradition of eating well and home cooking, a feature of the gastronomic culture in the

Garfagnana and more generally in Tuscany, is highlighted by the chefs in all Il Ciocco’s restaurants which offer a wide range of eating environments and a great variety of menus. The restaurants work with the finest local produce such as cheese, cold meats and the ancient local grain called farro and also make their own bread, pasta, olive oil, biscuits and cakes. They can cater for any kind of special need as their menus include vegetarian dishes and special dishes for people with food intolerances and those affected by celiac disease. Gift Voucher - The voucher lets you gift a dinner in the Le Salette restaurant choosing from: a tasting menu with four courses, including wines, €40 (for 2) or a tasting menu with six courses, including wines, €55 (for 2). For information and bookings write to c.celestini@ciocco.it. The hotel and resort is luxurious and well positioned for exploring the rest of Tuscany. Close to medieval hill top towns and National Parks it overlooks a green paradise with stunning scenery and rocky outcrops. There are many activities available on site or close by. For further details and booking visit www.ciocco.it. TU

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health | mythbusters

Summer healthcare myths - busted Summer is a season full of common health and safety misconceptions. Many of these are based on fact, and others are simply â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;old wivesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; talesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Discover the truth here and avoid some of those most popular summer healthcare mistakes.

ealth

Myth: Having a tan means you are more protected from the sun. Fact: You might not get sun burnt with a tan, but your tan does not protect against dangerous ultraviolet rays. Tanned skin is damaged skin, so further tanning injures the skin and increases the risk of skin cancer. It is well known that excessive sun exposure can promote the development of many skin cancers, including melanoma. Limiting sun exposure, wearing sunscreen, and performing monthly skin cancer selfexams can help prevent skin damage. (visualdxhealth.com) Myth: People with darker skin do not have to worry about sun exposure. Fact: While people with darker skin do not burn as easily or frequently as lighter skinned individuals, they are still not safe from harmful ultraviolet light from the sun. People with darker skin are actually more likely to die from skin cancer than those with fairer skin. This is due to the common belief that darker skin protects against sun damage. Those with darker skin are likely to develop skin cancer on their hands or feet. It is recommended that everyone wears an SPF of at least 15 and perform a self-exam monthly for signs of skin cancer. (bbc.co.uk) Myth: Put vinegar compresses on a sunburn.

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(Myth: It is unhealthy to drink less than eight glasses of water a day. Truth: Most people consume the amount of water their body needs during the day through food intake and liquids, including water. If you eat properly, drink when you feel thirsty and generally feel well, you can safely disregard the eight-glass rule. If you are lacking the water your body needs, it will let you know through symptoms of dehydration, like thirst, dizziness, fatigue and headache. (lifespan.org)

Skin Care Myth: It is dangerous to go swimming directly after eating. Truth: It may not be bad advice to wait a while to swim after eating to avoid abdominal cramping, but it is not dangerous if you decide to take the plunge right away. Many professional swimmers and endurance trainers consume food before taking part in athletics. There is no need to torture the kids with a half-hour to an hour delay before playing in the pool or surf. (lifespan.org)

Fact: If you get sunburn apply cool compresses. Sunburn is inflammation so over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen is great for sunburn pain and inflammation. (webmd.com) Myth: Tilt your head back when you have a nosebleed. Fact: Nosebleeds are more common in the summer heat and dry air, but if you suffer from one don’t put your head between your legs or tip your head back. The latter is especially bad because you can breathe the blood into your lungs or get it in your stomach and vomit. Instead, press the fleshy part of your nose as if you are trying to stop a bad smell. Press for at least 10 minutes. If a nosebleed last for more than 15 minutes, occurs following a serious injury or is accompanied by serious blood loss, you should call your doctor or got the emergency room. (webmd.com) Myth: Your heart stops beating whenever you sneeze. Fact: Your heart does not stop beating when you sneeze. On rare occasions, the heart may beat irregularly as a result of your sneeze changing the pressure in your chest and altering the blood flow to the

heart. It never stops! (lifespan.org) Myth: If you get a bee sting you must squeeze out the stinger. Fact: Never do this! Squeezing the stinger may allow venom still in the sac to get into your system. Scrape the stinger out with a credit card or similar. If the person is getting red or having trouble breathing call 112. This can be serious or even fatal. (webmd.com) Myth: Taking antacid medication can help ease a major case of the queasies. Fact: Actually it will prolong it. Staying hydrated is all you can do. Acid is what fights the bacteria. Antacid is only for heartburn or acid reflux. (abcnews.go.com)

Fit and Active Myth: If you twist a knee or ankle, apply cold only. Fact: If you hurt a joint, what to do depends on the stage of the injury. The RICE acronym can help you remember how to immediately treat an injury. Rest the injured area, ice it for 20 minutes for the first 24 hours (remove for at least 20-40 minutes in between), lightly compress it with a bandage and elevate above the level of the heart. (webmd.com)

Myth: Infants under six months old cannot use sunscreen. Fact: In general it is best to avoid exposing infants to sun at all, because they burn easily. If infants do go out in the sun they should always be fully covered with lightweight, light-coloured clothing and brimmed hats. Parents can also apply a small amount of sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or greater to the infant’s face, legs, neck and arms. For the best protection, put on sunscreen about 30 minutes before going outside with your baby, and reapply frequently if sun exposure is prolonged. (lifetimehealth.org)

Myth: No pain, no gain. Fact: Perhaps this is the most misunderstood concept regarding physical fitness. Reaching the higher levels of physical fitness means a lot of sweat. However, pain should not be the criteria used to measure whether you are working hard enough to achieve fitness.

Traveling Myth: If you get motion sickness you can stop it by staring at a point on the horizon. Fact: Try to get to the most motionless part of the boat or vehicle and don’t drink. You will just vomit up the liquid.

Getting Personal Myth: Having sex underwater can cause

your uterus to explode. Fact: It’s tricky to find the origins of this urban myth, but the good news is that it’s not true. Physically there is no way this could happen. The cervix, located at the top of your vagina, serves to protect your uterus. This doesn’t mean that getting it on underwater is a good thing, though – in fact experts recommend against it. Possible perils include shrinkage from the cold (him) and the rinsing away of natural lubricants from bacteria in the water or chlorine if you’re in a pool of hot tub. Plus if you are using a condom, water can wash away any spermicide (making it less effective) and seep inside the condom (increasing the risk that it will slip off ). (glow.co)

Myth: Hanging out by the pool can cause a yeast infection. Fact: It’s not the ‘hanging out’ part that can cause a yeast infection, it’s what you’re wearing that’s the culprit. A wet bathing suit is the perfect breeding ground for yeast. Bacteria thrive in warm moist environments. Opt for a bikini over a one-piece – that way, you can bring two suit bottoms with you and switch back and forth. (glow.co) TU

doctor’s notes | steve kerr Firenze-based GP, Dr Steve Kerr, is on call each month to answer your medical and health related queries.

Pregnant pause Dear Dr Steve, I moved to Tuscany with my husband earlier this year and we are loving our new life here, however my normally punctual period is now three weeks late and I am faced with the possibility that I might be pregnant. How do I find out for sure that I am? The thought of being pregnant for the first time in a foreign country makes me feel apprehensive. If I am pregnant, what should be my next step and what form of medical care will I receive during my pregnancy and labour here? Yours, Cathy (31) - British expat, Sienna

throughout your pregnancy. These include blood tests, ultrasounds and regular doctor’s visits to check weight and blood pressure etc. EU citizens should be able to slip into this system easily. Non-European residents should expect a to be billed. If you do not

Dear Cathy, To confirm your pregnancy the first step would be an over-the-counter urine pregnancy test available from your local pharmacy. Do the test first thing in the morning. The tests are sensitive enough to show a positive result a few days before a period is late. If this test is positive and you haven’t already started folic acid supplements then you can get these from your local pharmacy. The next step would be to see your doctor and obtain a prescription for a blood test for beta-HCG to have documented ‘official’ confirmation. Sensible lifestyle choices including stopping smoking, little or no alcohol, care with medicines, both OTC and prescribed, pets and diet (to avoid toxoplasmosis and listeriosis risks). Medico generico – GP, General Practitioner The next step is to decide if Azienda Sanitaria - Local health authority you want to rely on the state Quartieri - Districts health system (ASL) or go Zona - Area privately (or both). To use the Consultori - Consultants state facilities you need to bring Ginocologo – Gynaecologist your blood test result to your Ostetrica – Mid-wife medico generico and he will provide you with a booklet of tokens for all the exams you will need

IN OTHER WORDS…

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have a local medico generico the first place to contact would be one of the

consultori offices. These are found in your white pages telephone directory under Azienda Sanitaria. Choose your quartieri or zona /Consultoro Many people choose to see a ginocologo privately. They get to choose someone highly recommended or has good grasp of English. Most larger towns will have at least one private ‘casa di cura’ that has maternity facilities. Unless you expect to have an elective caesarean don’t expect a guarantee that they will be available at the exact moment of parturition. Having ‘been through’ state system first-hand (twice) I can reassure you that the protocols here in Italy are very thorough, including antenatal screening. My only criticism was the breast-feeding advice was a bit out of date. As I live in Florence I can’t say I know about the facilities in Sienna but the Maternity unit here is brand is new and gives women a lot of choice in how they choose to give birth. NB: Mid-wife in Italian is ostetrica, not to be confused with obstetrician which is the doctor Dr Steve Kerr. If you have a medical or general health question to ask Dr Steve please email him at: editorial@tuscanyunlimited.com or write to the Tuscany Unlimited address on the welcome page. ADDRESS BOOK Who: Dr Steve Kerr MB.BS is an English Family/General Practioner Where: Piazza Mercato Nuovo 1, Firenze Phone: 055 288055 Website: www.dr-kerr.com TU

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HOMES & GARDENS INTERIORS | HOMESTYLE | GARDENING | GRAND GARDENS

SPACED OUT

Be inspired by our Homes & Gardens section and discover how to create your own brand of Tuscan home style inside and out. Celebrate the 40th anniversary of manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first step on the moon with our celebration of retro lunar Italian design. Page 72

CLASSICAL STYLE Page 68

RUSTIC STYLE Page 71

THE TUSCAN GARDEN Page 74

VILLA OLIVA Page 76 tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 67

Marble-top console with marble top decorated in shades of aged white and silver. Price: â&#x201A;Ź4,313

mia casa | bathroom

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Awash with romance Console with marble top, white and silver. Size: 130cm x 60 x 86h. Price: â&#x201A;Ź6,828

Silvano Grifoni flirts with 18th Century amour to create his classically inspired bathroom vanities. Thankfully, the ornate, Rococo-esque design comes with 21st century plumbing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; no need for an army of water-pouring servants, then. tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 69

Console with Portuguese rose marble top, decorated in shades of aged salmon and distressed silver. Price: €5,032.

mia casa | bathroom

Marble top console handdecorated in aged cream with gold details. Price: €4,668

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arble-topped consoles, gilded, ornate carvings hark back to a time of elegance and timeless style to create a hand-crafted bathroom filled with romance and theatre. “Every house is made to be lived in, but

even living is an art,” says Silvano, “and on that basis we have created our own.”

Silvano Grifoni Tel (0039) 055 721673/4 www.silvanogrifoni.it info@silvanogrifoni.it TU

home | style

OLD STYLE any a stonewall in the interior of a home is left free to be seen. At most, it is repaired from time to time, but such walls are regarded an important testimony to the efforts of past generations to build their futures and their fortunes with hard work and with faith in the benevolent forces of nature. There are stonewalls in houses that date back two or three hundred years and that are retained as a central focus in home decorating solutions. In many of the medieval homes, after a period when some of the older parts of buildings were covered with plaster to meet a misconceived idea of ‘modernism’, there is now a distinct trend to uncover the old parts. Now you’ll find splendid old brick arches or window frames emerging from what used to be a non-descript plastered wall. Obviously the floor material that is most widely used in Tuscany is the terracotta tiling. Again, these tiles evoke the past, and although you can purchase newly produced products, these are available in a wide range of natural tones, ranging from the dusty brown to the leather-like red hues. Moreover, there are also tiles with antique finish, including those that seem to have the chips and irregularities caused by time. First of all, the main uniting theme is the respect for natural decorating materials. Most Tuscan interiors make generous use of wood and stone. The woods are normally of oak, chestnut or cherry, and they are usually characterized by a dull wax finish. It is rather rare to see a shiny mahogany piece of furniture or dining room table. Instead, you will see natural coloured pieces that have darkened over time and usage. The maximum treatment given to these pieces is to occasionally pass them over with a slightly tinted liquid wax that is quickly absorbed leaving the wood with a rich and velvety finish. TU

Tuscans have a tremendous respect for the past, and do not consider that all that is old should be discarded. Instead, they cherish the vestiges of the past…

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mia casa| accessories

SPACED OUT

SHINING SATELLITE Sputnik-inspired lamp. Transparent glass and red glass. Price on request. Novita, Valdichiana Outlet Village, Arezzo. www.valdichianaoutlet.com

Forty years ago this month Neil Armstrong placed the first footprint on the surface of the moon and inspired a whole new movement in space-age design. We mark this stellar anniversary with a celebration of retro lunar Italian style.

STYLE ICON The legendary Brionvega radiofonografo, was a monument of electronics and Italian design of the Sixties. Designed by Pier Giacomo and Achille Castiglioni the radiofonografo was a great aesthetic and technological revolution.The new version is faithful in style but includes a 21st technology upgrade. Price: of €4,950. www.brionvega.it

MR BEANBAG With a nod to 60’s Blow Chair designed by Jonathan De Pas, Donato D’Urbino, Paolo Lamazzi and Carlo Scolari, these bean bags are made from PVC and available in four metalized colours: red, orange, green and violet. Size: 85 x 110 cm h. Price: €235. Novita, Valdichiana Outlet Village, Arezzo. www.valdichianaoutlet.com

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RADIO SKYSCRAPER Another revived 60s style icon, the Radio Grattacielo ‘Skyscraper’ was originally designed by Marco Zanuso.The 21st Century version has been upgraded to feature a USB slot and a pin jack to connect MP3 players. Price: €179. www.brionvega.it

MUSICAL CUBE Brionvega revolutionized the 60’s radio concept with its Cube radio, designed by Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper.The radio-alarm function includes a precision clock, guaranteed to keep the right time thanks to its connection to a geostationary satellite above Europe. Price: €209-249 www.brionvega.it

SILVER ARTICHOKE Inspired by Poul Henningsen’s original artichoke pendent design, the ‘Copenhagen’ lamp is made from painted aluminium. Price: €828,00. Novita, Valdichiana Outlet Village, Arezzo. www.valdichianaoutlet.com

60’S GLAMOUR Novita, Valdichiana Outlet Village, Arezzo. www.valdichianaoutlet.com

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gardening | dig tuscany

THE TUSCAN GARDEN As classic as Italian opera, the Tuscan garden is a medley of plants and landscape features that resonate with old world charm. Garden expert Simone Lipi shares his tips to help you achieve your own piece of garden harmony in Tuscany, starting with the basics… s with every garden style, when planning your Tuscan garden, there are a number of important factors you first need to take into consideration for example, the season, the type of soil, irrigation, climate, the available space, your needs and of course plants and fixtures.

THE SEASONS Autumn and spring are the best seasons to begin your garden projects, however, the effects of so-called global warming in Tuscany seem to have reduced the length of both these seasons, narrowing that window somewhat.

THE CLIMATE Our climate is mainly characterised by warm, dry days, during the warmer seasons, with temperatures reaching 30-35 °C and more. In the colder seasons we experience frequent, rainy days and relatively mild temperatures; although in northern Tuscany, these temperatures can plummet to -5 °C. Because of this climate our vegetation goes through two periods of minimal growth, from June to September, due to the dry climate; and from November to February due to the cold climate.

THE SOIL There are three kinds of soil of soil commonly found in Tuscany: acid soil - made up of sandstone, argil clay or granite with a PH of less than 7. Plants and trees that love acid soil include cork oak (Quercus suber), myrtle (Myrtus Cumminis) and Camellia. alkaline soil - rich in carbonate and in limestone which has a PH of more than 7. Alkaline loving plants include: Cistus, and olive trees (Olea Europea) neutral soil has a PH of 7 (6.3-7.5). Plants and trees that prefer a neuatral soil include: holm oak (Quercus Ilex), cypress tree (Cypressus Semperverdis)

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SPACE Consideration of your garden space is important. You need to think about the difference in levels of your garden; the position of the sun; if it is flat or hilly and the availability of irrigation. All these elements are important factors to consider before positioning plants.

GARDEN USE When you create a garden you should consider not only the choice of plants and flowers but also your needs. Fittings such as tables, seats, benches, gazebos, swimming pools, small ponds and waterfalls, paths etc, have to be taken into account

PLANTS, TREES AND SHRUBS CYPRESS TREE Cupressus Sempervirens Features: Can reach 20-30m plus in height, is evergreen, drought resistant, adaptable to any kind of soil and grows to 700-800m at sea level. Likes: Sunny locations and part shade. Dislikes: Long periods of frost and ice. Landscaping: Used singly or in groups for decorating long paths. Properties: Grows slowly. Its thick wood was used to make wooden sarcophagus and wooden beams to hold terracotta ceilings thanks to its long straight trunks. Origin: Crete is likely to be cypress tree’s nationality. Also called, Tarentino because Taranto was the first place in Italy where cypress trees were cultivated. History: The doors of St Peter’s Basilica, Rome were originally made of cypress wood. Cypress trees were used to cure lung diseases thanks to its intense resin smell. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Cyparissus was a young hunter who accidentally killed his pet deer. He was so overcome with sadness he asked Apollo to let him die. Instead, Apollo turned Cyparissus into a cypress tree. Since then it has been regarded as the symbol of death and immortality.

GARDENER’S TIP If you don’t have much time to look after your garden, choose plants that are easy to grow and don’t require too much maintenance, an make sure you install and adequate irrigation system.

OLIVE TREE (Olea europaea) Features: Can reach 8-10m in height, is evergreen and slow-growing. Likes: Neutral/acid soil and is mainly grown in hilly countryside. Dislikes: Excessive cold rain. Properties: From its fruit, olives, we derive oil for cooking. Its thick wood is used not only to make wooden furniture but also to make wooden kitchen tools such as chopping boards and spoons. Origin: Crete and Syria. History: In the Book of Genesis a white dove carrying an olive branch is a sign of peace. After the Great Flood, in order to find land, Noah released a dove three times. On the first trip, the dove returned with nothing, indicating that the waters had not yet receded. On the second trip, the dove came back carrying an olive leaf in its beak

(Genesis 8:11), which informed Noah that God had taken mercy on humanity and caused the flood to recede and physically showed there was some earth now above water level.

GARDEN FIXTURES To add a real Tuscan touch to your garden include some typical fixtures: Terracotta pots - suitable for citrus plants which during winter need to brought inside to be protected from the cold; Stone troughs, suitable for displaying terracotta flowerpots containing seasonal plants such as coronations and verbena, begonia etc. If your garden has space you could also build a wooden or wrought iron gazebos – perfect for creating a shady dining spot. Simone Lipi www.ilcerchioverdi.it TU tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 75

grand designs | villa oliva

THE GREEN ROOM

The beautiful Renaissance Villa Oliva has been much admired throughout the centuries. Indeed at one time, it could boast of having stables far more decadent in style and decoration than even the palatial chambers of Versaillesâ&#x20AC;Ś 76 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

estled in the hills above Lucca, Villa Oliva was built in the late XVth century as the country residence for the Buonvisi family by Matteo Civitali, a famous Italian Renaissance architect. Civitali’s work is inspired by the careful balance between ‘full and empty spaces’, one of the hallmarks of Italian renaissance architecture. In Villa Oliva this is illustrated by an unusually large loggia on the northern, ‘private’ front of the villa. This loggia is supported by four columns, each cut out of a single block of grey matraia stone. The south façade is characterized by a front of windows symmetrically arranged around a grey stone balcony. The origins of the house can be traced back to Buonviso di Corrado, adviser to the Roman Emperor Otto III, who in around 1042 granted land to the church of S. Pancrazio. In the following century the house of Buonvisi grew into a powerful Lucchese banking and silk trading dynasty with interests in Flanders, Spain and England. Owing to their stature and political weight the Buonvisis had several important clergymen in their family, most notably three Cardinals. The most famous of these was Francesco Buonvisi born in 1626, who was nominated Cardinal by Innocent XI in 1681 and who in 1690 became Bishop of Lucca. Cardinal Francesco was Apostolic Envoy to Cologne, Warsaw and Vienna where he participated in the defence and relief of the city when the Turks lay siege to the city in 1683. When back in Lucca he dedicated himself mainly to his diocese. Few months before his death in 1700 Cardinal Francesco hosted a Synod which took place in the great hall of his villa, now Villa Oliva. With the death of Francesco Gerolamo Buonvisi in 1800 the family line ended and the

villa became the property of Maria Caterina Buonvisi, married to Nicola Montecatini. Throughout the 19th Century the villa changed hands many times, but at the start of the 20th Century and was bought by the Oliva’s an, ancient Genovese family. Since then, the house has been restored to its former beauty and is now the summer residence of the Oliva family.

The Park Built on three levels with various fountains and waterfalls the park has changed very little from its original layout. You can still find trees such as limes (Tilia platyphyllos Scop), maples (Acer campestre L), oaks (Quercus robur L) holly (Ilex aquifolium L) and carpini (Carpinus betulus L) that were mentioned in the first recorded description of the villa in 1593. The parkland extends to about five hectares and is circumvented by a large stone wall. The main, south side entrance of the villa illustrates the splendour of the House of Buonvisi with its four large grey stone columns richly decorated with white Carrara marble. The gate opens onto a long cypress drive leading up to the south facade of the villa. One of the idiosyncrasies of the garden is the carpino pergola that runs parallel to the southnorth axis of the cypress drive. This pergola is unique in its style and consists of carpini trees rather than the more common vine or jasmine. The irregular terrain on the south side of the villa is terraced and separated by walls. Facing the villa, on the right hand side of the alley is a stanza di verzura, garden rooms inspired by the Baroque gardening tradition. Outlined by yew (Taxus baccata L) and laurel (Laurus nobilis L); in the shady centre of the stanza is a grey stone table flanked by two stone benches. Further on, towards the house is a waterfall that flows from the upper level of the park into a large basin lined by terracotta statues.

STABLES FIT FOR A SUN KING The stables are also open to the public. A legend tells us of a bet of proud Cardinal Francesco Buonvisi with Louis XIVth of France. Buonvisi claimed that his stables were more beautiful than any of the rooms in the newly constructed Versailles. A curious Louis XIVth sent his ambassador to Lucca, who after inspecting the stables had to agree with Buonvisi.The Cardinal had ordered the walls of his stables to be covered with ‘Louis d’or’, French gold coins with the effigy of the sun king himself.

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grand designs | villa oliva

The beauty of the garden is enhanced further by ornate fountains making the most of the abundance of water in the area. The most remarkable fountain of the park, the so-called Fontana della Sirena, is located at the northern edge of the park. Perched on top of the water feature you will notice the Buonvisi coat of arms. Also in the northern part of the garden is a grotto, typical of Italian renaissance garden architecture. In the centre of which cave sits a putto (a cherub-like figure) crowned by horses and small winged putti with fish tails. Beyond its aesthetic appeal this fountain is also functional as the garden’s main irrigation system. Another fountain, this time from the Baroque era, is the Fontana dell’ Abbondanza, situated in the eastern part of the park. The statue at the centre of the fountain emerges from a niche decorated in the same grey stone and white marble pattern, which we find in the columns of the main 16thCentury entrance.

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THE PLANTS You will find typical Italian garden plants such as box (Buxus sempervirens L), yew (Taxus baccata L) and oak (Quercus ilex L). In the eastern part of the garden you can also admire rare species of plants from all over the world such as the fragrant olive (Osmanthus fragrans Lour) and the rare Osmanthus armatus Diel, the cypress of Monterey (Cupressus macrocarpa Hartweg), the pineapple guava (Feljoa sellowiana O Berg), and the Ginkgo Biloba L, from China - a species unchanged since the Mesozoic era Among the most impressive trees you’ll see is the Judas’s Tree (Cercis siliquastrum L) the popular name referring to a tree on which Judas the traitor of Jesus hung himself according to the Bible. And finally the Poncirus trifoliata L the only deciduous citrus fruit. Villa Oliva can be booked for cultural events, receptions, weddings and meetings. For additional information: www.villaoliva.it. TU

OPEN GARDEN The villa’s gardens our open to the public from March 15th to November 5th.The opening hours are: every day 9.30-12.30; 2-6pm. Tickets can be purchased at the entrance. Only groups with advanced booking can have access outside the regular opening hours.

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ACTIVITIES

ROAD TRIP | OUTDOOR PURSUITS | BREAKAWAY | WATER SPORTS Tuscany’s great outdoors has so much to offer the adventurous visitor and resident.You’ve visited the cathedrals, bought the souvenirs and paid homage to the Rennaisance masters – now what do you do? Read on for some top ideas…

DIVE IN

Dive in for some incredible sites off the island of Elba. Page 90

HEAD FOR THE HILLS Page 80

ART BREAKS Page 84

DRIVING TUSCANY Page 86 tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 79

fun, sweat and thrills | trekking

GET YOUR BOOTS ON Tuscany is renowned for its works of art, beautiful cities and amazing countryside, but far less is known of its hidden trails and spectacular high level tracks that makes this region a fantastic destination for walkers writes outdoors man, Rupert Yates-Bell.

iversity is the key, as Tuscany holds a variety of landscapes. Some known, and some less well-known. From the areas of Chianti and San Gimignano and the Val Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Orcia, that are on the lists of most Tuscan travelers, to areas such as the Garfagnana, Montagnola Senese and the

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Maremma, that are more off-the-beaten-track, traditional and unspoilt. Firstly, we look to the northern end of Tuscany - north of Lucca and Pisa - to start with the region of the Garfagnana, known for its enchanted forests and spectacular mountain ranges of the Apuan Alps and the Apennines. It

is an area that has maintained its traditions and its culture much more that other areas of Tuscany. Due to its location and mountain geography people visiting the area are much more likely to be outdoor enthusiasts attracted by the 100s of kilometers of trails for biking and trekking. The Apennine and Apuan Alps ranges cater for walkers of all levels, from easy mountain and valley walks to harder mountain trails and Via Ferrata routes. There are peaks just shy of 2,000m in the Alpi Apuane, with the highest Monte Pisanino at 1,965m. Limestone peaks and rocky crags, the area is more Mediterranean in its feel, with inland views to the Garfagnana and seaward to the Versilia Coast of Massa and Carrara. The Apennines are typically more rolling mountains, covered with heather and mirtilli (blueberries), eagles and buzzards soar above. Here there is more of a northern European feel, as well as the highest peak in Tuscany of Monte Prado at 2,054m.

TREKS IN GARFAGNANA Rock Arch and Wind Caves Walk from Fornolovasco near the Grotto del Vento. Taking track number 6 up to the Foce di Petrociana and then the small scramble route to the amazing rock arch of Monte Forato. On top you’re rewarded with ample views of the coast and the Garfagnana, as well as a great view of the mountain; the Pania della Croce. Along the route you may be lucky and come across the Mouflon or wild goats of the Alpi Apuane, as well as the abundant flora that is to be found in the Apuan Alps. After descending on track 12, back to Fornolovasco, you could easily pop in a visit to the wind caves of the Grotto del Vento.

Dead Man of Garfagnana Another Alpi Apuane trek is that of the ‘Dead Man of the Garfagnana’, Uomo Morto della Garfagnana, with an ascent to the peak of Pania della Croce – 1,865m. One of the classic walks of the area with an abundance of wide-open vistas to be enjoyed. There are many opportunities here for trekking,

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fun, sweat and thrills | trekking and I’d definitely recommend getting hold of the 1:25000 red map of the Alpi Apuane, to see all the routes available. Starting from Castelnuovo di Garfagnana we take the road up via Monteperpoli following signs to Rifugio Rossi and finally to park in Piglionico, where we find a small chapel at the start of the trek, built to remember the partisans who died in the area during the Second World War. From here we follow the red and white markers up to Rifugio Rossi, where we can break our ascent with a drink or even a great bowl of pasta before continuing to ascend the Pania della Croce. Next we pass through great limestone formations and scree areas before arriving on the main ridge line with a view, second to none, that gives us the profile of the whole range of the Alpi Apuane. After time on the top, with a picnic lunch or a siesta, descend via the route taken up, or a longer route via Mosceta and the refuge here, to then rejoin a different trail to Piglionico.

following an old drovers’ route up to this glacial cirque that is home to a picturesque gathering of ancient shepherds’ stone huts. Take some time to walk around the village and admire the views and the village, before continuing up the track, following signs and green way-marks to the Hermitage of San Viviano. Built into the rock face facing the Arnetola Valley the Hermitage has great views towards the marble quarries. From the hermitage descend to the lower valley via an exposed route to Vagli Sopra and the marble quarry road to Vagli Sotto. Or you can return via backtracking on the route already walked.

Into the Wild The Apennines are criss-crossed with fantastic walks such as those through the unspoilt Orecchiella Natural Park and the walk to the Pania del Corfino 1,610m, combining a visit to the park’s visitors centre to see the animals enclosures and the alpine garden here. There are also bars and restaurants here to eat, or get a panini made up for the walk to Pania del Corfino. This area is home to large groups of mouflon and red deer, as well as wolves, wild boar and much more. This are can be reached from Castelnuovo di Garfagnana following the signs to Corfino and then to the Orecchiella.

High and Mighty

Chianti.

Lake, Huts and Hermitage More of an easier walk in the Alpi Apuane, and one that includes valley views, villages and mountains is the route from Lake Vagli to Vagli Sopra, the shepherds’ village of Campocatino and the hermitage of San Viviano. The variety of the lower altitude flowers here is spectacular, particularly during the month of May. Our route leaves the start point at Hotel II Pesatore, by the bridge crossing the lake. We ascend up a marked trail, in and out of local meadows and through a myriad of flora. We arrive at the village of Vagli Sopra, which was home to the workers from the marble quarries of the Alpi Apuane, and also an important stopping point on the old medieval trading route of the Via Vandelli that crosses the peaks from the Versilia coast. Leaving the village behind, we take a way-marked trail up to Campocatino

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For a high level walk in the Apennines, drive up to Casone di Profeccia at 1,300m then park and walk up to Passo Forbici where you can ascend on the 0-0 trail to the main ridge line along the small peaks to the Bocca di Massa. Once there you can return via the trail to Casone and Rifugio Cella, or for a longer walk, continue via Monte Vecchio and on to the majestic Monte Prado at 2,054. From here you have the option to continue to Rifugio Battisti to eat or even spend the night relaxing beside the shores of the lake of Bargetana, before returning to Bocca di Massa and Casone.

Chianti Treks Greve-in-Chianti is the main town in the Chianti region and at the Tourist Information Point here there are many walks on offer. A word of advice here, Greve is low down in the valley so it may be better to start high and end low! The area is more hilly and forested than people expect, but you will be rewarded with great Tuscan postcard views on the walks.

Much Ado About Mona Lisa One route starts at the hill top village of Panzano-in-Chianti. After a walk through the old town, follow way-marked trails

along the gravel road towards the village of Lamole renowned for the wine produced here along with the fabulous Ristoro di Lamole restaurant. From the village of Lamole descend towards Vignamaggio, rumoured to be the birthplace of the ‘Mona Lisa’ and the location for Kenneth Brannagh’s movie, Much Ado About Nothing (1993). Crossing through vineyards and along quiet gravel roads, we then arrive on the final walk in to Greve-in-Chianti.

Round About Another walk from Panzano follows the road and gravel road to Montefioralle on to San Cresci, and descending to Greve. A shorter walk to reach Greve that is also very rewarding. You can also continue to take the road in the direction of Siena to then climb the old road back to Panzano to create a good circular walk.

Dreamtime Apuan Alps.

Another area sometimes missed in Chianti is that close to Radda-in-Chianti and the small hill top village of Volpaia, home of winery Castello di Volpaia. From the vineyard you can buy a small guide to walks in the area that take you through vineyards and forest, Castelvecchi, the church of Santa Maria Novella and many small hamlets. The vistas from Volpaia are wide and open, with views of Cypress avenues, vineyards and great villas that you can only dream of owning! A mustvisit watering hole in Volpaia is Bar Ucci. Owner Paola is a character in Tuscany not to be missed.

On the Road to Ruins Other trekking areas to be noted are: Montanola Senese - encompassing areas such as the amazing walled village of Monteriggioni: Sovicille, southwest of Siena, where walks are well marked and beautiful. There are many guidebooks and information produced by the Terre di Siena for walking and biking in the area of Val di Merse, Montagola and the atmospheric ruined abbey of San Galgano on the road to Massa Marittima. I’ve only touched on the wonders of the walks and treks available in Tuscany. To get the full flavour of the area, it’s worth leaving the car and heading out for a morning or day to enjoy the sights and sounds of Tuscany by foot you’d otherwise bypass in the car. The best seasons for walking are from April to mid-June, (albeit weather dependent), and September to early November during which time you can make the most of flowers, colours, local festivals and the wine harvest period. Rupert Yates-Bell www.garfagnanaadventures.com TU tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 83

breakaway | tuscany Photo: Sarah Carter

Photo: Sarah Carter

Find your marbles in the shadow of the Tuscan Alps Fancy yourself as the next Michaelengelo? Carve out your own Tuscan masterpiece with the help of skilled craftsmen in the footsteps of the master himself. he blue and white, soaring silhouette of the Apuan Alps is more than just a pretty backdrop to the Versillia Riviera. Rich in marble, the white, worldfamous Carrara stone has been extracted from the Apuan’s open quarries since Roman times. Originally marble was extracted by inserting wooden pegs into cracks in the rock then pouring water onto the pegs to make them swell. Eventually the rock would split, liberating a piece of marble. Today, modern techniques have changed the style of quarrying, making this part of Italy a world centre for working with marble. Pietrasanta has been the home for the most famous marble carving studios since Michelangelo began quarrying marble on the nearby Monte Altissimo in the 16th

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Century. Loved by the sculptors Henry Moore, Mitoraj, Noguchi and Botero, today this charming medieval town whose walls date back to 1255 is a renowned international centre for artists working in marble and bronze. This area is a great holiday base for art lovers. Choose from guided tours of Pietrasanta to visit the artisans’ marble workshops, bronze foundries, mosaic and terracotta workshops. Be accompanied up the marble mountains along the road Michelangelo built to bring his marble down. Dine with the quarriers and hear their tales. Or visit the numerous art galleries in the town and savour aperitivi where the artists hang out. Then of course there is the art city of

Lucca with its brand new contemporary art gallery in its walled centre. Or why not have a go at the papier machè trade at the amazing Citadella del Carnivale in Viareggio. Afterwards take a stroll along Viareggio’s promenade to admire the Liberty art and architecture from the Belle Epoche. Or simply take time out to paint the breathtaking sunsets over composer Giacomo Puccini’s lake or the poetic olive groves that surround the panoramic hills.

Stone Me! Handcraft studios’ sculpting courses provides a unique learning experience for sculptors of all levels, and for those who have no previous experience. For further information contact: Destinazione Italia, Serravezza. Tel: 0584 757589; Email: info@destinazioneitalia.it. Website: www.destinazioneitalia.it

Art Break With Poppies Cultural Holidays you can witness for yourself how marble is extracted from the open quarries. Afterwards, visit the art workshops of Pietrasantra and observe the techniques of marble carving from the master artisans, plus bronze casting, mouldmaking, printmaking and mosaic from the region’s many skilled craftsmen. There are alternative arty holiday options, for example, painting, photography courses and art city tours. For more information contact: sarah.poppies@gmail.com. Website: www.poppies.it

B&B Inspired La Piaggetta Residenza d’Epoch is an incredible place for artists to stay for a few days. The beautifully restored villa sits directly on the shoreline of Puccini’s lake with incredible gardens for art lovers who simply want to sit and paint the sunsets. La Piaggetta, Quiesa, Lucca. Tel: 0584 93277; Email: info@lapiaggetta.com: Website: www.lapiaggetta.com TU

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drive | tuscany

A voyage throu

and of beauty, harmony and magic. It is a well-known fact there are no lack of beautiful places in Tuscany. Thankfully, in many parts of the region, nature is still dominant and the hurly-burly of modern life and urbanization is just a dim and distant theory. One of the pearls in Tuscany’s scenic crown has to be the Val d’Orcia. Famed for its beauty, harmony and sheer magic, it’s no surprise the whole valley was declared a World Heritage Site by the

UNESCU in 2004. An act that safeguards the uniqueness of this landscape, which for good reason is famous all over the world as the ‘Tuscan postcard’. The Val d’Orcia is about 40 km south of Siena and is named after the river that flows through it. It is a land happily remote from the highways and busy road junctions; a land whose main features are sweet, rolling hills, cultivated fields and lush woods. Monte Amiata (1,738m) is the soaring backdrop to this isolated and quiet landscape; a landscape dotted with farmhouses, Montalcino.

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ugh Val d’Orcia Eighties pop queen, Belinda Carlisle, once sang, Ooh, Heaven is a place on earth. As you drive through the Val d’Orcia landscape it’s easy to imagine this sublime scenery as the location for such a divine dwelling place. Local tour guide, Olivia Vannini, takes us for a drive through this land of saints and vinsanto…

fortresses and medieval towns in which the people still live in harmony with Mother Nature. The mountain is in fact an inactive volcano and has been a rich source of water, both cold and hot. These thermal springs were enjoyed by the Etruscans and Romans. Down through the ages, kings, nobles and pilgrims who travelled through the area on their pilgrimage to Rome, never missed the opportunity to stop and ‘take the waters’. Not only home to spectacular natural and artistic tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 87

drive | tuscany rises. As you climb you will see the first vineyards while enjoying a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside. There are some paying car parks, but for a free alternative follow the ‘P’ sign from the roundabout you find as you approach the town. Be careful not to leave your car in no-parking areas… the fines are pretty fashionable in the area! Like many other towns in Tuscany, Montalcino’s origin is lost in time. Today, Montalcino owes its fame to the Brunello wine - one of the finest Italian wines - and the centre of town is awash with wine shops where you can taste and buy wines. Worth noting

beauties, the area also yields gastronomically acclaimed food and drink produce, such as the Brunello wine and the pecorino cheese of Pienza. Beautiful words are not enough to describe this heaven on earth, you’ve got to experience it for yourself, and the easiest way to do this is by car. So, dust down that road map and rev up for this day-long itinerary…

SIENA – MONTALCINO – PIENZA – BAGNO VIGNONI Start: Siena Since this is the Province of Siena let’s start from the Sienese capital. Take the Via Cassia (SR2) which you’ll find by following the Sienese ring road southwards in the direction of Roma, Buonconvento and Montalcino. The town of Montalcino will be the first stop on our itinerary. Leaving Siena behind you drive along the Via Cassia until you find the town of Buonconvento. A few hundred metres after the town, turn right to Montalcino. ALTERNATIVE ROUTE - An interesting diversion to Buonconvento (particularly for off-road lovers) is found by taking the road to Radi off the Via Cassia road (just outside Siena). Follow the signs to Ville di Corsano then to Vescovado, Murlo, Bibbiano and then Buonconvento where this road emerges. This road is one of what in Tuscany are called strade bianche, unpaved roads, drivable by all cars - you don’t necessary need a 4x4. The route is longer but the view is really wonderful.

Montalcino The road to Montalcino climbs up the hill from where the town

Castelnuovo Berardenga

SIENA Montaperti

Rapolano Terme

Sovicille

S.Rocco a Pilli Monteeroni d’Arbia

Murlo Buonconvento

Asciano

S.Giovanno d’Asso

Alternative route Main route

Pienza S.Quirico d’Orcia

Montalcino Bagno Vignoni

Castiglione d’Orcia

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parades, dances, an archery competition and, of course, food banquets.

Sant’ Antimo abbey Having visited Montalcino and recuperated the car, drive in the direction of Castelnuovo dell’Abate, Sant’Antimo (SP55) from the roundabout (easy to find as there is only one). A stop at Sant’Antimo abbey (10 km from Montalcino) is a must. This is a really ancient site and a masterpiece of Romanesque art. The ancient monastery was abandoned for many centuries; its stones used as a quarry by builders in the area to

Sant’Antimo Abbey.

Bagno Vignoni.

is the 14th C fortress, the Piazza del Popolo and the town hall. Take a refreshment break at the Bar Caffe Fiaschetteria one of the most beautiful historical Italian bars complete with its original 19th C furniture. In the same piazza, stop at the old Pasticceria Mariuccia. Here you can buy traditional dried cakes and biscuits of the region: panforti, pan pepato, ricciarelli. Every third Sunday of the month a market selling local organic products takes place in the piazza (info: www.mercatinidellavaldorcia.com) but to see Montalcino ‘in feast’ you should visit on the last Sunday of October for the Sagra del Tordo a medieval festival with costume

construct other churches. In the 1870s a peasant lived there using the ancient crypt as his cellar, the church as a warehouse and the cloister as a stable for his animals. Fortunately by the end of the 19th C the abbey passed into the hands of the State and many restorations were done. Today, a small group of Agostinian monks have made it their home, surrounded by centuries-old olive trees (during the week the church can be visited 10:1512:30am/3:00-6:30pm; Saturday and Sunday 9:15-10:45am/3:00-6;00pm).

Brunello di Montalcino As with every respectable excursion, after having immersed yourself in the history, art and faith of a place comes

the moment of ‘tasting’, or even better, ‘drinking’! Return to the road from which you came, but before the main crossing turn right towards Sant’Angelo in Colle. This charming road becomes unpaved after a while and runs through the vineyards. Along this strade bianche you will find several wineries that produce Brunello (together with other products such as the extra virgin olive oil, vinsanto and grappa). Amongst them is the Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona (tours from Monday to Friday at 10:00am, 11:00am, 3:00pm, 6:00pm). From €12 per person, you’ll get a guided tour of the cellar plus three wine tastings) and Tenuta la Sesta where you will receive a free little tasting or for €5 per person, a tasting and tour of the cellars. Keep in mind that all the wineries require a reservation so try to call them in advance. At the end of this visit it would probably be a good idea to eat something to soak up that glorious Brunello grape. Since it will probably be lunch time I suggest you have lunch at the Trattoria il Pozzo not far from there. Keep following the unpaved road and you will get to the tiny village of Sant’Angelo in Colle where the restaurant is located in the (unique) piazza. Here the products are fresh and local, the pasta and cakes are homemade and seasonable vegetables are dug from their vegetable garden. The bill is really reasonable… long live places like this! Fully replenished, head back to Montalcino on the (SP14) to take the road to Pienza. Once in Montalcino follow the direction to Roma and then San Quirico d’Orcia. The road from San Quirico to Pienza (about 9km on the SP di Chianciano, SS146) is really astonishing, even those who don’t enjoy taking photographs, are tempted here.

Pienza Pienza is a small pearl of Renaissance art. Visit the Duomo full of beautiful works of art and the Palazzo Piccolomini with its Italian-style garden overlooking the Val d’Orcia. But also, don’t miss the opportunity to indulge in pecorino cheese tastings in the shops along the main street. This traditional cheese (made from sheep’s milk) is made in the same way as it has been for generations and is aged a minimum of 30 days (fresco) up to four months (stagionato). All the shops offer a free tasting, just ask. On the right-hand side of the Duomo is

MAKE TIME FOR… Eating Pasticceria Mariuccia Montalcino www.pasticceriamariuccia.it Trattoria il Pozzo Sant’ Angelo in Colle Closed onTuesday Tel: 0577 844015 Locanda Pane e Vino Montalcino Tel: 0577 847063/ 3473908935 www.colsereno.it

Drinking Bar Caffe Fiaschetteria Montalcino ClosedTuesday Tel: 0577 849043 Azienda Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Montalcino Tel: 0577 835616 www.ciaccipiccolomini.com the start of a little panoramic road (though it’s hard to find a big one here!). It circles the village, perfect for an easy stroll to work off the calories from all that cheese! From Pienza follow the SP18 that leaves the town from the side of the ancient city walls. At the first crossroad turn right on the SP53 to Bagno Vignoni. This is another enchanting road; driving in Val d’Orcia is a real pleasure. At the end of the road you find again the Via

ingwith r e nd y WaTuscan in

a i v i Ol

Cassia and you have almost arrived at your final destination, just follow the signs to Bagno Vignoni.

Bagno Vignoni The tiny thermal village of Bagno Vignoni is the perfect stop at the end of the day. Having walked around the ancient, steamy water ‘piazza’, dip your feet into the hot water canals near the slope of the hill and enjoy the view. These canals were only recently rediscovered and were part of

a complicated medieval water mill system. If this magical place seduces into wanting to stay longer, look right behind you. Standing in front of you is the Hotel Posta Marcucci one of the oldest spas in the area (and one that still preserves an old world charming appeal) with a thermal pool and an amazing view. This pool is also open to the public every day until 5pm. Take a look inside and you will return here for sure! TU

Tenuta Di Sesta Tel. 0577 835612 www.tenutadisesta.it

Sleeping La Casina di Montalcino Montalcino Tel: 3476238679 Email: katanga_72@yahoo.it Hotel Posta Marcucci Bagno Vignoni (SI) Tel: 0577 887112 www.hotelpostamarcucci.it

www.o liviatour.it

Olivia mobile: (0039) 3476238679 | Email: oliviavannini@yahoo.it tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 89

sea | tuscany

The incredible dives off the coast of Marciana Marina off the Isola dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Elba are not to be missed, especially by passionate divers.

Underwater

r love

Punta Nasuto Sailing west from Marciana Marina is Punta Nasuto. Here the seabed is very varied. An interesting dive is the one that begins on the east side of the promontory. After moving through thick shoals of damselfish hanging constantly in mid-water you will reach the base of the cliff at a depth of 42m. This route continues for about 50m towards the open sea along a sandy tract, until reaching a large isolated rock that rises imposingly through the surface of the water by a couple of meters. The life surrounding these two underwater cliffs is extraordinary: there are shoals of white breams and shadefish inside the deep clefts, with lobsters and conger-eels appearing from behind rocks, as

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well as the beautiful Anthias whirling inside the cracks with their pink coats. The rocks display a particularly rich coralligenous with bright colourful sponges, bryozoas and the delicate crowns of the Protula tubularia.

Punta della Madonna Not far from the previous dive is Punta della Madonna, which can be reached in just a few minutes by boat from the port of Marciana Marina. The dive can be made on the north side of the promontory to explore what looks like its underwater extention and is constituted by a large cliff the top of which almost reaches the surface of the water.

Towards the open sea, the wall descends quickly to over 44m where the rocks display a large number of deep and large fractures, the ideal hideout for the many species that prefer a dark environment. There are many red Apogon imberbis, small slipper lobsters, Galathea and the Stenopus spinosus crayfish with their long antennas. Thanks to the alternation of fractures and extraordinarily clear water this underwater landscape is unique. For this dive a flashlight is a must.

The Careno Shallow Between Capo Santâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Andrea and Formiche della Zanca, the great Careno Shallow rises up to 1420m from the sea surface. The area facing the

Gorgonias.

Blenny.

coast slopes gently to a moderate depth while the area towards the open sea forms a rockslide of various terraces that reach a depth of 40m. The morphology of the seabed is characterized by a succession of big rocks one on top of the other, forming hide-outs, caves and narrow tunnels that create the perfect housing for many reef fish such as wrasse, groupers and blennies. In the darker areas grow sponges and tunicates, such as the transparent Clavelina lepadiformis and the red Halocinthya papillosa, that beautifully colour the rocks. The side facing northwest is spectacular: descending along the wall formed by enormous rocks and after reaching a depth of 30m, there are gorgonias, lobsters and plenty of scorpion fish. This part of the coast is particularly luxuriant thanks to the

presence of constant currents carrying essential nourishment for the development of many forms of life. As on most shallows, even here it is possible to observe the passing of dentexes and amberjacks that reach these waters in search of prey.

Formiche della Zanca To the west of Marciana Marina, between Capo Santâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Andrea and Punta della Zanca, is Formiche della Zanca, one of the finest dive sites on the northern coast of the Island of Elba. The socalled Formiche, is constituted by a group of emerging rocks, the underwater part of which is an amazingly scenic seabed with various routes for the diver. The side towards the Island of Capraia is

particularly beautiful: beyond a detrital plateau confined by rocks the dive route starts descending until it reaches tall pointed cliffs and a large channel, the walls of which are made of large rocks containing many hide-outs for congereels and shadefish. Deeper, beyond 45m, there is a fantastic seabed covered by fans of red Paramuricea clavata: a particularly interesting photographic subject thanks also to the schools of Anthias and damselfish elegantly swimming among the branches. Among the rocks it is fairly common to spot the antennas of a lobster, while surfacing schools of saddle breams, bogues and occasional amberjacks regularly accompany the diver. Supplied by: Arcipelago Toscana Tourist Information Office TU tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 91

property | advice

HOME FROM HOME

Buying a house in Italy can be a complex area. Before you get in contact with local real estate agents or realtors who have property for sale in Tuscany try to get to grips with what's involved in purchasing property in Tuscany. on-Italian residents are able to purchase property in Italy but in order to do this, you will need to have a tax code number (codice fiscale) and a bank account which your real estate agent can do on your behalf. It is always wise to ensure that your agent is legally registered and is therefore able to mediate on your behalf. Under Italian law, both seller and buyer are represented by the same estate agent, who will mediate between both parties. In

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The Buying Process

addition, both buyer and seller use the same public notary, whose responsibility is to oversee the final sale process and check that all documentary details are correct and that the property has no mortgages or any similar legal or financial encumbrances on it.

1. If you wish to purchase a property, it is possible to draw up a Proposta Irrevocabile D'Acquisto - basically a promise to buy, and a promise to sell which is signed by both would-be purchaser and the seller. In this document are stated details regarding the property for sale, names of the parties concerned, the purchase price, and the planned date for signing the preliminary contract of purchase (compromesso). A cheque deposit for a nominal sum from the purchaser will then be held by the notary or your estate agent. This sum will be returned when the compromesso is signed. You will lose this deposit if you back out of the sale once this agreement has been made. However, the deposit will be returned to you if the sale falls through for any other season. 2. The compromesso is a document to be signed by both parties, which shows all relevant details of the purchase, including a full description of the property as it appears in the local land registry, the sale price, the date of completion, and the deposit that is to be paid (usually in the region of 30% of the purchase price). 3. The final contract, (rogito) is usually signed within three months from the compromesso. The rogito takes place at the office of a local notaio, who will have checked all details regarding the property and the purchase in advance. All parties are required to be present for the signing of the final contract, though if this is not possible (or if the purchaser does not speak Italian well enough to follow the entire process) then you can arrange for your agent to represent you with a power of attorney. The balance of the purchase price, purchase taxes and notary fees are due at this point. Present regulations set the purchase tax on first residences in Italy at 4%, but for this to apply the purchaser must establish residence in Italy. If it is not your first residence here, or if you do not wish to establish residency here, then the cost will be 11% for the house and 17% for any land. Please note that it is normal practise for these taxes to be calculated based on the declared value of the property. The buyer will also pay approximately 2% of the property value as the notary fee. Information supplied by Benito Cascia, www.housesintuscany.net. TU tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 93

property | house hunter

The Quest Londoner, Mike Foskett shares his experiences of house hunting and wine drinking in Tuscany… ohn Lennon sings: ‘life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans’. I was very busy with other plans but my life kept bringing me back to Italy. Any spare moment I had, I found myself on a plane to Pisa. Gradually it dawned on me to try and buy a property in Italy so as not to impose on my friend’s hospitality, spare bedrooms and couches. This, I reasoned, would give me the perfect excuse to visit more often, no longer just swanning-off on holiday. I now had a mission, a reason to be traipsing over the Tuscan hills, eating and drinking as I went; I was a house hunter! So in 2002, I began to trawl through the websites in search of my own version of ‘La dolce vita’.

Casting the Net There are thousands of websites advertising property in Tuscany; most are very good and all the agents are of course, keen to make a sale. Before I made contact with an agent I would draw up a list of 10 or so properties I was interested in. Next, via email, I’d make basic enquires: Was there electricity and water? How far to the nearest village/bar? Was the road accessible via car? Where exactly is the property? Back would come the answers with the exception of where the property was. The agents would not disclose this information in case you went and made direct contact with the vendor and cut them out. This is of course, a strange concept coming from the UK. Location is of prime importance; is it near a factory belching smoke, a busy noisy road, miles up a mountain; all information considered essential in the UK but secret in Italy. The agents would say they had to be ‘in control’ while at the same time making a strange turning movement with their right hand. So they should be, considering that they charge 3% commission to the vendor and the purchaser, but more on that later as this is Italy and everything is negotiable! Once I had gathered up a short list of properties to view, I would log onto the easyjet website; book a ticket; then most importantly, book a table or two at my favourite restaurants in and around Lucca and

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I NOW HAD A MISSION, A REASON TO BE TRAIPSING OVER THE TUSCAN HILLS, EATING AND DRINKING AS I WENT; I WAS A HOUSE HUNTER!

head off. Not, I hasten to remind you on holiday, I had a mission, I was a house hunter! Invariably the properties I had chosen to view were supplemented by a few that the agents said I had to see as they would be perfect for me; invariably they were not but it was all part of the fun. I have lost count of the properties I have viewed but it is safe to say that I became quite friendly with several agents. I began to build up a wealth of experience that helped me to refine and narrow my search, or so I thought.

Horsing around The viewing process was entirely different to what I was used to in London. The properties I was interested in were in the country, where hospitality reigns. When we arrived for a viewing the owners were happy to show us around their property; but first a glass or two of wine. Sometimes we knew instantly that the property was not for us but we would leave an hour

SOMETIMES WE KNEW INSTANTLY THAT THE PROPERTY WAS NOT FOR US BUT WE WOULD LEAVE AN HOUR OR TWO LATER HAVING DRUNK A FEW GLASSES OF WINE LADEN DOWN WITH HONEY AND OTHER HOMEMADE PRODUCE. or two later having drunk a few glasses of wine laden down with honey and other homemade produce. On one occasion the agent’s car got stuck in the mud on a steep hill. My friend and I had to push the car to the house with the agent attempting to drive (I still remember her, Claudia was her name and stunning she was, my friend and I both knew we would not have pushed the car for a man!) We arrived exhausted at the house, that was not for me, and were offered copious amounts of wine to revive our fortunes. Another time we were viewing a capanna (barn) to be restored, only to be trapped inside by a very territorial stallion. My wife, the agent, the owner and I made frantic mobile calls but at last, the son turned up to create a diversion so we could high tail it out of the OK Corral. Bees nests were common, broken floorboards a constant hazard, hospitality was everywhere but still no ‘dolce vita’.

Gone Fishin’ I made offers on several properties and for many

reasons they fell through. My experience has taught me that they were two types of vendors; one who wanted to sell and was prepared to negotiate and the other ‘who wanted to catch a fish’ - the price was there take it or leave it, he would wait for the fish. I was only interested in the former and once I found a property I wanted, I would establish a ball park figure for the purchase then I would make contact with a geometra (surveyor). The geometra would look examine the structure of the property, make sure it complied with all Italian planning laws and that any changes I may require could be carried out. For example, you might want to add a swimming pool but not all areas or communes allow that. People often speak of horror stories of ‘buying in Italy’. It is different and strange but with the help of a good geometra you should have no problem; they will advise on all aspects of buying a property from taxes to renovation costs. Armed with all the information, detailed negotiations could commence but alas for me I could not get past this stage.

Two Wrongs Make a Right The years went by my friends would say: “why bother my house is your house”, but still the quest continued. Then one autumnal morning I arrived at a property with a fierce hangover. I could not understand the agent’s dialect, until it was pointed out that he was speaking English with a broad Scottish accent. The house did not tick all the boxes, I could hear road noise, it was the wrong area, but my heart told me the quest was over. Next month, ‘The Purchase’. Mike Foskett. TU

Houses in Tuscany

northern Tuscany, near Lucca. Its isolated position, away from the crowded main roads, has allowed the area to retain its unique natural beauty and culture.

Exclusive private villas with and without pool

www.housesintuscany.net info@housesintuscany.net Tel/Fax 0039-0583644027 or 0039-3473681090

Houses in Tuscany offers high quality privately owned cottages and villas, with and without pools, for sale and selfcatering summer rental. Many are situated in the beautiful Garfagnana Valley in

Properties for rental range from cosy one bedroom cottages to five bedroom luxury villas. All properties have outside eating areas, where you can relax and sample some traditional Italian food whilst enjoying the picturesque scenery of the surrounding valley. Also for sale traditional Tuscan properties and large farming estates to be restored. tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 95

tourist | tuscany

TRAVEL GUIDE

Make the most of your holiday in Tuscany with these tips on how to get around; what to shop for and what to do in an emergency. Local informazioni turistiche offices (indicated as APT or Pro Loco) are good for free maps, sight opening hours and hotel directories.

useful travel information. Ticket queues can be long, so why not use the automated machines. Stamp one end of your ticket at the station’s or track’s yellow box before embarking.

Opening Hours

Coach

Most shops and businesses open at 8 or 9am, shut for riposo from 12:30 or 1pm to 3 or 4pm (museums and churches, too), and close around 6 to 8pm. In larger cities the riposo is disappearing in favour of orario continuato – ‘straight through’.

Coaches (pullman) can be slower and no cheaper than trains; use them to reach towns inaccessible by train.

Tourist Offices in Tuscany

Getting Around Train Italian trains, run by FS, are speedy and efficient. The official website: www.trenitallia.com has an English language option and provides a lot of

96 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

Rental Car The best way to explore Tuscany’s back roads, hill towns and vineyards. Local outfits are rarely cheaper than international companies, and arranging a rental from your home country is invariably cheaper.

Road Maps & Signs TCI (Touring Club Italiano) maps are

best, widely available in Italy but infrequently outside it. Michelin maps have more sightseeing indications, including scenic roads highlighted in green. Italian road signs (green for routing via Autostrada highways, blue for state roads) indicate destinations (albeit inconsistently) more often than route numbers. Always know the name of the first village and major town or city along any road you wish to take.

Road Rules Speed limits are 30–50 kmph (20–30 mph) in town, 80–110 kmph (50–70 mph) on two-lane roads, and 130 kmph (80 mph) on motorways. Be warned, the previous lax attitude to speeding and drink

driving has now been tightened up with strict legislation. Left lanes are for passing, but on wide enough, hardshouldered roads, Italians regularly pass by swerving into the oncoming traffic, which obliges by using its own hard shoulder.

Tolls and Fuel There aren’t many toll roads mainly the A1 autostrada and the Florence-Pisa A13. Most filling stations close on Sundays, but even when closed many stations have automated machines that accept notes and, increasingly, credit cards.

City Buses Buy tickets at tobacconists’, bars or newsstands. Stamp one end on the bus (autobus ) when you board. Most are

good for a set time period during which you may transfer buses.

Taxis Taxis have ranks at airports and stations. Any hotel or restaurant will call you a taxi. Standard rates go up with luggage, after 8pm, on Sundays and for trips outside the city centre. Tip about 10%.

and 100 cigars. Canadian, Australian and New Zealand limitations are roughly similar. Except to the British Isles, you may not bring home flowers, bulbs, fruits, vegetables, meats (unless tinned), or cheeses runnier than a brie.

Leather

No historic centre in Tuscany, Florence included, takes more than 20 to 30 minutes to cross on foot. Many streets are cobblestoned, however, so wear sturdy, comfortable shoes.

Tuscany, especially Florence, is home to some of the world’s great leather workers, making jackets, bags, shoes, wallets and belts. From the stalls of San Lorenzo market to the boutiques of Ferragamo and Gucci and the leather school in Santa Croce church, you can find something fetching to fit your budget.

Shopping Tips

Fashion

Tax Refunds Italy’s sales tax (IVA) is incorporated into the price tag of every item. If you spend more than €155 in a shop, you can get the tax refunded. Ask the store to help you fill out the forms; then bring all such forms and the receipts to the customs office at the airport of the last EU country you’ll be visiting to complete the paperwork. Your refund will be mailed (though it may take months). Stores marked ‘Tax Free Shopping for Tourists’ speed up the process.

Tuscany contains the houses of Gucci, Pucci and Ferragamo. There are Gucci and Prada outlet stores and lesserknown classy local fashion boutiques such as Florence’s Madova gloves or Enrico Coveri clothing. High fashion is rarely cheaper than in other countries, but there is the cachet of having found those great shoes in Florence. Visit the designer outlet centres for high fashion at a lower cost.

On Foot

Customs Limits UK and Irish citizens can bring home virtually anything duty free (though theoretical amounts such as 90 litres of wine apply). US citizens are limited to $400worth of goods duty-free, including 1 litre of alcohol, 200 cigarettes,

Ceramics Italy is renowned for its hand-painted ceramics. Tuscany’s pottery tradition is among the best in Italy. You can find everything from Richard Ginori porcelain and high-class Rampini designs (see Ceramiche Rampini, near Radda) to traditional rustic patterns in Montepulciano, Siena and Cortona, and the more prosaic terracotta production in Impruneta.

Objects of Desire Italians are masters of industrial design, from Ferraris to funky Alessi tea kettles. If the Ferrari doesn’t fit your budget, consider shopping for elegant, quirky kitchen implements, homewares, or post-modern lighting systems, many sketched out by today’s top international designers on behalf of Italian firms.

Crafts & Paper Products Florentines are masters of the craft of marbled paper, creating intricate, colourful designs by swirling oil-based inks on the surface of a water pan then dipping the paper. They sell it as wrapping paper, and bookbinders sheathe hand-bound books in it. Stationery shops also cover roughpapered journals with leather, sold alongside simple, old-fashioned fountain pens and calligraphy sets.

Wine Tuscany’s wine is its best souvenir – though heavy. Shipping is expensive, so save it for when you discover a small vineyard whose wines aren’t exported and you want a whole case.

Security and Health Medical Attention EU visitors should obtain a European Health Insurance Card in their home country, which entitles them to emergency medical treatment. Citizens from elsewhere must have medical insurance that covers Italy. Usually you must pay any hospital

charges up front and apply for reimbursement when you get home.

Hospitals Italian hospitals (ospedale) are semiprivatized and efficient. The emergency room is called pronto soccorso. For uncomplicated visits not requiring admission, they’ll usually give you a check-up and write a prescription with no other paperwork involved. A free medical translating service for tourists is based in Florence.

Chemists Italian pharmacies (farmacie) are usually very well equipped and knowledgeable in helping you with minor ailments. At night and on Sundays, a sign is posted at each pharmacy listing which ones in town have the turn to stay open.

Emergency Telephone Numbers 1240: Phone Directory Assistance 112: Carabinieri’s service 113: Emergency Police Help 115: the Fire Department 116: A.C.I. (Italian Automobile Club) - for roadside assistance 118: for Medical Emergencies 176: International Inquires

tuscanyunlimited.com | July 2009 97

work | how to ﬁnd a job

Are you qualified? In principle, any EU citizen should be able to freely practice their profession in any Member State. Unfortunately, the practical implementation of this principle is often hindered by national requirements for access to certain professions in the host country. n the UK, for example, journalism is not a regulated profession; in theory anyone can become a journalist – thereby upholding the principle of freedom of the press. However, in Italy, journalism is a strictly regulated career, one in which you need to qualify and be accepted into by the Order of Journalists (Ordine dei Giornalisti) and also by the Ministry of Justice (Ministero della Giustizia). In an attempt to overcome these differences, the EU set up a system for the recognition of professional qualifications. Within the terms of this system, a distinction is made between regulated professions (professions for which certain qualifications are legally required) and professions that are not legally regulated in the host Member State.

The European Qualifications Framework The main objective of the framework is to create links between the different national qualification systems and guarantee a smooth transfer and recognition of diplomas.

The National Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARICs) A network of National Academic Recognition Information Centres was established in 1984 at the initiative of the European Commission. The NARICs provide advice on the academic recognition of periods of study abroad. Located in all EU Member States as well as in the countries of the European Economic Area, NARICs play a vital role the process of recognition of qualifications in the EU.

98 July 2009 | tuscanyunlimited.com

The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) The European Credit Transfer System aims at facilitating the recognition of periods of study abroad. Introduced in 1989, it functions by describing an education programme and attaching credits to its components. It is a key complement to the highly acclaimed student mobility programme Erasmus.

Europass Europass is composed of five standardised documents: l a CV (Curriculum Vitae) l a language passport l certificate supplements l diploma supplements, and l a Europass-Mobility document The Europass system makes skills and qualifications clearly and easily understood in the different parts of Europe. In every country of the European Union and the European Economic Area, national Europass centres have been established as the primary contact points for people seeking for information about the Europass system. You will need to register with a job centre in order to find work in Italy. Job seekers must go to the job centre in the area where they are living. Look on the Ministry of Work and Social Security (Ministero del Lavoro e della Previdenza Sociale) website; www.lavoro.gov.it to find the Centro per l’impiego (Job Centre) nearest to your home. The EURES service within each job centre provides information on job opportunities within the European Economic Area. Italy also has a system for matching job seekers and work providers known as the Borsa Continua Nazionale Lavoro (National Labour Exchange), where you can upload your CV to search for job opportunities. You can also contact private job agencies. Seven hundred are currently authorised by the Ministry of Employment. Many newspapers (dailies, weeklies and magazines) also publish regional and national classified job advertisements. TU

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