MAPPING TUSCANY

Roman ruins are all over the place in Italy and locals normally stifle a yawn when zealous archaeologists lecture about the discovery of yet another Roman villa or thermal bath. Science  has managed to puzzle together every minute detail of the modus vivendi of the Roman upper class, b ut things are very different when it comes to the majority of the population, since surprisingly little is known about the living conditions of the Roman farmer.      During the last years groups of Brits and Americans hailing from the universities of Cambridge and Pennsylvania have tried to fill this enormous gap in a joint venture called the Roman Peasant Project together with the universities of  Siena and Grosseto  ( I've written about the strange sudden influx of young attractive foreigners the project brought to our Tuscan backwater  before). The team under scientific director Kim Bowes has been digging through the fields around Cinigiano summer after summer with...

A quick round up of my favorite wild hot springs and historic bath towns in Tuscany (more detailed information on spas and rock pool bathing can be found in the single articles the links will lead you to).  WILDERNESS POOLS   PETRIOLO  half an hour to the south of Siena. With its steaming hot water in the upper row of pools a favorite of mine on icy cold winter mornings. The Farma river passes right next to the hot springs. So be courageous and have a splash to try the benefits of kneipping.   SATURNIA  the biggest, most southern and also Italy's best known (and loved!) wilderness pools. The closest option for a soak if you arrive from Rome. To be avoided on weekends.  FOSSO BIANCO  in the Val d'Orcia is a spectacular sight hidden away in the woods below Bagni San Filippo. The shady surroundings make of these natural springs a nice location in the summer.  BAGNO VIGNONI  has a lovely pool below the small waterfall. ...

Mount Amiata - Tuscany's extinct volcano. Worth a detour even for non skiers 2 chairlifts, 6 ski lifts, 10  km of slopes,  and  depending on amount of snowfall 5 to 10 km of cross-country skiing ... only the first time skier could possibly be impressed by these numbers. In fact, people visit  Tuscany for its Renaissance heritage and wine making fame, and NOT for its winter resorts. Which is wrong. At least for people who like to travel adventurously. Skiing in Southern Tuscany is as surreal and  off-the-beaten-path  as it gets.  In regard to winter sport Mont'Amiata's content may be basic, but  ambiance is king. N ever would I have thought, that I'd be wearing my skiing boots (and not my bikini) whilst making out Corsica's mountain peaks on the other side of the Mediterranean.  The two chairlifts on the mountain are not the most recent or fastest models, but a ride on them opens up fabulous views over the hills of Maremma and ...

 Paganico - off-the-beaten-path in Southern Tuscany Towards the end of summer, Tuscany is getting ready for an endless parade of village festivals (often called SAGRE). With it being still early days for autumn's wine and chestnut festivals, Paganico starts the season with something quite different. The  Sagra della Grannocchia is a festival dedicated to frogs, with the main event being a race in which participants push a type of wheel-barrow loaded with frogs - the difficulty of the race being that the frogs keep jumping off their carriage (and have then to be put back in). Therefore it's not just about speed but also about who arrives with the most frogs. I know what you think - these people are weird. But surprisingly Paganico is quite a lovely village, off the tourist trail and with a fantastic gelateria  producing some of Italy's best ice-cream .  The town will sport a pageantry parade, live music and special activities for kids over the weekend...

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. 

Trekking in Cinigiano: beautiful views, lovely tracks and - oh boy -  plenty of Tuscan wine and food. SATURDAY, MAY 5 - "TREKKING DE' CITTI" . Kids' trekking ('citti' means 'bambino' in Tuscan dialect) 3pm registration at Cinigiano's tourist office. The children's trekking is for free, but registration is necessary (for insurance reasons). Apart of insurance for the day, the kids will get a nice gadget to take home. 3.30pm Start of the trekking in Castello di Porrona (a lovely medieval hamlet five minutes from Cinigiano by car). From Porrona the kids will be taken on a  guided walk trough the Tuscan countryside with animal watching and flower picking. Once back on Porrona's beautiful piazza there will be a snack and lots of fun games waiting for everybody.  Kids from 6 to 12 years of age. Younger children can join if accompanied by their parents. Older ones may want to join the trekking on Sunday morning. 

What better time to learn about synergistic gardening than spring. Just when we all want to get outside and spend some time working the soil. Whether it's the hard, unyielding and maddening chunks of earth in a Tuscan olive grove or the black and crumbly material filling the terracotta pots on our balconies.  Synergistic agriculture was invented by Emilia Hazelip, who integrated the theories of Japanese microbiologist Fukuoka Masanobu into her work. Agriturismo Le Pianore is organising a seminar with Mattia Pantaleoni, a member of the Italian Organisation of Permaculture and teacher at the Italian School of Synergistic Agriculture .

The Fosso Bianco hot springs and natural pools in Bagni San Filippo If there's one thing I didn't expect when moving to Tuscany, it's the multitude of freely accessible natural hot springs. Day spas and thermal baths can be found all over the world. But when talking hot baths in the wilderness my first guess would always have been a geyser in Iceland.  The generous natural pools near Saturnia  and the hot springs in Petriolo taught me differently. Both places are well known in Italy, a fact that can make them packed on weekends and public holidays. If you like to take your bath a bit more privately, move on towards Val d'Orcia and explore the Fosso Bianco hot springs   near Bagni San Filippo. The waters are as hot as they should be for some comfortable soaking and high in sulfur and calcium (which explains the formation of the white rock and the name of the place).

Another one!? I know. From October to December Southern Tuscany is all about Olive Oil festivals . But remember, we are not talking about yet another old and greasy oil; we are talking about Tuscany's prime and freshly pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). So even if you have already run into  Gerard Depardieu  tasting EVOO in the Crete Senese or you are still hanging in the trees, busy with your own  olive picking  - it's time for a break. Grab your car keys and get down to San Quirico d'Orcia.

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  ...

The last grapes have been picked, the leaves are turning reddish - it's time to get going on those olives. And Gerard Depardieu is with you on this one. Tuscan olives waiting for their destiny If you join in the fun at the Festa dell'Olio Nuovo  in Trequanda, you may end up sharing your first Bruschetta of the season with the French actor. He is is as infatuated with Tuscany's green gold as you and me.  In fact Gerard Depardieu uses  Trequanda's fabulous extra virgin olive oil  in his very own  restaurant in Paris .  And whilst you can eat away he will have to cut out a minute on Sunday to hand out the 'Premio Giordana Carpi Oliva d'Oro' . 

During July and August concert season in Tuscany is in full swing. For the people who already overcharged their credit cards with shipping home all those marvelous bottles of Tuscan red - don't worry, ticket prices are often quite modest. Many of the events get generous sponsoring by the wine industry; which is indeed just another reason why you should keep opening those bottles.