Tuscany. Beauty, arts and history. Open landscapes, rustic charm, gorgeous villas and excellent local cuisine. All that makes Tuscany such a treat, and a perfect wedding destination. It’s easy to love Italy, and some people just have a special place in their hearts for Tuscany in specific. What is the fatal charm of Tuscany and Italy?
Italy has most Unesco worlds heritage site listings in the world, Tuscany alone has seven. Italy is the biggest wine producer in the world and Tuscany had, again, most nominations in Wine Spectator magazine’s Top 100 Italian wineries. How about music? The Opera was invented in Italy, the piano, the cello and the violin too. Giacomo Puccini was from Lucca and Andrea Bocelli is from Lajatico, nearby Pisa. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Bugatti and Ducati, all made in Italy. The Vespa and the Ape, made in Tuscany. The fashion! Armani, Prada, Dolce Gabbana, Bottega Veneta. Italian. Gucci, Ferragamo, Roberto Cavalli, Stefano Ricci. Tuscan. The Renaissance was born in Florence. Leonardo Da Vinci, Galileo Galileo, Dante, Macchiavelli, Giovanni Verrazzano, Amerigo Vespucci, Michelangelo and Botticelli were all Tuscan. Being situated in the centre of Italy, Tuscany has seen it all and has traces of various eras and cultures. But Tuscany today has its very own charming identity, that seems somewhat ‘effortless’. What often makes the strongest impression on travelers is exactly that. Not the frescoes or the architecture, nor any other sophisticated cultural thing, but the local people. They are so laid back. And they go so quiet about all the amazing things they have. Try to have a chat with the locals, and you will soon notice, that they are the first to point out, that things at your end are probably much better, than what they are used to. And you think they are kidding…! That could be the case, but the Tuscan people include you in their daily life, not only as travelers, but as people among them. They welcome you and your guests in their magnificent region and celebrate your special day with you. They don’t always speak the foreign languages, but they always speak with you. So, don’t be shy, step out of the picture perfect postcard and get to know the local way of life. You will not regret!
Erica Jong describes this very same thought beautifully: ” What is the fatal charm of Italy ? What do we find there that can be found nowhere else? I believe it is a certain permission to be human, which other places, other countries, lost long ago”.
E. M. Forster’s main character in ‘Room with a View‘, (filmed in Florence and Tuscany), says something about the local people too; ” One doesn’t come to Italy for niceness, one comes for life. Buongiorno! Buongiorno!”.
Great places to see a bit of local life and meet local people, are the ‘Casa del popolo’, the ‘people’s houses’ that you can find in almost any town and village around in Tuscany. Good coffee, cheap drinks and company of all generations from nine to ninety. Football, card games and politics are on top of the daily issues. In summer time, try a ‘Sagra’, village feasts, where you can dine really well, for affordable prices, with the local people. Wish to know more about Tuscan village feasts; http://www.oliveintuscany.com/sagra-village-feast/
Buongiorno! Buongiorno!