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A GUIDE BOOK TO TUSCANY'S HIDDEN TREASURES

No please! not another guidebook about Tuscany , was what I thought when I first met Veronica Ficarelli, author of yes, another Tuscany guide book. But once she mentioned the title of her book -   Tuscany, A Great Reason for Every S eason   I perked up my ears. Guidebooks about Tuscany normally start off with Michelangelo, take in Botticelli and end with Leonardo da Vinci. And quite rightly so. But after admiring all those people and landscapes rendered immortal by the great Renaissance masters, you may wonder what life is like down South in the 21st century. And the best way to find out is by meeting the people who live on the land.  But where to go and above all when to go?  Tr y leafing through your Lonely Planet or Frommer's guide for some advice on the matter. Nada. You'll get great Tuscany maps, info on museum opening times, the region's history and hotel bookings. But the small scale events and artisan shops have a hard time appearing in any of t...

FOOD SHOPPING IN SIENA

 CONSORZIO AGRARIO SIENA - foodie's paradise! Some people visit Italy to shop madly for shoes and clothes. Others go ballistic in a food store. Siena obviously has it all. But don't get tricked into buying your Cinta Senese prosciutto in one of the touristy shops. Go straight to the Consorzio Agrario di  Siena. The farmer's association of the province of Siena has a fantastic selection of all things Tuscan; plus you'll be sure that your Sienese salami wasn't produced in Naples or China. 

AVOIDING HALLOWEEN in SOUTHERN TUSCANY

No Jack-O'-Lanterns in sight: Gustatus Festival, Orbetello My Tuscan native is no narrow minded person (as long as you don't count his tendency to some exagerated Tuscan Campanilismo ...). Neither is he a xenophobic - remember he lives with one of Italy's many Extracomunitari (a foreigner who comes from a country not belonging to the European Union, e.g. a Swiss like me). He even went as far as having two kids with me. But all this open-mindedness comes to a sudden halt when he hears of Halloween. The problem not being Halloween in itself, but Halloween in connection with Tuscany. Why here? Of all places! He has a point. Celtic traditions haven't had a stronghold in Italy since... the invention of television? In case you belong to the many people who didn't book a holiday in Italy to celebrate Halloween, here are some alternatives to a weekend full of Tuscan Jack-O'-Lanterns:  Food stall at Orbetello's Gustatus - Not just fish  ...

TUSCAN WEEKEND - OUTLET SHOPPING, TUSCAN FAIRS and BALKAN MUSIC

Still dreaming of that tailormade Italian suite? This is the weekend to get hold of it! Grosseto's MABRO  - handmade in Tuscany  is putting everything on massive sale. And once  you've got your marvelous new piece of Italian clothing you may as well stay on to explore the Maremma a bit further: