Events in Tuscany | PlanningaTour.com

Tuscany – A change style for Franco Pegonzi

Anybody driving past the round about at the Viale Europe and Via Pesciatina cross road, ( a spot still referred to as Papao even thug that establishment closed at least fifteen years ago), may have been surprised even perplexed when the council erected an ultramodern statue, a sorto f dreadlock head of red tresses streaming to the Pizzorne hills. Each week you’d wonder when they’d get round to finishing it off clearing and polishing the rusty ild metal.
So Grapevine took the opportunità of the Hambros Hotel exhibition to ask the sculto Franco Pegonzi when this might happen.
Shame on us, he changed his style a couple of years ago and that rough finish is deliberate.
From the higly polished smooth lines of his marble and granite statues he has switched to a whole world of indefinite forms, and in fact the hotel garden was inhabited by his metal butterflies, gauzy animals and multi coloured ribbons floating into the blue.
Pegonzi showed grapevine round his converted bar studio in Lunata and explained how he transforms marble and stone into full size statues, table supports, ornaments, even paperwights. The gracious curves and magnificent sheen of his works, so highly polished they seem like white porcelain, all represent perfectly his favourite themes of harmony, peace and love.
Born in Barga in 1939, Pegonzi studied art in Lucca. The Hambros exhibition has generated enquiries from many nations so his new style metal installations could shortly be visible in many far flung places such as South Korea which are already host to his previous traditional style.

www.francopegonzi.it
info@francopegonzi.it

Tuscany – Arezzo, Joust of the Saracen

Starting on 6th september 2009!
This tournament has its origins in the early 16 C and commemorates Christian efforts to hold back the tide of Islam in the 14 C. A lively and colourful procession of costumed participants is followed by the main event in which eight costumed knights charge towards a wooden representation of the Saracen, aiming to hit the Saracen’s shield with lances.
The Saracen is mounted on a swivel so that part of the task of the knight has to avoid being struck back. Each pair of knights represents one of Arezzo’s four rival districts and their supporters each occupy a side of the piazza. The winner receives a golden lance.

More information on: Giostra del Saracino

Tuscany – The Orchestra Giovanile Italiana

The Orchestra Giovanile Italiana (founded by Riccardo Muti in 1984 and direct by Nicola Paszkowski) performed last month at Florence’s Teatro Comunale as part of the Maggio Musicale Festival, with guest conductor Gianandrea Noseda.
The musicians (all between 18 and 27) received hearty bis! and bravi! For their performances of Smetana’s Hakon Jarl,, Stravinsky’s Le Baiser de la Fée and Dvorak’s Symphony N. 8 in G major op. 88
The Orchestra Giovanile consists mainly of Italian performers, although there are eight foreigners ( from Poland, Ecuador, Japan, Romania, Macedonia, Mexico and Russia).
The musicians know that in Italy they must accept ludicrously low pay, but even so they aspire to this joyously, expecting to supplement their earnings with teaching and solo performances, but above all to pursue a career they love.
Three of the musicians ( all 25 years old) discussed their ambitions over coffee before the concert.
Percussionist Dario Varuni, a Florentine of Neapolitan extraction, although attracted to the progressive cosmopolitan capital Berlin, said he could imagine no better life than performing in his adepte city. Already he has a busy career that includes teaching and performing in the past as far away as Paris, Heidelberg, and Milan.
Cellist Anna Stasevich, on the other hand, who comes from Caluga (200 km from Moscow), said she would be thrilled toh ave a permanent position with any major Italian orchestra.
Stasevich studied at the Conservatory of Caluga and completed her studies at the Moscow State Music Academy with Alla Vassilieva. What she likes about being in the OGI is being able to devote all her time to practing and performing Harpist Anna-Livia Walker (from Lucca), who has recently played for Live Music Now in the UK and at the Lisbon Opera House, says she would be very happy to continue working both in orchestras and as a soloist.
Sureley the world needs more of this kind of music, but sadly Noseda, conductor of Torino’s Teatro Regio, told the audience that the Giovanile (OGI), widely recognized as one of Europe’s most distinguished youth orchestras, has had its funds cut in half this year. Noseda, who rehearsed with the musicians in the period leading up to the concert without accepting any payment, said that “ our future dreams” represented by these young artists, are under threat.

Tuscany – Sunday 16th august – Palio horse race in Siena

The Palio di Siena (known locally simply as Il Palio) is a horse race held twice each year on July 2 and August 16 in Siena, Italy, in which ten horses and riders, dressed in the appropriate colours, represent ten of the seventeen Contrade, or city wards.
The seventeen Contrade are:
Aquila (Eagle)
Bruco (Caterpillar)
Chiocciola (Snail)
Civetta (Little Owl)
Drago (Dragon)
Giraffa (Giraffe)
Istrice (Crested porcupine)
Leocorno (Unicorn)
Lupa (Female Wolf)
Nicchio (Seashell)
Oca (Goose)
Onda (Wave)
Pantera (Black Panther)
Selva (Forest)
Tartuca (Tortoise)
Torre (Tower)
Valdimontone (literally, “Valley of the Ram” – often shortened to Montone).

The race itself, in which the jockeys ride bareback, involves circling the Piazza del Campo, on which a thick layer of dirt has been laid, three times and usually last no more than 90 seconds. It is not uncommon for a few of the jockeys to be thrown off their horses while making the treacherous turns in the piazza and indeed it is not unusual to see unmounted horses finishing the race without their jockeys.
A magnificent pageant, the Corteo Storico, precedes the race, which attracts visitors and spectators from around the world.

For more information: Palio di Siena

Tuscany – Undiscovered Lucca, walking tour by night.

“Lucca insolita” is an iniziative by the local tourist board, a guided walking tour will leave Piazza San Michele every Sunday evening throughout august.
Grapevine went along to one of the july events to find out more.
Our route took us from Piazza San Michele, through Piazza Bernardini to Piazza San Martino and finally to the Orto Botanico. But as we entered Palazzo Bernardini, suddenly we were not alone, there stood the architect himself Nicolao Civitali in doublet and hose. More surprises follone “bad girl” Lucrezia Buonvisi in the beautiful setting of the convento f the Servi, and finally the ghost of Lucida Mansi (yes, yet another conveniently deceased husband) ceaselessly roamin the orto Botanico and gazing at her reflection in the little pool.
Lucca is wonderful by night, flaming torches, magical lighting effects, and kind temperature. We guarantee the tour, led by a knowledgeable guide, will reveal secrets of Lucca you won’t have known.
And the partecipation of members of the young Theatre Company of Lucca, responsible for bringing to life characters from the city’s history is a bonus.

The tour can be booked for a cost of euro 7,00 per person, at the tourist office in Piazzale Verdi. Each tour starts around 9.00 pm and lasts two tours, on every sunday evening throughout august. Up to 30 people can be accomodated in each group, with one group conducted in italian and the other in english.