19 Mar 2014

Four ideas to celebrate Father’s Day in Italy.

Celebrating Father’s Day in Tuscany

In Italy, we celebrate Father’s Day on March 19, a day dedicated to St. Joseph. If you plan on being in Tuscany with your dad, these are some ideas for interesting things to do with him on his special day!

  1. Get Active!  If you and your father are sport and adventure lovers, you could take kitesurfing and windsurfing lessons, go paragliding, or explore the river Ombrone on a canoe. For an unusual point of view, you could take a ride on a hot air baloon. Lovers of football might enjoy seeing a “Serie A” match: the two Tuscan teams currently playing in the major national soccer league are Fiorentina (Florence) and Livorno.
  2. Culinary delights. If you and your father are “buongustai” you could go on a wine tasting or olive oil tasting tour. Or you could opt for a more unusual visit to Tuscan cigar producers or chocolate producers. If you decide to spend Father’s Day in Pisa and have no time for a full day out visiting chocolate factories, you could pop into one (or both!) of the brand new chocolate boutiques that have recently opened in Pisa: DeBondt in Via San Martino 82, or Amedei in Corso Italia.
  3. Let’s toast! Take your dad out for a beer. Tuscany has plenty of microbreweries, which are becoming more and more popular. Here is a map (from Pintamedicea.com) featuring microbreweries in blue, brewpubs in aqua, pubs selling local beers in red, and shops in lilac.

    View Microbreweries in Tuscany in a larger map
    In Pisa, you can try beers brewed and served at the Orzo Bruno pub. In Southern Tuscany, I highly recommend you try chestnut beer produced on Monte Amiata (Birra Amiata).  Here you can find another updated list of the 61 beer producers in Tuscany.
  4. If you and your dad are interested in museums, you could visit the unique “Museo Piaggio” in Pontedera, which will provide you with a perfect opportunity to discover a piece of true Italian culture through the history of its iconic Vespa scooter. Read this post by Alexandra dedicated to three reasons to visit the Vespa Museum. And it might even inspire you to rent one and tour the beautiful countryside of Tuscany like they did!

Buona Festa del Babbo (as we call it in Tuscany) to all the fathers out there! Especially to my dad and to the father of my two kids, my amazing husband!

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