Salute summer in style in the Maremma Tuscany with these weekend events:
Sagra della zuppa di pane
When: all weekend
Where: Pian del Bichi – Roccastrada
What: Your classic country food festival, but in honour of a dish you don’t see often in the Maremma – bread soup. A luscious and hearty soup packed with vegetables, a homemade chicken broth and salt-less Tuscan bread. What can I say? We already have winter on the brain!
Festa del Cinghiale
When: all weekend and into next week
Where: Porto Ercole
What: Wild boar cooked a handful of different ways is a delicacy in the Maremma. Some like it tender and dripping in a thick tomato sauce, other prepare it barbecued without any fancy spices, while other still prefer it ground into sausage meat. This food festival celebrates them all. This is not one to miss if you want to try REAL fresh wild boar, cooked traditionally and at a steal of a price. Most restaurants charge you an arm and a leg for the frozen stuff.
Sagra del Tortello e della Zuppa di Funghi
When: all weekend
Where: Marrucheti – Campagnatico
What: Sometimes you have to be wary of food festivals. A lot of them are just invented as money generators for the local organisations and the food isn’t always great. This isn’t one of those festivals though. This sagra is more than a decade old and has a reputation for homemade tortelli pasta and a mushroom soup that has a depth that only comes from the use of fresh porcini mushrooms.
Amore, mostra di artisti internazionali
When: now until September 16
Where: Palazzo dell’abbondanza, Massa Marittima
What: And because it’s not all about food in the Maremma, Massa Marittima has invited international artists to create their take on love in an art exhibition that is both romantic and revealing. Interesting fact: The palazzo hosting this exhibition is home to a very strange and very erotic Renaissance-era fresco that features penises hanging from a tree.
Fiera di Ghirlanda
When: now until October 2
Where: Ghirlanda, Frazione di Massa Marittima
What: Ghirlanda’s annual autumn country fair is just like in the movies. There are livestock and horse shows, parades and competitions. There’s wine tasting and talks about the D.O.C Monteregio di Massa Marittima from the wine producers in the area, and there is children’s entertainment. But instead of the all-American apple pie, the Maremma has local products like olive oil and bruschetta to keep the punters happy.