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The Maremma Tuscany’s biggest annual festival is a celebration of music, cinema, gastronomy, entertainment for all ages and, above all, environmental awareness.

It’s called Festambiente and it’s on again from 9-18 August 2013 in Enaoli – a 3 hectare festival site located at the feet of the Parco Naturale della Maremma in Grosseto.

The festival opens at 5:30pm each night and the evening concerts are scheduled for 10:30pm. Tickets are €8 if you rock up before 8pm and €12 if you rock up afterwards. Children under 12 get in free.

While Festambiente isn’t the Maremma’s oldest festival, it’s one of the region’s most beloved. I think it’s the variety that really appeals to locals and tourists. The festival’s theme might be environmental awareness and responsibility, but it’s not one of those droning, annoying green events.

Festambiente makes loving Mother Nature fun with an incredible mix of activities, entertainment and tempting treats. The full programme is too long to list,  but the best bits will be:

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Festival Highlights:

  • The 5 open-air organic restaurants serving Mediterranean and Italian classics and 4 eco-bars serving snacks and great local wines
  • A new age area with free yoga, rebirthing and shiatsu classes
  • A bunch of awesome kids entertainment and activities around themes like healthy eating, recycling, growning your own veggies, caring for the environment, the Great Outdoors and just having plain fun
  • The canoeing, walking, hiking and other nature activities and excursions in the Parco della Maremma
  • The rows upon rows of stalls selling handcrafts, Mediterranean herbs, natural soaps and natural liqueurs
  • The speeches and debates from Italian Ministers – I don’t think they’ll be discussing Berlusconi, in case you’re curious!
  • The state of the art eco-house

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Cinema Clorofilla Film Festival

I’m pretty pumped about the annual Cinema Clorofilla Film Festival. This year they’ll be playing 50 films, documentaries and shorts. They’re not just environmentally-themed, but will be looking at political crises and other issues of social justice. At the end of the festival, the best short, documentary and film will be awarded. Click here to watch some of the film trailers.

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Evening concerts and shows

And finally, the highlight of the festival – the evening concerts and shows. All the acts are big name Italian performers like Mario Biondi. Even if you haven’t heard of them, they still promise to play rocking shows. Click here to find out more about the artists and watch some of their latest video clips.

It’s easy to see why Festambiente is so popular. All the entertainment, films, concerts, book readings, children’s and adult activities, excursions and workshops, debates and speeches are free to watch and join in on.

Combine that with some truly awesome and eco-conscious shopping and great food and you have yourself a winning combination!

For more info, check out the Festambiente website

– photos courtesy of Festambiente

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