Cultural HistoryJust below our village (Casa Chierici di Biagioni) sits the lovely village of Biagioni, with the River Reno running through it. This river used to form the border between the principality of Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. The customs house where the tax for crossing the border was paid is still there, at one end of the bridge.
There's also a small beach by the river at Biagioni where we regularly swim. 1km further along the Reno there's another village - Mollino del Pallone - with a much larger riverside beach with a cafe, bar, showers and sun loungers. Both Biagioni and Mollino del Pallone have train stations. The train journey along the Reno valley to Florence is considered to be one of the most scenic in Italy. |
Food, Dining & Festivals
Emilia Romagna is Italy's finest culinary region, home of balsamic vinegar, parmesan cheese and parma ham and Tuscany is renowned for its fantastic wine, making this house perfectly placed for foodies.
Because of the area's superb culinary traditions, there are a profusion of food festivals (sagre) all year round, ranging from chestnut sagre to the famous white truffle sagra, held in Marradi, about 1hr from the house, in Autumn. In the summer local sagre in near-by villages include polenta, wild boar, venison and ravioli. Festivals and markets: The area is home to many music festivals in the summer, including Italy's best blues and jazz festivals. Pistoia holds the world famous Pistoia Blues festival every July, as well as the Giostra dell'Orto, a jousting medieval processing also held in the Summer. Porretta Terme holds the Porretta Soul festival every July. It is the most prestigious European event entirely dedicated to rhythm & blues and soul music. Past guests include Buddy Guy, Solomon Burke, Chaka Khan and Percy Sledge. Porretta also has an oustanding weekly food market every Saturday where producers from Tuscany and Emilia bring their specialities. |
R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S
nearby places to visit
Pisa
The leaning tower is famous, but Pisa has much more to offer including the Cathedral and the Baptistery https://www.discovertuscany.com/pisa/ |
Rocchetta Mattei Castle
A mixture of Arab, Norman, Renaissance and Gothic architecture - considered one of Italy's most unusual buildings. http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/rocchetta-mattei-italys-most-unusual-building |
Regional Park Corno all Scale
5,000 hectares of stunning mountains including the highest peak of the Bologna Apennines. http://www.emiliaromagnaturismo.com/en/apennines-and-nature/parks/corno-alle-scale.html |