Summer in Tuscany is more than just sagre and seaside weekends. Here are some highlights across the region.
#CASTAGNETO CARDUCCI
Bolgheri Melody
July 24–August 17
Music and wine meet for the Etruscan Coast’s most noteworthy event of the summer. With a packed program of dance, theatre and concerts at the Mario Incisa della Rocchetta arena, Bolgheri Melody also offers a chance to sample some of the region’s best DOC wines in a variety of charming cantine. The shows range from a rendition of Dirty Dancing to classical music from Milan’s Teatro alla Scala ensemble.
#CARRARA
Marble madness
Until August 29; exhibition end dates vary
Marvel at marble once again this year: Carrara’s prime, pristine white and blue export is the centrepiece of a packed program of exhibitions, lectures, art installations, themed concerts and cultural events. Internationally renowned architects (Michel Boucquillon) and conceptual artists (Benny Posca) will have their work on display, and until October 4, Palazzo Cucchiari will host the festival’s must-see exhibition, ‘Canova and the Masters of Marble,’ which highlights shifts in sculpture from Neoclassicism onward.
#TUSCANY
Mini-Munichs: Beer festivals
August & September
Can’t get to Germany for Oktoberfest revelries? It’s the season for craft beers, sauerkraut and Bavarian traditions in Tuscany’s beach and port towns. Don your suspenders or your Dirndi dress and dig into sausages and strudels.
Our two top picks are Septemberfest in Marina di Carrara (August 26–September 12) or, if you’re closer to Livorno, the 5th BavieraFest in Venturina Terme (August 28–September 13).
#VINCIUnicorn Festival
July 24–26
Finish off July with a visit to one of Tuscany’s quirkiest festivals. Find your tribe in Vinci’s magic kingdom: join ‘mateys’ and mermaids at the pirates’ bay, face off against a ‘frenemy’ in a duel at the knights’ fortress and watch magicians perform in the ‘City of Dreams’. Don’t miss the miniature gnome village, and if you’re crazy for comics, check out the scene in the fumetti section. The magic happens through the streets of Vinci, concentrated in the area around piazza Pezzatini.
#BARGA
Fish and Chip Festival
July 25–August 16
Florence teems with UK transplants, but Barga has to be the most Scottish place in Tuscany. The story goes that the Duke of Argyll vacationed in this northern Tuscan town, recruiting locals to work on his land back in Britain and forever blurring the lines between Barga and Scotland. The best example of this unlikely connection is the Fish and Chip Festival at the Stadio Comunale, where you can get your weekly fix from Wednesday to Sunday and dance to traditional tunes every night. A special note for the celiac crowd: gluten-free options will be available on weekends beginning July 31.
FB page: Sagra del Pesce e Patate – Barga
#SIENA
Divine Beauty
July 24–September 30
Fusing art, culture and avant-garde technology, this multi-sensory show sheds new light on the spectacular Siena Cathedral. Divine Beauty: Discovering Siena is a 3D video mapping experience in five acts, exploring the history, identity and faces behind one of the world’s most beautiful monuments. Praised for its ‘visual poetry’, the show will be screened in multiple languages each evening after sunset at Siena’s cathedral (piazza Jacopo della Quercia). For more information, email info@ladivinabellezza.com or call 057/7286300.
#SANSEPOLCRO
Kilowatt Festival
July 18–25
Sleepy Sansepolcro perks up this summer for an ultra-contemporary performing arts showcase. The Kilowatt Festival shines the spotlight on envelope-pushing figures from the literary, theatrical and visual arts scenes. What distinguishes this festival from dozens of others is its selection process: these trailblazing groups and performers are chosen by an eclectic group of appointed ‘Visionaries’—average art world-outsiders from a range of professions.
#LUCCA
Francigena International Arts Festival
Until August 15
Viva la via Francigena! This summer, the Lucca province pays tribute to the quintessential ‘long and winding road’ from Canterbury to Rome. Now in its fifth edition, the Francigena International Arts Festival features world-class musicians who liven up venues along the Tuscan portion of the pilgrimage route. Catch opera and orchestra performances in some of the Lucca area’s most iconic piazzas and pievi, or take in a concert from the same church pews where medieval pilgrims sat.
#MASSA MARITTIMA
Toscana Foto Festival
Until July 25; exhibition end dates vary
The coastal alternative to Cortona on the Move (see page 3), the Toscana Foto Festival is among Europe’s most esteemed photography showcases. Head to the Convento delle Clarisse to see a series of historic photos taken by Tuscan Stefano Pacini in Portugal just after the Carnation Revolution. Don’t miss the main show in this year’s lineup, Peaceful, running at Palazzo dell’Abbondanza until August 9 and featuring a collective of Chinese photographers.
#STIA
Blacksmith biennial
September 3–6
Stia forges ahead with the 21st European Blacksmithing Biennial. Celebrating metal traditions dating back as far as the Bronze Age, this showcase is a chance to check out the many wonders of the wrought-iron world. See how metalwork and sculpture have evolved and watch the blacksmiths battle it out in the World Forging Championships. Most of the forging fun takes place around piazza Mazzini and in Stia’s former wool mill.
www.biennaleartefabbrile.it/en
