Archive for 'July'

For the fifth year the Melodia del Vino festival is taking place in Tuscany. The festival aims to bring together Tuscan flavours, with the beauty of the surrounding landscape and good music. It is a cultural event which presents concerts in beautiful locations accompanied by delicious food and wine each year. As 2015 is the year of Archaeology in Tuscany, the festival also aims to tip its hat to this heritage as well this year which is why it is taking place at Rocca di Frassinello. This famous winery was designed by the internationally acclaimed architect, Renzo Piano and is the site of Etruscan archaeological discoveries.

Siena Cathedral, or the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, is a 13th century church in Siena, Tuscany. As it houses works by Donatello, Bernini, Michelangelo and Cimabue (among others) and is one of the main sights in the city, chances are that it is already on many itineraries of visitors to the city. However, if you have found a luxury villa in Siena and are making the trip there this summer, there is even more reason to visit the Cathedral.

If you are planning on finding yourself a holiday rental in Tuscany this summer, might I suggest an activity that is just a little bit different? Each July the lovely city of Pistoia, a destination a little off the beaten track for tourists but close to both Pisa and Florence, plays host to a music festival called Pistoia Blues.

Established in 1980, with a brief interruption due to the economic climate in that decade, the festival continues to take place in the city annually to this day. The festival takes place over the course of nine evenings in July and is organised by the Associazione Blues in conjunction with the Comune di Pistoia, or City of Pistoia.

Each year on the 25th of July, thousands of spectators flood the Piazza del Duomo of Pistoia in Tuscany in order to witness a very special sporting event.

This is the “Giostra Dell Orso”, or Joust of the Bear, a jousting contest that was so named in 1947 but has existed in one form or another since c. 1200.

Tied to celebrations in honour of the city's patron saint, St James, on whose feast day the Giostra Dell'Orso takes place, it sees the piazza transformed into an oval race course for the day.

Why not witness the event for yourself and stay nearby in a tuscan luxury villa?

Visit a museum with a difference in the scenic province of Pistoia. Tucked under Monte Libro Aperto, the quaint little town of Rivoreta is the home of the ‘Museum of the People of the Pistoia Apennines ’.

What makes this cultural attraction so unique is that the knowledge that can be shared with you here doesn’t just come from interesting still displays in the museum, it can be observed through townsfolk of Rivoreta! Witness intriguing demonstrations of how the people of this land forged a living for themselves throughout the centuries.