MAPPING TUSCANY

It was the sea - not wine, food, a man or the rolling hills - that made me move to Tuscany in 1999. Having grown-up in a landlocked country,  from day one at work I pestered everybody in Montalcino for advice on  the best beach town and the perfect sea view on the Tuscan coast. It turned out to be an easy  mission since the locals sent me unanimously to Castiglione della Pescaia. The preferred seaside destination for people from Siena and Arezzo, Castiglione della Pescaia is also loved by the Swiss and Swedish, hence all the h oliday resorts and camping villages along some of its best beaches.  But unlike Marina di Grosseto or Principina a Mare, Castiglione della Pescaia has been a proper town way before the tourist boom took hold of the Tuscan coast. To  this day the  former fishing village has managed to keep its historic town center, clean beaches and even a handful of fishermen.  WHAT TO DO IN CASTIGLIONE DELLA PESCAIA  Swim and s...

It's still summer, but temperatures have dropped (thank god!) and a lot of Italians start to move back into town after their time at the beach. Not just summer but also the Tuscan festival season is coming to a close. And just  before curtains are drawn and stages dismantled, the ColleMassari winery hosts Dionisus, the last of the three cycles of the Amiata Piano festival . Four concerts will take place from the 29th of August in the midst of barrels and barriques, and with the backdrop of the contemporary architecture of one of Italy's biggest organic wineries. F amous Italian violist Salvatore Accardo will open the cycle dedicated to the Greek wine god together with the Orchestra da Camera Italiana. The concert has been sold out for weeks, but a few tickets are still available for the following events, which stretch from classical music to jazz.  The wine cellar of the ColleMassari estate (designed by Edoardo Millesi)

With the last days of June, the summer festival season is taking off and the sound of violins and drums will shake up the lay-back Tuscan hilltop towns. Classic, pop and jazz festivals will be hold in Siena, the Val d'Orcia, the Maremma and even in the remote villages around Mount Amiata. It's a summer of beat until September, when the festival season closes with the final concerts on the isle of Elba.   Getting ready for the opera season in Massa Marittima CLASSICAL MUSIC FESTIVALS DOWN SOUTH MELODIA DEL VINO , from June 27 to July 6 at various wineries in Tuscany.  The young festival brings Mozart & co. to the world of wine. The concerts will take place in famous Tuscany vineyards (some of them designed by the world's archistars like the  Petra winery by Mario Botta or Renzo Piano's Rocca di Frassinello).  AMIATA PIANO FESTIVAL , from June 27 to September 1 in Poggi del Sasso near Cinigiano. The three cycles of classical music (wi...

As a Swiss I can't but spread the voice about the current Italy tour of Zurich's Young Symphony Orchestra. The musicians from Switzerland are travelling south together with a classical music choir called Konzertchor MKZ (made up by a bunch of classic music loving singing youngsters from Zurich).  Autumn in Tuscany: what better setting for some classical music?

Montalcino Jazz & Wine 2012 Kurt Elling, Derrek Phillips and Charlie Hunter It's a nightmare. Montalcino Jazz & Wine and Southern Tuscany's several summer festivals are passing over me like a road train. Living the life of a countryside bum in the Tuscan hinterland I'm used to ten months of the year during which nothing happens (and I mean nothing). And then, out of that cultural desert, here we are in mid July, when a whole bunch of world-class musicians are thrown at you in one single week.

On the way to Castello Banfi - Montalcino If you love Italian wine as much as classical music , with the  the 2012 edition of the  Melodia del Vino  festival being in full swing,  this is the time to cruise Southern Tuscany . All concerts of the second part of the festival will take place in the fabulous locations of some of Tuscany's most prestigious wineries in the provinces of Siena and Grosseto. Tenuta Rocca di Frassinello,  June 30: Sayaka Shoji (violin), Marc Laforet (piano).  The Japanese violinist and Premio Paganini  winner and  the French pianist will play works of Janacek, Beethoven, Debussy and Brahms at Rocca di Frassinello . The winery has been designed by Italian star architect Renzo Piano and sports a marvelous  barric aia (a wine cellar dedicated to French barrique barrels only), which makes for a fantastic concert space.  Tenuta Rocca di Montemassi, July 3: Laure Favre-Kahn (violin), Nemanja Radulovic (...

Israeli singer Noa's tribute to Naples' music in Southern Tuscany Leave your Wellies at home. Rain and mud are no issues during Tuscany's summer festivals. And all those fabulous medieval or Renaissance locations will make Woodstock seem a teenage hangout. CLASSICAL MUSIC I've already written about Melodia del Vino , Musica Reale in Montalcino,   Amiata Piano Festival and San Galgano's  Opera Festival, which are some of the top  classical music festivals in Tuscany  in July 2012. But there is much more to be had when it comes to classical music down South. 

Petra Winery by Mario Botta - one of the venues of the Melodia del Vino Festival Waiting for Montalcino's Jazz & Wine 2012? Nope, the program isn't out yet - Banfi  obviously likes suspense. All we know so far is that it's going to happen in the second half of July, so book your room anyway. Nevertheless there are good news on Southern Tuscany's festival front. Three prestigious classical music festivals have already presented their rich program for the summer 2012.  AMIATA PIANO FESTIVAL  - three cycles of classical music in July, August and at the beginning of September.  The jazz lover in you will rejoice, as one of the concerts in Collemassari's stunning wine cellar is going to host wonderful Italian jazz pianist  Danilo Rea ,  who will play a tribute to Fabrizio de André . Poggi del Sasso/Montecucco near Cinigiano (half an hour from Montalcino and Grosseto): Baccus July 19 - 22 , Euterpe August 2 - 5 , Dionisus August 30 - September 2...

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. 

If you're not fluent in Italian but still would like to join some life events in Siena, reserve a Friday this month for some classical music with the Accademia Musicale Chigiana. You can do any day this March, just not Fridays? You're in bad luck then. 

Just checked the weather forecast and wonder whether you'll ever make it out of Siena again? Yes, it's still snowing. No, we don't know how long it will last. So your best bet is to relax, check out Siena's restaurant guide  and shoot a look at the events in town this February. 

Palazzo Chigi Saricini Siena during Palio No fan of classical music? It's not like you have all that much choice event-wise during winter in Siena . So summon up some courage and check out the  Accademia Musicale Chigiana's concert program: great concerts taking place in beautiful venues (in one of Siena's theaters or in the Palazzo Chigi Saracini's own Rococo style concert hall).  It's worth it!