Of course, there are common features, but there are also very distinctive characteristics that make each one of these areas unique and clearly distinguishable from the other ones.

Here is the map of Tuscany again, with the area where my village is marked in white, to show its location relative to the other destinations. It quite a good home base in southern Tuscany, I believe, because it is a short drive away from many different areas of southern Tuscany, so that visiting most of the most popular sites takes only a 30 to 60 minute drive. And you can always go back to a non-touristy, quieter village in the evening and make yourself at home in Tuscany!

Like last time, I have marked down some of the most popular destinations, so that people can have some reference points.

And here is some information on each area!

Val di Chiana. It is the area where a beautiful city like Arezzo, and famous hilltop towns like Cortona, Montepulciano, Chianciano Terme and Chiusi are located. It borders with Umbria and is characterised by breath-taking views.

(Piazza Grande in Montepulciano – Photo by zu78)

Crete Senesi. One of the most spectacular and most representative areas of Tuscany. Famous for truffles and for beautiful towns such as Asciano, Buonconvento, San Giovanni d’Asso, Trequanda and Rapolano Terme. Other attractions include thermal baths, art sites (e.g. Jean-Paul Philippe’s Site Transitoire), and the beautiful Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore.

Valdorcia, the green heart of the region and the place you want to go to to see picture-perfect Tuscany. Home to the hilltowns of Montalcino, Pienza, San Quirico d’Orcia, Bagni San Filippo, and Castiglion d’Orcia; to the Abbey of Sant’Antimo famous for the Gregorian chants; to one of the most popular Tuscan wines, Brunello di Montalcino; to beautiful castles and mills. This is the area of the rolling hills, of the open countryside, of the stone houses dotting the countryside. Contrary to what many believe, the Valdorcia is shared by the provinces of Siena and Grosseto.

(Pienza)

The city of Siena and immediate surroundings. Siena deserves a mention on its own. It’s such a spectacular place. It is also the city of the very famous horse race called the Palio di Siena and of the most traditional Christmas sweets in Tuscany: ricciarelli and panforte!

Val di Merse. The wildest area of the province of Siena, with remote villages, forests, rivers and the beautiful Abbey of San Galgano, cradle of the Arthurian legends and home to the original sword in the stone. Val di Merse is a paradise for hikers, horseback riders and cyclists. And if you happen to be in the area in summer, you should not miss the Opera at the abbey.

Chianti. The most popular area of Tuscany, famous for its wine, for small picturesque villages such as Greve in Chianti, Gaiole, Radda and for castles such as Meleto, Brolio and more. The Chianti area covers parts of the provinces of Siena, Florence and Pisa, but the most popular part of it is the region called Chianti Classico, between Siena and Florence.

(Chianti – Photo by TonyDuckles)

Val d’Elsa has some densely populated areas and other areas that are essentially rural. It boasts famous towns such as Certaldo, Castelfiorentino, Gambassi Terme, which are actually in northern Tuscany, but I have included it here because it also encompasses areas such as the “montagnola senese” (literally “the sienese hill-land”) with villages such as Sovicille and towns like Colle Val d’Elsa, famous its crystal, and the popular villages of San Gimignano and Monteriggioni.

(Monteriggioni – Photo by Paolo Sammicheli)

Casentino. It is a mountain area, mostly woodland. It’s quite wild, and very well preserved since the Middle Ages. For its quiet and beauty this area is almost mystical. It boasts famous hermitages such as Eremo di Camaldoli and Saint Francis’ La Verna. It is also a land of pievi, castles, and medieval villages such as Poppi. A large nature park preserves the forest.

(Parco delle Foreste Casentinesi – Photo by Sheilasan)

The inland hills of the Maremma, also known as Alta Maremma (Upper Maremma). My home village, Civitella Marittima, and our vacation rental in Tuscany, Casina di Rosa, are here. The area is mostly rural and has traits of the Siena area and the Valdorcia and traits of the Maremma. It is very beautiful, a nature paradise with small hilltop hamlets, olive groves and the famous Petriolo hot springs.

(Photo by Gianluca Giannone)

Monte Amiata. The highest mountain in Tuscany: very different from any other place in the region, with chestnut tree woods, mountain villages and towns such as Arcidosso, Santa Fiora, Castel del Piano, Castiglion d’Orcia and the pretty abbey town of Abbadia San Salvadore.

(Arcidosso – Photo by Carlo Tardani)

Colline Metallifere. Also part of the Upper Maremma, this area has very distinctive features and it has been inhabited since the Antiquity because it was very rich in minerals. Massa Marittima is located in the area and it is a real gem.

Maremma. Famous for the unspoilt coastline boasting both rocky and sandy coasts, pretty coastal towns like Castiglione della Pescaia and Talamone, luxury beach areas such as Argentario, a large nature park (Parco naturale della Maremma) and several Etruscan archaeological sites. It is also home to a popular wine: Morellino di Scansano. The Tuscan Archipelago, with the Isle of Giglio, the Isle of Elba and Giannutri, faces the coast of the Maremma.

Area del Tufo. The heart of the ancient Etruscan empire, with towns such as Pitigliano, Manciano, Magliano, Sovana, Sorano and the famous spas in Saturnia. There are many archaeological sites and the breath-taking Vie Cave, ancient roads carved in the stone. Pitigliano also has a ancient Synagogue.

(Pitigliano – Photo by Riccardo08)

Val di Cornia – Maremma Livornese. Val di Cornia includes beautiful towns such as Suvereto and Monterotondo Marittimo which are further north but also the famous Etruscan coast (Costa degli Etruschi). Ferries to the Isle of Elba leave from the town of Piombino. A very interesting place is the archaeological park in Populonia and the walk to the near cove called Golfo di Baratti.

(Golfo di Baratti seen from the Castle of Populonia – Photo by AlessandraElle)

Val di Cecina. This is the Valdorcia of Northern Tuscany. An area that is known to few travelers to Tuscany, and yet it boasts spectacular landscapes, characterized by gentle rolling hills and small hamlets such as Montecastelli and Castelnuovo Val di Cecina. It extends mostly in Nothern Tuscany but I have included it because it also boasts beautiful Volterra, which, contrary to what most people think, it is actually not in the province of Siena but in the province of Pisa.

(Volterra – Photo by Thomas Willemsen)

A final recommendation: take it slow! There is plenty to keep you busy for two weeks or more. You won’t be able to see everything anyway so choose according to your tastes, and remember to take enough time to actually experience Tuscany and its lifestyle and not just “see” it passing by its major landmarks.

Happy planning!

Urban trekking is an excellent way to discover the lesser-known parts of the most beautiful cities in Italy. It is a way to slow down and experience the local life and it is the most sustainable of all forms of tourism.

When it was “invented” (well… walking around is certainly not a new thing, but the “label” is), urban trekking was meant for tourists and locals alike. Through this activity, tourists would discover spots off-the-beaten-path, and establish a deeper emotional connection with the destination. For residents, urban trekking was supposed to be “a healthy lifestyle and a way to regain possession of their spaces, and to get to know them better“.

These might seem a bunch of empty words, the rhetoric of a project outline, but if you live in a city like Florence, Siena or Pisa, you’ll understand very well what feeling the need to “regain possession of your spaces” means.

Sometimes I have to walk through Piazza dei Miracoli to go to work (yeah, I know, poor me…) and from March to October it can be challenging. I much prefer walking through the teaching hospital buildings where I don’t have to watch out for people suddenly stopping to take a photo, or those shopping for some tacky souvenir, or those walking ssssllllooooooowwwwwwwwwwly while wondering how the heck that tower is still standing. The walk back from the office, generally after dark, when the crowds have left, is much, much nicer. In the evening, when I walk through Piazza dei Miracoli I can enjoy the beauty of the place. And I understand why so many people make me late for work every morning!

The other thing is that when you live in a place, you often don’t get to visit it as well as tourists do. There are many exhibitions that I haven’t seen, galleries and museums I have never visited. And listen to this: I have never climbed up to the top of the Tower. I know, it’s unforgivable. I don’t even have a photo of me holding it up. Just sad, I know.

Urban Trekking is indeed a good way to make your city your own space again and certainly to get to know it better. There is another part that I really like in the definition of Urban Trekking: it says that it is an activity that everybody can do in order to tone up one’s muscles, heart and brain.

Tomorrow, October 31st, is national urban trekking day. Obviously, the itineraries will be Halloween-themed. The official name of the event is “dolcetti e scherzetti camminando in città“, meaning “tricks and treats walking in the city“. I think it’s a fantastic idea, really entertaining. Professional tour guides will lead trekkers through the mysterious sites of the cities of Tuscany, telling stories about real, or supposedly real, dark events set in the various buildings and places touched by the itinerary. Here are the programs in the Tuscan cities:

• Arezzo: from Piazza della Liberta to the Medicean Fortress, trekkers will have to be really brave to put up with the spooky stories they will be told by their guides! If they resist, the treat is a plate of roasted chestnuts in the Neighbourhood of Porta Crucifera! Download the brochure (in Italian only, sorry).
  
• Lucca: a real ghost tour of the city. Not to be missed. Download the brochure (in Italian only, sorry). The perfect weekend to go to Lucca if you like comics as well: check Lucca Comics.
  
• Massa: a scary walk through the narrowest alley of the center to the old castle. Mystery stories will be told along the way by mysterious characters… Download the brochure (in Italian only, sorry).
• Pisa: an itinerary entirely devoted to the macabre story of Count Ugolino, whose sad tale is told in Dante’s Divine Comedy. The legend says that, left to starve with his children in a tower, he ate them to survive and for this reason his house was destroyed and the ground where it once stood was cursed and never built on again. Today it’s still the only garden that opens onto the Lungarno. Treats available at Dolcemente, a fabulous exhibition of locally produced sweets. Download the brochure (in Italian only, sorry).
• Prato: the itinerary is devoted to the most beautiful cloisters in the city and to an exhibition about Italian and Russian fashion between the 14th and the 18th century. Download the brochure (in Italian only, sorry).
• Siena: an itinerary to discover 6 mysteries in the city, with legends and spooky stories. Siena is indeed always a magic place. Download the brochure (in Italian only, sorry).

The simplest answer might not be the most suitable though, because nobody who has been to Siena even just once would agree that the Palio is just a horse race. For the people of Siena, the Palio is a cult, it is a matter of life and death, something absolutely serious.

City life revolves around it: the contrade prepare the competition meticulously throughout the year.

The Palio as we know it dates back to the 17th century. The celebrations go on for 4 days. On the first day (June 29th and August 13th), the training trial takes place very early in the morning. On the same day, the “tratta” (literally, the “trade“) begins, that is the operation through which the horses are assigned to the 10 contrade competing. Once a horse has been assigned to a contrada, it is entrusted to a person called the “barbaresco“, who, accompanied by the people of the contrada (or “contradaioli“), takes it to its stable. Then in the evening, there is the first of the 6 trials that take place before the actual Palio.

The barbaresco escorts the horse to Piazza del Campo followed by a large group of contradaioli singing traditional songs. It is possible to see the trials by sitting on the stands placed around the perimeter of the square. This first trial is meant to test both the horse, which cannot be changed anyway, and the “fantino”, the jockey, who can be changed up until the day of the Palio. The contrade enter the Piazza in the same order as on the day of the Palio.

On the second day (June 30th or August 14th), at 9 am, there is the second trial. The third trial is in the evening.

On the third day, the day before the Palio (July 1st and August 15th), there is a fourth trial at 9am and then, around 7pm, there is the “prova generale“, the general trial.  The prova generale is preceded by the traditional “carica dei carabinieri” on horseback. After the prova generale, every contrada has a dinner where contradaioli, the Captain of the contrada, the jockey and even tourists party together. After the dinner the captain of the contrada goes to meet the captains of the friendly contrade to form alliances against the enemy contrade. All the agreements are verbal.

On the day of the Palio (July 2nd and August 16th), at 7:45 in the chapel next to the Town Hall, the Archbishop of Siena celebrates the “Messa del Fantino“, the mass for the jockeys. At 9am there is the “provaccia“, literally the “bad trial”, which received this name because the contradaioli are generally not very interested in it. After the provaccia, the jockeys and the captains go to the Town Hall to register the jockey and the jacket with which he will ride.

Around 3pm, after the ceremony of the comparsa’s dressing, both this latter and the horse are blessed by the priest of the contrada church: the priest closes the blessing by telling the horse “vai e torna vincitore“, “go and come back a winner”. After the blessing ceremony, the contrade’s comparse and the town’s minor figures dressed up in historical costumes walk through the center stopping to perform their flag-waving show in Piazza Salimbeni opposite the Casino dei Nobili, in front of Palazzo Chigi Saraceni and by the Duomo.

Around 2:50 pm, the flag-wavers’ procession leaves the courtyard of Palazzo del Governo in Piazza del Duomo and goes to Piazza del Campo. Around 4pm the parade in historical costumes enters the Campo. At 7pm the “drappellone“, the drape, is brought to the judges’ box while the 17 “alfieri“, the flag-wavers, perform their show. The Palio follows immediately after.

A mortar is fired and the horses enter the square from the door called Entrone. Every jockey receives a whip which is used to “spur” the horse and to hamper his rivals. The jockeys then move towards the “mossa“, that is the spot where the “canapi“, the ropes that mark the starting line, are pulled. The order in which the horses are supposed to enter the ropes (i canapi) is regulated. The different contrade are drawn and called by the “mossiere“, the person who start the race.

When it’s time the horse of the last contrada takes a run-up and enters and the race begins. If the start is not valid, the “mossiere” stops the race and the ritual of the entrance in the “canapi” starts all over again. This can take some time, because while waiting, the jockeys talk to try and make alliances. If the start is valid, the horses have to run three times around the square. It is the horse that wins, even if it gets to the finishing line without the jockey, or as they call it, as a “cavallo scosso“.

The celebrations begin immediately, with the contradaioli jumping over the fence to touch the winning horse and jockey and of course to get the Palio. They bring the Palio to Provenzano in July and to the Cathedral in August to sing the Te Deum to thank God for the victory. The official celebration is in September and it’s called Cena della Vittoria. It’s a street party with lots of people, music and good food. And of course the guest of honour: the horse!

Dos and Don’ts for visitors

The days of the Palio are days of excitement and tension at the same time… although the people from Siena are happy to share their passion with tourists, there are some things that travelers should remember:

• never try to touch the horses
• if you are admitted to the horse blessing ceremony (you might not be allowed in the Contrada church), remain silent and do not use the flash if you want to take photos.
• if you want to see the Prova Generale you need to ask one of the contrade in advance and pay a small entrance fee.
• if you decide to watch the Palio in the square, don’t hold people on your shoulders: that would block the view of the other people in the square. Given the crowd, it is recommend not to bring children to the square, unless you rent a seat.
• you are not allowed to bring chairs or stools.
• don’t be sarcastic and don’t make fun of the contradaioli’s reactions to the events, and don’t complain if the start is delayed. The person next to you could be very nervous…!
• bring a lot of water: it can be very hot in July and August in the middle of a crowded square for hours. There is no way to get out of there until the Palio is over.
• there are no bathrooms.
• if you feel you are not sure about standing in the sun for hours with no chance of getting out, find a nice bar and watch the Palio there with the locals!
• if you wish to see the race live, book tickets to the Palio and watch it from the balconies.

A little update – Sept. 9, 2011

A great article: Palio of Siena, experience… with kids.

A dinner in Siena – eating and drinking among the contradaioli.

Read the report of our experience at a “cena di Contrada“!

Guided tours, medieval-style snacks, and fourteenth-century music played live will be the ingredients of the day entitled “Camollia: the Via Francigena enters Siena“, which marks the beginning of a series of initiatives to promote this part of the history of Siena.

These days devoted to the Via Francigena represent a project in which Siena wants to play a crucial role to help bring the Via Francigena back to life and to its old splendor.

In the Middle Ages, Siena was one of the most important steps on this ancient route which lead pilgrims from Northern Europe to Rome. Today, the Francigena itinerary through Siena includes visits to historical places and monuments which bear witness to the past.

The meeting point is Piazza Chigi Saracini, inside Porta Camollia, at 2pm, in the spot where the Via Francigena entered Siena. From there, accompanied by the official guides for free (3 groups leaving at 2pm, 2:30pm and 3pm), visitors will walk towards Porta Romana. The guided walk will finish before 5pm, in time to participate in the celebrations dedicated to Saint Catherine in Piazza del Campo.

The walk will take people to visit several places which played a special role for pilgrims, such as San Pietro alla Magione, the house of the Templars and later of the Knights of Malta, to whom the Church is still connected. Here visitors can learn about the way in which the pilgrims were welcomed in Siena and about the history of the Order. The tour will then lead people to visit the church of Sant’Andrea, where an inn and a cemetery were located, and then up to the museum of Santa Maria della Scala.

The participants will continue their walk to Porta Romana and then to the Orto dei Pecci, where they will be served a small snack in medieval style with Cinta Senese ham. There will also be 14th century music played live.

To help people find out more about the Via Francigena in Siena, the Visitor Center has prepared leaflets with a map and information. They have also prepared explanatory panels for blind people (installed inside the city walls near Porta Camollia), a brochure with a map that pilgrims and visitors will find in shops and bars and restaurants in the area of the city gate Porta Camollia and a brochure in Italian and English that provides detailed information about the monuments along the route of the Via Francigena in Siena.

Useful links:
A dinner in the Contrada dell’Istrice near Porta Camollia.