CULTURE

People have been living in Tuscany since the dawn of time (can you blame them?), and nothing happens by chance. For example, did you know that Florence's Calcio in Costume, a violent precursor to modern soccer, began as a way to mock the Imperial troops besieging the city in 1530?

Note: A few of the things here are on other sites our WebWeaver works with; to return to See Tuscany from them simply click on the back button of your browser.

• La Lizzatura: Bringing marble down from the quarries of the Apuans, the old way -- by sled. Massa, the first or second Sunday of August.
• Artigiano e Palazzo: A fascinating annual craft fair, held in Florence in mid-May.
• Wandering Southern Tuscany: Notes on a wild area boasting many marvels, including Pitigliano, the Tuscan Jerusalem.
• Carnevale: Viareggio celebrates with parades, and Venice with costume balls. You won't want to miss either.
• The Heart of Chianti: Michael Mele does an excellent job of capturing the flavor of the land.
• La Gloria dei Traci: A spectacular show of Thracian gold held in the crypt of Florence's Santa Croce in the winter of 1997 (the article is still up to give you an idea of why you should keep an eye out for Thracian shows).
• I Macchiaioli, Nuovi Contributi: A vastly underrated art movement, with information on where to find the artists' paintings.
• The Art of Eating Well: Before Bugialli, before Marcella Hazan, before Ada Boni, there was Pellegrino Artusi, whose book, La Scienza in Cucina e l'Arte di Mangiar Bene, established Italian cooking as we know it. Our Webmaster has translated this classic, which has been released by Random House. Find out about it, and sample the recipes!
• Il Museo Etnografico: A fascinating museum shows how the people of the Valle dei Luni lived.
• Il Corridoio Vasariano: Built to join the Court with the Seat of Florentine Govenrment...
• Norman Bain: Kyle Phillips talks with a wonderful man who's lucky enough to live in paradise.
• Il Gioco del Ponte: Pisa's struggle for the Arno - The Last Sunday in June.
• Murlo's Poggio Civitate: An Etruscan Enigma.
• La Terra in Piazza: Siena's Palio, on July 2 and August 16.
• Christ's Passion: For centuries now, the townspeople of Grassina have re-evoked the Crucifixion on the night of Good Friday.
• Festa della Rificolona. Florence, 6-7 September: The farmers used to come to town to sell their wares (in preparation for winter); now children carry lanterns and everybody has a great time.
• Acqua Ardens: In the middle ages people distilled spirits and used them to cure their ills.
• Hope for our Cypresses: Over the past 20 years, a terrible blight has decimated Tuscany's cypress trees. Now there's hope.
• Benvenuto Cellini's Perseo is being restored. But all is not lost -- you can find out how things are going on the Net, or visit the labs in person.
• Chasing, the art of working the surface of a metal, is all but lost. However, there still are people who know how to do it in Florence.