The 17th edition of the infamous Todi Mongolfier Grand Prix will take place this year from 12th July to 16th.   Some 40 balloons from all over Europe and some from the USA will fill the skies above Todi - an incredible sight.   Lift off is each morning at 6.30am and is best admired from the grassy slopes beneath Todi itself, which command the perfect view over the valley below from which the balloons launch into the skies.

All the balloons will be competing for the Rosemary Chisholm Feick International Challenge Cup but will be offering rides to the general public during their spare time at a cost of € 70.

The Caccia alla Volpe in Mongolfiera chase involves one hot air balloon setting off fifteen minutes before the rest, at which point the chase begins, with the prize awarded to the balloon that manages to land closest to the one with the head start.
Info and bookings:

Ass.ne Gran Premio Italiano Mongolfieristico: Sig. Shaw Ralph, tel. 340.2295461; IAT Todi, tel. 075.894339526th July. The event is free

Why not take advantage of a stay over in beautiful medieval Todi and also take in the beauty and history of the town that was proudly named “the most liveable in the world” by a group of American Researchers.  We have some lovely accommodation to choose from - an 11th century beautiful Monastery with pool and a Castle Villa set in its own vineyard estate with pool - sheer delight    For further information, please contact me directly june.clayton@livinginitaly.co.uk

 (ANSA) - Florence, July 3 - The current population of Tuscany is not descended from the Etruscans, the people that lived in the region during the Bronze Age, a new Italian study has shown.

Researchers at the universities of Florence, Ferrara, Pisa, Venice and Parma discovered the genealogical discontinuity by testing samples of mitochondrial DNA from remains of Etruscans and people who lived in the Middle Ages (between the 10th and 15th centuries) as well as from people living in the region today.

While there was a clear genetic link between Medieval Tuscans and the current population, the relationship between modern Tuscans and their Bronze Age ancestors could not be proven, the study showed.

”Some people have hypothesised that the most ancient DNA sequences, those from the Etruscan era, could contain errors or have been contaminated but tests conducted with new methods exclude this,” said David Caramelli of Florence University and Guido Barbujani of Ferrara University.

”The most simple explanation is that the structure of the Tuscan population underwent important demographic changes in the first millennium before Christ,” they said.

”Immigration and forced migration have diluted the Etruscan genetic inheritance so much as to make it difficult to recognise”.

The scientific data does not necessarily mean that the Etruscans died out, the researchers said.

Teams from Florence and Ferrara universities are working to identify whether traces of the Etruscans’ genetic inheritance may still exist in people living in isolated locations in the region.

The new study is published online by the scientific journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.

The Etruscans lived mainly between the rivers Tiber and Arno in modern-day Umbria, Lazio and Tuscany, in the first millennium BC.

By the sixth century BC they had become the dominant force in central Italy, but repeated attacks from Gauls and Syracusans later forced them into an alliance with the embryonic Roman state, which gradually absorbed Etruscan civilization.

Most of what is known about the Etruscans derives from archaeology as the few accounts passed down by Roman historians tend to be hostile, portraying them as gluttonous and lecherous.

This problem is compounded by the fact that Etruscan cities were built almost entirely of wood and so vanished quickly, leaving little for archaeologists to investigate.

Photo: Head of Hermes, 510-500 BC.

Located at Castiglione del Lago, Nr. Lake Grasimeno and Cortona.  This superb farmhouse, placed on a sunny position only a few kilometres from the centre of Castiglione del Lago, offers a stunning view on the Lake and the wonderful Cortona.

The restoration, finished only a few years ago, has re-given the farmhouse its beautiful aspect with being furnished with every type of comfort.

The main entrance leads through a brick-built arch, to an open-plan kitchen with sitting room. From here, another arch leads to the covered porch, the garden and the pool. Still from the main entrance, there are two staircases linking this floor to the first level and the basement. The entrance opposite to the kitchen opens into the TV room and the bathroom.

450 sqm               Bedrooms: 7               Garden / Land:  1 hectare       Garage

Annex:   Farmhouse of 180 square metres. It is completely restored

Price:    1.550,000 euros

On the first floor there are two bedrooms with mezzanine, a bigger room with French doors, and one with en-suite bathrooms, fireplace and external loggia. The cottage, accessible from a small covered porch, has: kitchen with fireplace, living room and sitting room on the ground floor. On the first floor, there is a storage room and a wide bedroom with bathroom and bath tub. From the kitchen it is reachable also the basement with the cellar, laundry room, pantry and access to the garage. Both the two buildings are equipped with all the comfort: from satellite tv to under-floor heating and ADSL wireless connection. The solar panels make the house warm by spending less. There is also a depuration system which makes potable water coming from the well. The property is surrounded by 1 hectare of mixed land with olive trees, vineyard and gorgeous secular trees. The irrigation of the garden is automatic. The pool has been made with reinforced concrete and paved with Bisazza mosaic. It has saline depuration system and roman steps. Condition: Completely restored to a good standard. Features: Brick-construction, arches, pergola, terrace, old terracotta flooring, ceiling with wooden beams and terracotta tiles, exposed bricks, fireplace. Solar panels. Satellite TV. Bread oven. Nearest Towns: Castiglion del Lago (8,2km; 8’); Terontola (16km;17’), Montepulciano (18km; 16’); Cortona (22,9km; 23’); Pienza (31km; 30’); Montalcino (55km; 53’); Arezzo (62km, 47’); Anghiari (65km; 1h 8’); Siena (73km; 1h 8’); San Gimignano (113km; 1h 39’); Firenze (119km; 1h 13’). For further information http://www.property.livinginitaly.co.uk/index.php?action=listingview&listingID=1045

Torgiano, September 2009.  In the heart of Umbria, in a refined five-star hotel, the Tre Vaselle, which is known for its timeless atmosphere, cuisine that’s anything but obvious, and the uncommon beauty of the surrounding countryside.  Inside, there’s all the passion the Lungarotti family shares for things properly done. A passion for quality that, over the course of 50 years, first revealed itself in the Lungarotti family’s wines, and then in their sense of hospitality. The desire to tie these two worlds closer together led to BellaUve, a Spa based on Winetherapy.

Chiara Lungarotti, the Managing Director of the Estate, which she runs with her sister Teresa, explains the philosophy behind the new Wellness Center: “Wine is not just a pleasure for the spirit. Rather, it is a way of being, and as the pharmacopoeia of the Ancients tells us, it can also be a pleasure for the body, a pleasure that draws from nature and quality.”

And indeed, in the Tre Vaselle’s Spa quality begins with the raw materials, which are the same that go into Lungarotti Family’s bottles: Grapes are the driving force behind the aesthetic treatments, with all of their superb antioxidant and revitalizing qualities. Obviously, the best grapes go into the bottles, but the richness of the vineyards extends beyond wine: in the Tre Vaselle Spa leaves from red grape vines are used to make compresses and herbal teas, virgin grape juice drains and revitalizes, grape must is used for peelings and scrubs, delicate grape Mousse elasticizes and tonifies, and grape seed oils and grape Nectars are used to massage the body and the scalp.

There’s more: Creams based upon Pinot Noir, Rubesco, Sangiovese (with Coenzina, Q-10), and, for the face, a surprising gel mask with a high concentration of Chardonnay, to fight skin aging. For those who want to treat themselves to an unforgettable experience, there’s the (real!) wine bath, to be enjoyed alone or with a partner, not in a simple tub, but rather a real wooden cask!

After all, continues Chiara, “Why shouldn’t I put something I could also eat on my skin?” It is for this reason that some treatments include, in addition to wine, products made from chocolate, truffles, cayenne pepper, Porcini mushrooms…

And if one really wants, after the treatments at the wellness center, one can take advantage of Il Melograno, the hotel’s gourmet restaurant. Perhaps ordering from the light menu!

Le Tre Vaselle, winner of the prestigious 2008 Country Luxury Hotel Award, occupies a large 17th century country villa, and has kept its atmosphere and furnishings. Some of the 60 rooms, a mixture of Suites and Doubles, overlook the ancient hamlet of Torgiano, while others overlook the surrounding vineyards. Chef Domenico D’Impegno completes the hospitality of which the hotel is justly proud with his dishes, which draw from Umbrian tradition.

For further information please contact june.clayton@livinginitaly.co.uk 

Monteriggioni……. the perfect medieval walled village.  The walls and 14 towers are virtually intact, and the visual effect from a distance is quite breathtaking.  Inside the walls there is almost no traffic, making Monteriggioni a great place for children to really enjoy themselves.

The Medieval Festa is the one of the most famous mediaeval pageants in Italy. Local people (and professionals) dressed in mediaeval costume play the roles of  farmers, merchants, soldiers, cross-bowmen, friars etc. displaying ancient arts and crafts along the few narrow streets and in the piazza. There are also magicians, astrologers, ballad singers, jesters, jugglers and acrobats coming from distant cities, and mediaeval dishes and drinks are available. It’s well worth it to do a bit of planning to attend this festival. Although many other towns now have similar festivals, this is undoubtedly the best.

The castle of Monteriggioni was constructed in the second decade of the 13 C by the Siennese as a military garrison on the borders with Florence, but there was mention of the place as early 1126 and 1154 when the Nobles di Staggia had rights over it. Contested in vain by Firenze and also by the Bishop of Volterra, the legitimate proprietor of all the zone, the Siennese constructed their own fortified settlement here, strengthening it in the second half of the century with surrounding walls bristling with towers, even though a peace clause in an agreement of 1232 between Firenze and Siena foresaw its destruction. Its importance grew in the XIV century when Monteriggioni was well organised as municipality with its own statutes. Its dependence on Siena and its position rendered it the target of various Florentine attacks continued until 1554 when the exiled Florentine Giovannino Zeti, who had command of the garrison, betrayed the castle, consigning it to the Imperial troops. Monteriggioni preserves almost intact the massive surrounding walls reinforced by fourteen square towers.

The main piazza, the Piazza Roma, is dominated by a Romanesque church with a simple, plain facade. Other houses, some in Renaissance style and once owned by local nobles, gentry and wealthy merchants, face into the piazza. Off the main piazza, smaller streets give way to public gardens fronted by the other houses and small businesses of the town. These public gardens fed the village when it was under siege.

Dante referred to Monteriggioni in the Divine Comedy: Inferno, xxxi. 41-44 ‘…come in su la cerchia londa Monteriggioni di torri si corona’.

At Torre dei Corsari,  only 200 mt from the sea, portion of a villa in a duplex, the ground floor consists of a basement (about 60 sqm) on the first floor of a large apartment consisting of living room, kitchen, 2 double bedrooms, one bathroom, large garden with barbecue and parking for 2 cars.

Square Metres: 120
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 1
Parking Space: yes

For further information, please view  http://www.property.livinginitaly.co.uk/index.php?action=listingview&listingID=1656

or contact june.clayton@livinginitaly.co.uk