MAPPING TUSCANY

I'm no friend of nativity scenes, but there i s no Christmas in Italy without a presepe (I could also do without Christmas, but that's a different story). Tuscany's creches  come in all shapes and materials and whilst the manger scene at my in -laws is made of plastic other households show off  elaborately carved artisan figures under their Christmas tree. However, th e  most exciting cribs are  found outdoors  or in former barns and pigsties, where  real people freeze off their sandal wearing feet for their method acting performance of Mary or Joseph (the newborn is mostly fake though).  Perhaps my Christmas crib aversion has to do with being a mother and knowing that the last thing you need right  after having given birth is an incessant stream of strangers popping in to say hello. All the jolly men and  rejoicing  animals jamming it around the crib and everything Maria probably hoped for was a female friend to help her get up - u nl...

For reasons to me unknown (or at least too complicated to be explained), fate has me walking Massa Marittima's picture perfect town center every year once during winter. And each time I can't but stop and marvel at the timeless beauty of Massa Marittima's monuments against the backdrop of a crisp blue winter sky.  No need for a Fellini film, if you can spend a morning people-watching on the  tourist free main square  in front of the gorgeous cathedral (building it in an oblique angle towards the rest of the piazza was a true act of genius!). This February morning serendipity even went so far as having me run into Donna, the blogger behind Maremma Guide , who writes one of the most informative and useful websites for people exploring this part of Tuscany.  The archaeological museum and a slice of the cathedral

America's Indian Summer is what we call Estate di San Martino in Italy. But not just surprisingly warm autumn temperatures are related to St. Martin's day on the 11th of November. This is also the time of the year the fermentation of new wines has come to an end, a process described by another Italian proverb related to St. Martin: A San Martino ogni mosto diventa vino (by St. Martin every must has turned into wine).  And with the beach and festival season long gone and the weather forecast for Sunday looking wet and unfriendly, what better time to visit some of Tuscany's finest wineries . San Martino in Cantina is one of five national winery visit days the Italian Wine Tourism Movement organizes every year. Three dozens of wineries in the provinces of Siena and Grosseto adhere to the initiative and welcome visitors for a free autumn tasting in their wine cellars. On my quest to discover Tuscany's  vineyards with a calling for architecture , I'll be tasting...

San Galgano Abbey  So where's the roof? Gone for centuries. By now San Galgano's top bit has been been off for longer than it ever was on. Even though the abbey's history started well, things weren't meant to last. The Cistercian monks began with the construction of the church in 1218 and finished it in 1288. At the same time the monks were also in charge of the construction of Siena's famous cathedral - San Galgano had quickly become one of the most influential monasteries in Tuscany.