On November 19th and 20^th, the typical Tuscan “Oil Festival” will be held in the little town of Montepescali (Grosseto).

The Oil Festival in Montepescali is not only an exhibition of the local products and oil or a tasting of several kinds of Tuscan food, but also a meeting point for craftsmen with their own characteristic objects and a place where people can enjoy moments of musical entertainment and fun, especially families and children.

In addition, as you will see, Montepescali has a wonderful view including also the French island of Corsica. This little town is also called the “balcony of the Maremma“.

San Giovanni d’Asso is a little village located in the neighbourhood of Siena (Region of Tuscany) along the Asso stream, from which it takes its name.

In this village, whre visitors can admire many old farmhouses and castles rich in history, truffle is part of the village traditions since the dawn of time, when it was still associated with witches because of its “mysterious” nature.

The first Italian Museum of Truffle was born here in 2004 and every year this special and rare food is celebrated by the village with the famous truffle fair: this year we celebrate the 27th

Are you ready?

One of the most awaited events, the Palio di Siena (Siena Horce Race), every year taking place on 2nd July and 16th August, is coming back with its second appointment.

Once again, on 16th August, the shell-shaped square Piazza del Campo, famous all over the world for its particular aspect, will host the crowd of fans and a great show.

The districts (“Contrade”) running in the next race are:

• Civetta (Owl)
• Drago (Dragon)
• Onda (Wave)
• Selva (Wood)

You will have still a few days to visit Francesca Woodman‘s exhibition at Sms Contemporanea, the contemporary art center of Santa Maria della Scala Museum in Siena.

In fact, the exhibition, which is under way since last September, will end on 10^th January 2010, and until then visitors will have the chance to marvel at 114 pictures, among which there are some unpublished pieces. So, if you intend to give a look at it in these days, we would like to give you a short introduction to the artist.

She was born in 1958, daughter of the artists Betty and George Woodman, and she began to work in the field of photography when she was just 13 years old, when she created her first self-portrait. Later on, the artist kept on taking pictures of herself in domestic settings, in the nature, alone or with friends, during actions and planned performances. Francesca committed suicide in January 1981, at the age of just 22 years old.

The artist’s creations focus on the relation

Tuscany can boast of several records, especially one: this region was the first in the world to abolish the capital punishment. In fact on November 30^th 1796, the enlightened Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo banished confiscation, torture and death penalty through a single law.

Since 2001, Tuscany has been celebrating this historical occurrence with an official feast, which even schedules a holiday for the schools of the ancient Grand Duchy and a program rich of events spread on all the regional area.

This initiative aims not only to remind and celebrate a defining moment of modern history, but in particular to reflect on the present and the future of the whole mankind. It’s important to notice, in fact, that the capital punishment is still applied in many countries in the world, and that Italian State is fighting for its abolition with an international moratorium at UN.

Hence this topic is a living matter, together with other related issues as democracy, peace, equality and justice all over the world.

Tuscany Feast so deals with values which are not only strictly related to death penalty, but also to other current problems, such as dialogue among different cultures and inclusion, sexual equality and deaths on-the-job. For this reason, during the event, congresses, lectures and official meetings are scheduled, to which