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This weekend 28th - 30th May - a Festival in Tuscany

There's an extraordinary Tuscan festival this coming weekend, starts Friday celebrating the 'largest white Oxen' - called the Giant White. The Festival is in Bettolle looks like a must for any of you near enough to attend. There will be food sampling, music, wines and plenty to do for children. Here's a brief resume for the three days and the link in Italian for those of you who would like the official program, unfortunately no link in English.

http://www.amicidellachianina.it/

Friday May 28th

The official opening ceremony, inauguration of various art exhibitions.

Cocktails, food tasting and music, outside eating and lots more.

Saturday 29th -

At 14.00 there's a cattle show with animals from farms around the provinces of Siena and Arezzo. At 15.00 A cookery competition. At 16.00 there's a basketball game for children born between 1999 - 2004. Many other street food and music events.

Sunday 30th

Plenty to do for everyone.

There's an Exhibition of Vespas and motorcycles for the boys!

Street music, food, drink organised events for children

A competition between the butchers of the localities

Food competitions, tastings, folklore traditional events

Antique stalls etc. etc.

All this looks as though it could be a great weekend. If you can't make the Friday and Saturday be sure to get there for the Sunday.

Getting there:

Arriving from the South or the North

Take the A1 motorway, exit at al casello Valdichiana and at the roundabout take the third exit to Bettolle.

By TRAIN

Take a train to Arezzo (Stazione di Arezzo) then bus to Bettolle with the L.F.I. Bus Service.

Nearest Airports

Florence (Firenze) is 90 Km, Pisa is 160 Km, Rome (Roma) is 250 Km

Website Search Updated

italylettings.com have made some radical changes to the search facility on their website. Much easier, clearer and user friendly. Get on there and book a holiday!!

Virtually every region in Italy has something to offer and it is such a fun place to be.

New Holiday Properties

www.italylettings.com have just added over 700 new holiday properties to their website!

Festivals, Food, Music and Events

I'm enclosing a few links for the coming Festivals in different regions in Italy for May and June. There's plenty to see and do and this list isn't final by any means since there will be local events in most areas as well. Click on the links below to get full information.

A couple of 'Calendar of Events' in Friuli Venezia Giulia

http://www.initaly.com/regions/friuli/calendar.htm and

http://www.aaanetserv.com/turismo/friuli/festivals.html

Rick Steve gives you his full listing of Festivals

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/italfest.htm

Some of the bigger National holiday Festivals

http://www.italylogue.com/festivals

Music Festivals

http://italy-travel.suite101.com/article.cfm/summer-music-festivals-in-italy-2010

Jazz Festivals

http://jazzfests.net/countries/?country=it

Rome Festivals

http://eventful.com/rome/events/categories/festivals_parades

Rome International Choral Festival

http://www.musiccelebrations.com/festivals/2010/rome_choral_festival.html

Turin's St. Giovanni Day and Lucca's marching band

http://kiconcerts.com/band/marching_bands/?id=114

Film Festivals

http://www.insidefilm.com/italy.html

Venetian Festivals

http://www.meetingeurope.com/cultural/veniceevents/festivals.htm

Village Festivals in Tuscany for May

http://www.athomeintuscany.org/2010/05/11/village-festivals-in-tuscany-sagre-may-2010/

When staying in a particular area, head to your local Tourist Office to get a list of local events, people are always happy to help and will love the interest you show.

TRIESTE

Europe is getting the rain it should have had in April and Northern Italy is no exception. Deluge after deluge. I have decided during these soggy days to write some information on areas in Friuli Venezia Giulia. An area of extreme beauty and interest and not as well known to tourists as the ever popular Tuscany, The Lakes and Rome.

This is a place to explore and enjoy and today I'm beginning with its most Eastern City of the area - Trieste - A city with an extraordinary past. Too long to write all of it but briefly it has belonged to a number of countries. Austria, Hungry, former Yugoslavia - a Freeport at one time and now Italy. Fascinating I suppose because of its positioning right on the edge of what was formerly Yugoslavia and just a short drive to Austria. There is an enormous port area as well as waterfronts and promenades. Trieste sprawls round a large stretch of coastline and has a population of about 250.000.

Fishing boats near the Yacht Club of Trieste

The city of Trieste is situated on the North Eastern side of Italy, brushing frontiers with neighbouring Slovenia. The city is stunning, sitting beneath a series of hills and right on the sea - it has been said that on particular days the reflection of Venice can be seen like a mirage. The unspoiled nature of the karstic plateau with gigantic caves and rivers flowing underground - projects magic. Visit Val Rosandra, where there are still traces of the Roman civilization. The surroundings of Trieste are spectacular as well, with the breathtaking vistas over the gulf, the romantic trails overhanging the sea and the ancient castles. It is said to have the biggest square facing the sea in Europe.

Its history is vast and boasts extraordinary Hungarian/Austrian architecture. Majestic buildings that surprise in their ‘un-Italian-ness’ . Trieste in the past has been more like a transit stopover or drive-through for tourists wishing to drive south to Slovenia and Croatia and maybe Greece or for returning tourists heading to other parts of Europe, but now with the EC eliminating frontiers it has begun to enjoy its own tourism. Ryan Air flies daily during the summer and at least three to four times a week in winter. There is skiing not far from Trieste, the Alps are clearly visible on a fine day (just under an hours drive to San Martino di Castrozza) making it an ideal location to enjoy both the sun and the snow. Venice is about an hour and half drive away as is Vienna. For a detailed history, follow this link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trieste

Piazza Unita Italia at Dusk

Trieste fascinated and attracted James Joyce, Italo Svevo, Jules Verne, Richard Francis Burton and many other writers and artists to live there. People often say, they feel they have to return. See the link below for others.

http://wapedia.mobi/en/People_from_Trieste#1.

Sunset on the Canal

A city of sailing and sport, sea and sun. Trieste has masses of bars and in the past and even now you can tumble upon an old 'osteria' where you can hear the old Triestinians singing their local songs. Maybe that's why Joyce was so attracted to Trieste, there is something that definitely resembles the Irish here!

Each year, held on the second Sunday in October, Trieste hosts the famous ‘Barcolana’ or its more formal name - The Autumn Cup, a race where approximately 2000 yachts participate and is one of those unforgettable sights. Yachts of every type take part - some huge racing vessels arrive from as far away as South Africa, New Zealand and The States, some having sailed in the America’s Cup.

The city’s population swells to and amazing extra 15 - 20.000 for a week, there are different regattas each day as the atmosphere builds in the evenings along the promenade where all the yachts are moored. rows of matching small white marquees selling food, drink, sailing gear and many other items line the waterfront and on the evening before the big Sunday race, most yachts hold their own parties aboard making it all the more exciting. The bars and restaurants are packed with every nationality - this is an event not to be missed especially if you are a sailing enthusiast!

The Start of the Barcolana

Trieste has excellent restaurants all over the city - many serving delicious fish and seafood. Trip Advisor lists their most recommended. A drive to the hills above Trieste takes you to ‘Carso’, a pretty area of farms, vineyards and woodland walks, prominent by the famous Carso stone and leading to a completely different type of gastronomic area. Quite apart from the restaurants that serve game and more traditional meat dishes, are the Osmizas. Osmizas are Trieste’s best kept secret and are generally unknown to tourists.

An Osmiza is a special license (Osem means the number 8 in Slovenia) which was issued by the Austro-Hungarian empire to farmers, who for a maximum of eight days could sell their produce without it actually becoming a business concern (therefore avoiding fiscal pressure!). The open times have now changed somewhat, and the farms that produce their own delicious hams, cheese, salami, wine, sun dried tomatoes etc are allowed to remain open until they run out of their own produce. They tend to start opening in spring for Easter and go on right through the summer months. This custom has become more and more popular being such an authentic and enjoyable way to spend an afternoon or evening in truly wonderful and varied surroundings. Properties obviously differ in style but most farms have inside rooms in case of rain but always have either a simple courtyard with old tables and chairs outside, or long tables in gardens or shady orchards. The choice is endless. You can find these places by looking for bunches of ivy or vine branches that are hanging onto the village signposts at main crossroads in the uplands, and then all along the road which will lead you to the farm. There is even an Osmiza website now to see the ones that are open.

Osmiza signposting

Entrance to an Osmiza and Inside an Osmiza

Whilst in Trieste you can easily drive into Slovenia as the border crossings are very near and there is no more formal passport control. You could drive to Lipiza which is about fifteen/twenty minutes from Trieste and see the white horses that are bred there for dressage. Sometimes there are as many as 50 horses grazing together in the wild park land and if you are there in late spring or early summer there will be masses of foals.

The Lipiziana foals are usually born black or dark brown then within the year they amazingly all gradually start changing to white. Whilst there you could be driven in a horse drawn carriage around the estate and visit the stud farm where the magnificent great white stallions are stabled. The drive is lovely, and in spring and early summer the woods and fields are filled with wild flowers. You can sometimes, even catch sight of wild boar and deer in the woods.

Foals Playing

Lipiza Herd

and below wild flowers in May

If you are not renting a car, Trieste has a very efficient bus service. Buses are frequent and usually on time - they cover all areas of the city plus many of the outside villages. A couple of these (6 and 36) will take you to the sea front where you can sunbathe, swim, visit the Castello Miramare, a beautiful castle standing right on the waters edge and with acres of stunning gardens and woodland to wonder through or just sit in a cafe and people watch.

Not far from Trieste is Grado which is perfect for families with small children due to it’s immense sandy stretch of beach and safe bathing.

Miramare Castle and walks in the gardens

There is a regular bus (APT 55) running every 20 -25 minutes that goes to the airport (Ronchi dei Legionari) from the central train station and takes about 45 minutes.

For any further information on Trieste please

send me a message and I’ll try to answer it.