Archive for 'Events'

Suvereto is a small medieval town of no more than a few thousand people that lies close to the sea. It lies in the Livorno province of Tuscany, and is roughly 90km from Florence and 60km from the city of Livorno.

This isolated coastal town is small and peaceful, having no more than a few thousand residents. But for one week a year, the city comes to life with a festival celebrating one of the famous delicacies of Tuscany, wild boar.Typically held during the first week of December, it has become one of the most visited events in the Maremma region. Stands are set up throughout the town and grills are fired up as they show off one of their most prized ingredient of local cuisine.

The booths also show off the other locally produced specialties such as wine, olive oil, and honey. The restaurants of Suvereto go all out as they prepare theme dinners centering on wild boar. The festival includes historic reenactments, archery competitions and exhibitions, as well as other medieval competitions complete with costumes and all the fanfare.

As small of a region as Tuscany is compared to many other vacation areas of the world, it has full of a diversity and uniqueness that keeps people coming back year after year. You can visit a town several times, and still not see everything it has to offer, and the festivals that are so prevalent across Tuscany are a prime example of this. This time, we will be visiting the beautiful city of Arezzo.

Arezzo is host to an annual event called the Giostra del Saracino, in which the town divides itself up into sections and each section picks a champion to represent it in the event.

The event dates back to a medieval times and has been celebrated every year since. The competitors charge an armored target, with points being awarded for accuracy.

There are many different festivals held throughout Tuscany and Italy as a whole. Each has their own charming flair, similar but different from all the others. All of the town comes out to enjoy a little competition between the different neighborhoods, usually competing for nothing more than bragging rights until the next event. Good food, drink and a fun time are had by all and while you may think outsiders are not welcome during these times, the warmth and hospitality that is so common among the Italian people is sure to make you feel right at home.

The tradition of the Palio dates back to medieval times, when most of the communities throughout Italy would have a local athletic competition between the contrades, or districts, of the town. Less populated areas would have the hamlets of a commune compete against one another. The traditions were typically a commemoration of an event that varied from town to town, some had jousts, archery tournaments, horse races, and even bull fights right in the city. Other cities have changed the traditions to slightly safer contests, much like Montepulciano's Bravio delle Botti.

Throughout all of history, each and every culture has some sort of event that is designed as a celebration or festival. Without these celebrations life can become rather dull. America has the almost completely flavorless county fairs that dot the country, with the same carnival rides coming each year to each town. It may be a distraction or just something that is slightly out of the routine enough to draw some of the town in but nothing that really excites people.

Italy, and Tuscany in particular, has been able to hold on to local traditions and still get the people excited even today. Though very close in distance and very similar in heritage and culture, each town in Tuscany seems to add its own particular flavor to the region.