..I know a lot of people and I have a lot of friends to visit by my three-wheeler. Together we go around roaming through festivals, celebrations and seasonal markets. Or we chat about the past and things once upon a time. But when the time comes I say goodbye to everybody and go home because at eight o'clock we eat

Color	Here you are the festivals in..
Winter Saint Ansano festival in Siena Christmas torchlight procession in Monteriggioni Living Christmas Crib in Casole Saint Joseph fritters Colo Color r Color Color	Spring Saint Lucchese festival I too was there, in Abbadia Isola Harvest's holidays	Summer Monteriggioni medieval festival Montepulciano's Bruscello Barrel's bravìo Porcino mushroom' festival	Autumn Madonna's festival Thrush's festival Tartufo's Exibition

Saint Ansano is the patron saint of Siena and his holiday starts the Contradas' year. The Contradas are called the different parts on which Siena is divided according to the Palio horse race teams. You should came to know that Siena is one the most beautiful city of Tuscany and a lot of people came to visit it. But Siena is also very different from all the rest of the cities because of the Palio. I could talk of the Palio (the horse race in the main square, del Campo square, the horses ridden without saddle) for a full day! For a man born and grown in Siena Palio isn't a horse race but a piece of life. And the Contrada is just like his family. Contradas are seventeen, the contrada's life last long a full year. Not only in summer when the race takes place. In Saint Ansano day the Contrada's year starts: it is fulfilled of festivals, public dinners, gatherings and many other things made to celebrate the Patrons of the different Contradas and to celebrate Our Lady Mary, and is also full of debates and discussions on Palio horse race?

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Since many years on the Christmas night, in Monteriggioni people started this nice initiative: to have a walk with torchlight through the fields, until Badia a Isola. The procession starts around nine p.m. silently: everybody keep walking in silence under the sky, each one with its small light, to reach Badia's church. It seems to reach the place just as it was in the old times' nights. There the Christmas Mess is celebrated and after that a postale, a bus, brings to Monteriggioni to the parking car area. The walk lasts for around four kilometres. For those who haven't troubles it is a nice way to spend the Christmas evening waiting for the Holy Advent.

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This year too in Casole, is performed the Living Crib: all the historical protagonists are performed by village people. Casole is a nice village in the top of a high hill, so that in the old part of the village the Crib becomes really enchanting. I mean that the Crib consists not only of the small hut with Mary, Saint Joseph and the Holy Child Jesus, but all the villagers, elders and young ones, are dressed up just like ancient shepherds, Roman warriors and village people. There are here and there tents, military camps, inns and stables arranged for real animals: sheep, donkeys, ect. For the Epiphany day also the Magi arrive on the top of real camels. It is an enjoying show for the old ones as for the young ones.

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On nineteenth of March is Saint Joseph's day, the holiday of all the fathers and the carpenters. In Siena the nineteenth is the last day to eat fritters. Since a month, or more, you can find street-shops selling rice's fritters just ready and hot. Not everybody can make them: you should know how and have the right ingredients so that they can get ready, soft and round. There are also some proper frying pans. The street-shops are spread all over the city, and they are typical for Saint Joseph festivals as it is made in Siena. They are small wooden houses with an open side where to sale; inside there are big frying pans and the frittellai, fritters' men, always dressing short sleeves shirts: the heath they get inside neither in the hell it is so! While for us when we buy and we eat outside there, in March's cold weather, the hot of the fritters' pockets we get it is pleasant.

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28 OF APRIL
In Poggibonsi there is Saint Lucchese festival

On twenty-eight of April Poggibonsi's villagers celebrate the patron saint. A celebration is made on the hill where there is Saint Lucchese church and the monks monastery. Since Saint Lucchese met Saint Francis of Assisi decided to live his life in the same way. So he became a holy man, and the Catholic Church recognised him as a blissful one. Now his body rests on the basilica that has been called from him and for the day of his celebration the body is brought in procession. Not everyone is religious in Poggibonsi, but during Saint Lucchese's celebrations everyone goes to the hill where his church is, at least to have a nice walk. The path to the top of the hill is full of stalls selling sandwiches and ham, sweets and ice-creams, crisps and brigidini snacks: every child can find his own satisfaction. In the evening, just after ten p.m., the last moment of the festival is to watch the fireworks. Then everybody goes down to the village, says goodnight to the friends and go to sleep happier because another Saint Lucchese festival has been celebrated.

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THE LAST TWO WEEKENDS OF MAY
In Monteriggioni's small hamlet called Abbadia Isola there is a festival called "I too was there in Abbadia Isola"

This festival is a very special one, because it is an occasion where we eat well and enjoy together, but also something more. All the money collected during the festival are gifted to the Cancer Research Institute. There is a nice big tent and within it a restaurant to eat our food like homemade pasta and char-grilled steak. There are games for elder and younger ones: the liscio dance and the disco for more modern dances. One of the two Sundays is organised something typical of this festival. Early morning some benches, tables and food are brought by tractors at the top of Maggio Mountain, which is just upper than Abbadia Isola. There everything is arranged for a meal in the middle of the woods so that under the trees one can have a beautiful picnic. All the comforts are available: seats, plates, cutlery, good food prepared by Abbadia's women.

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THE SECOND WEEKEND OF JUNE
In Saint Gimignano there is the festival called Harvests' holidays

In Saint Gimignano is organised an open-air theatre, which has as a performances' subject how it was the village in the medieval times. In these roads and squares, which don't need anything else for the performance than dressed up people, it really seems to see how daily life was in those times. Stalls and artisans are spread all over as it was once upon a time. There is the blacksmith, which maintain the fire up with his bellows, the potter man with his foot-lathe. There are jokers and musicians, desks where to drink and eat old recipes' dishes. These medieval village festivals are spread in all our villages, each one tries to be different from the other. Here in Saint Gimignano there are knights and army games. On Montestaffoli rock are played sword's tournaments and giostras, which are knights' races, called sticks' giostra.

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Festivals' Bag

.. if you are invited you can do as I do: I don't like to go with empty hands. But I am not for flowers or chocolates... The Chopping Board Basket If you like the sliced salami and you are curious of try them you can choose this beautiful basket. EUR 64,80 USD 69,40

Special stuff

.. if you want to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or something to be forbidden of.. Palio's Plates This is the plate of the contradas of the Palio di Siena. The Contradas are seventeen and these plates are all beautiful, but don't say it to the men belonging to the contradas, the contradaioli..

Special stuff

.. if you want to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or something to be forbidden of.. The Palio of Siena's Mugs The 2nd of July has been the Palio in honour of the Madonna of Provenzano, here the mugs to drink a toast to the health of this beautiful festival and to Siena!

Azienda Agricola La Selva

If you like to know a winery where the wine is made as we used in the good old days, then you can come to Montespertoli, from my friend George.. La Selva's Products

Best Stuff

...if you like something good you need.. I cantucci col vinsanto Here "cantuccio" means little corner and the cantucci are little pieces made of this good almonds paste. They are dry biscuits, very good to soak in a good vinsanto.

Azienda Agricola La Selva

If you like to taste all the good products of this beautiful company, this is the basket you need.. Here our products