Antiques Show in Cortona!

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Antiques Show in Cortona!

Cortona is definitively a “she”, and as many little misses, I’d say she likes to show off quite a lot.

She enjoys showing off her artists, her food, her looks, her sounds, her people…
all her treasures. But she also likes showing off other countries’ or town’s belongings! In fact since 1963 Cortona hosts a national antiques exhibition, for two weeks every summer at the end of August, named “Cortonantiquaria”. It is renowned as one of the most prestigious antiques fairs at national and international level.

This year the official opening was last Friday, 26^th of August, and the show will end on the 11^th of September.

The beautiful 18^th century halls of Palazzo Vagnotti, one of the many great buildings of Cortona, treasures more than a thousand pieces of antique furniture and collectable art objects, displayed by 38 exhibiters from all over Italy, but also Spain and the Republic of San Marino. Paintings, sculptures, jewels, carpets, engravings, earthenware, silver and bronzes, prints, weapons and much more, accurately selected and certified.

This year you can also find iconic dresses from Italian and French, 50’s and 60’s, fashion created by designers such as Elsa Schiapparelli, Pierre Cardin, Courrègés, especially for stars like Grace Kelly e Audrey Hepburn or even figures like Wallis Simpson. So, once again Cortona becomes an explosion of “Bella Vita” thanks to the related surplus of social events, wine and food tasting which accompany the two weeks of the show.

The exhibition is open from 10 am to 1 pm and 3 to 8 pm from Monday to Friday.
10 am to 8 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Ticket price: 8 euros.

Palazzo Vagnotti is in Piazza G.Franciolini.

You can simply enjoy a pleasant tour amongst treasures or if you’re a collector you can find the (antique) love of your life, buy it and take it home with you!

Cortona and local food festivals.

I’m sure that if you are in Italy right now you’ve already noticed quite a number of posters bearing the word “SAGRA”…

It indicates a traditional gastronomical town festival, often dedicated to some specific local food, and the name itself of the sagra includes that food.
Remember some posts ago?
“La sagra della bistecca”… the beef steak festival.

You can find any kind of festival!
From the watermelon one to the frog one,
from the “Sagra della pizza” to the “Sagra della castagna”
(the chestnut festival).

It depends on the time of the year.
It can last from one to several days and usually local people cook whole meals including many other delicious products (obviously!)
Great traditional recipes and very good prices.

The word “sagra” comes from the Latin “sacrum” which means “sacred”, in fact, in ancient times, all year round, various harvesting occasions were celebrated by religious feasts to thank divinities for the crops. For this reason they were held in front of temples or churches.

In Cortona the local Sagre (plural) are held in the park, the “Parterre” gardens.

Tomorrow and Saturday evening? La “Sagra del fungo porcino”!
The 22^nd edition of the porcini mushroom festival… delicious: amazing dishes made with porcini from the rich mountains surrounding Cortona.

Any events tonight?

Yes! The opening of the 8th edition of the European festival of folk music and dances.
No food… but very good entertainment!

Cortona, Piazza della Repubblica, 9.30 pm

Star gazing and wine tasting in Montepulciano.

Every year, on the 10^th of august, at night, Italians raise their heads to the sky and look for falling stars.

In Italy it’s Saint Lawrence’s night, “la notte di San Lorenzo”.
Usually shooting stars are visible more on this day than at any other time of the year because Perseus’ constellation is passing through our planet’s orbit.
The meteor shower is explained in a much more poetic way by Saint Lawrence’s martyrdom.
Falling stars would be his tears descending on earth on the day of his death, creating a magic and hopeful atmosphere.
So if you hope for a special wish to come true you should pronounce these words, when you spot a falling star: “Star, my beautiful star, I wish for…..”
“Stella, mia bella stella, desidero che…..”

I recommend, on this occasion, Montepulciano’s main summer event: “Calici di stelle”.

Montepulciano

(does “Vino Nobile di Montepulciano” ring any bell? )
“Star Chalices”.
A wine and food tour through the town’s quarters, accompanied by art performances and music!
Only twenty minutes from Cortona!

The complete programme is HERE.

Calici di stelle

Beef steak festival in Cortona!

Have you ever come across the Italian word “Ferragosto”?
It refers to a special holiday instituted by the roman emperor Ottaviano Augusto (18^th century b.C.); in fact “Ferragosto” comes from the Latin “Feriae Augusti” which simply meant “Augusto’s rest”.
It also happens to coincide with the Catholic event of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
So: double celebration!!
In Cortona we celebrate it by eating grilled beef steak …(!?)

The grill!

From every home, garden or restaurant there will be delicious smell of fresh meat cooked in the simplest but best of ways!…for me at least!

If you happen to be around Cortona at this time of the year you’d better not miss the famous “SAGRA DELLA BISTECCA”, the Beef steak festival! This year it will be at its 51^st edition.

In our beautiful 19^th century park, the Parterre, will be a 14 meters long grill! An enormous barbecue surrounded by our local men, in aprons, holding very long forks cooking T-Bone steaks, sausages and spare-ribs. All these you can taste along with Chianti wine, local cheeses and more …on the 14^th and 15^th of August!

Deeeelish!

Tuscan Sun Festival begins with Tango!

The 9th edition of Cortona’s Tuscan Sun Festival is ready to begin!

On Monday 1st of August our beautiful theatre, “Teatro Signorelli”, will host the first event of the week at 9 pm.

Exceptional pianist Martha Argerich, along with, Oscar-winning composer for Il Postino, Luis
Bacalov, Michael Guttman, Nestor Marconi, Eduardo Hubert and The Paris Camerata
will sweep us off our feet with a suggestive evening of tango variations by composers such as Piazzolla and Bacalov himself.

Martha Argerich

Luis Bacalov

The event calendar of the week:

Tuesday 2 August

Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saens, Mendelsshon
performed by
Pinchas Zukerman – Violin
Amanda Forsyth – Cello
Andrea Griminelli – Flute
Carlo Montanaro – Conductor

Orchestra della Toscana

Wednesday 3 August

Mozart, Brahms, Shumann
performed by
Pinchas Zukerman & Zukerman Chamber Players

Thursday 4 August

“SEDUCTION, SMOKE AND MUSIC”
The love story of Chopin and George Sand
Hollywood superstar Jeremy Irons and Sinead Cusack narrate a theatrical evening with music
called Seduction, Smoke and Music.

Jeremy Irons

Sinead Cusack as George Sand
Jeremy Irons as Frédéric Chopin
Nina Kotova – Cello
Simon Trpčeski – Piano
Irina Dvorovenko – Dancer
Maxim Beloserkovsky – Dancer

Friday 5 August

Greta Scacchi presents: “SCHUBERTIADE”
The life of Schubert told and illustrated

Greta Scacchi

Greta Scacchi – Narrator
Michael Guttman – Violin
Frank Braley – Piano
Werner Van Mechelen – Baritone
Enrico Fagone – Double bass

The Guttman Quartet
Michael Guttman (Violin), Eleonore Darmon (Violin), Anton Martynov (Viola) and Diana Ligeti (Cello)

Saturday 6 August

Mozart, Prokofiev, Rogrigo
performed by
Leif Ove Andsnes – Piano
Miloš Karadaglić – Guitar
Carlo Montanaro – Conductor

Orchestra della Toscana

Sunday 7 August

Nina Kotova

Handel, Bach, Boccherini, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti
performed by Danielle de Niese – Soprano
Nina Kotova – Cello
Julian Kovatchev – Conductor

I Virtuosi del Teatro alla Scala.

For tickets and further details click HERE

Tuscan Sun Festival is not only Music and Theatre, but also an occasion for many other events, exhibitions and lessons!
Wine tasting, cooking classes, dance lessons, visual arts and so on!
Check out the official leaflet!

The Aeneid in Cortona.

On the 19th of July, in the beautiful courtyard of the Museum of the Etruscan Academy of Cortona, the Aeneid will come alive through the art of the “Cunto Siciliano”, the traditional Sicilian storytelling and a wondrous example of epic theatre: sound, rhythm, body and voice release in space a playful and mighty energy.

“Arma virumque cano,

Troiae qui primus ab oris

Ialiarn fato profugus…”

The Aeneid, with its immortal lines distributed in twelve books, tells the story of the glorious Trojan race veterans, ancestors of the “gens Iulia”.

A poem, which, although linked to the glory of Rome in the world, is for us, in fact, a beautiful fabric, a magical tapestry of events, heroes, romances and flights, which long to return to life through a body and a voice, in space and time.

On this particular occasion, Aeneas is followed in his legendary flight after the destruction of Troy. The title of the play is “La fuga di Enea”,…”Aeneas’ flight”.

Aeneas' legendary peregrination.

In the “Cunto”, though, there also are continuous personal insertions and emblematic poetry, which unexpectedly turn the spotlight towards the “new” migrants from Africa and Iraq, who wander through the Mediterranean to leave war wounds behind.

The bodies and voices of Vincenzo Pirrotta and Nancy Lombardo will be directed by Vincenzo Pirrotta himself, with music by Mario Spolidoro played by Luca Mauceri and sceneries of Pasquale De Cristofaro.

Don’t miss it!

July 19^th 2011, Palazzo Casali, Cortona.

For further information: tel. +39 0575 637235. Email. info@cortonamaec.org

LIFE IN VAL DI CHIANA

Girifalco Fortress

The 13^th century fortress “Girifalco” of Cortona is hosting, until the 11^th of September 2011, the multimedia exhibition “VIVO IN VAL DI CHIANA”, for anyone who wishes to get to know our beautiful area, the Val di Chiana, “the valley of Chiana”!
Young artists from the whole area have developed a vision of their territory focusing on its re-discovery and on its cultural resources.

The places “starring” in the exhibition are:
Castiglion Fiorentino, Civitella in Val di Chiana, Cortona, Foiano della Chiana, Lucignano, Marciano della Chiana and Monte San Savino, (All reachable from Cortona in no more than half an hour!)

A virtual journey to discover their beauties , from the most obvious to the hidden ones!
Short films, airplane flights, interviews, life stories, panels, multiple languages and different tools: a sophisticated and continuous mixing of seemingly distant worlds, the conversation of roots and geographies in a timeless journey.

The official poster of the exhibition

You will also find a special free CARD, valid from May to September 2011 which reserves many benefits: special guided tours and workshops, confidential agreements with local museums and a 10% discount in restaurants, hotels and businesses that have joined the Convention.
The CARD is distributed free of charge at the exhibition, in participating museums, tourist information offices and accommodation facilities in the area who have joined the project.

View from the Fortress

It is also a precious opportunity to visit the fortress, from which you can treat your eyes with one of the most breathtaking views of the valley.

The exhibition is open every day from 10 am to 7 am, and from 10 am to 9 pm on Saturdays and Sundays in July and August.
Free entry!

Tuscan Sun Festival, A Great Summer Event In Cortona!

http://www.tuscansunfestival.com

teatro signorelli cortona from july 30th till august th 2011

Welcome to the Tuscan Sun Festival!

The Tuscan Sun Festival is an annual music and arts Festival that takes place within the intimate setting of the medieval town of Cortona, in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany. This lifestyle Festival offers an exciting program that includes not only world class concerts, but a daily program of events that explore fine arts, culinary & wine, wellness, and local culture & history.

Each evening, concerts featuring some of the world’s most distinguished artists are performed in the intimate setting of the Romantic-period theatre, Teatro Signorelli.

The Story of the Sun Festivals

In the 1990s, Barrett Wissman and cellist Nina Kotova had often discussed organizing an event somewhere in the world where friends could make music together in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

As regular visitors and part-time residents in the Cortona area, Wissman and Kotova discussed their desire to bring together musicians, as well as artists from many disciplines, with their neighbour, Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun. Mayes suggested that Cortona might be the very location for such a gathering

Armed with the hope of breathing musical life back into a beautiful Tuscan town, combined with the first handful of enthusiastic international artists who routinely perform at the highest level, in 2003, the Tuscan Sun Festival was born.

Since that time, the Festival has matured into an annual event that continues to be artist-led while simultaneously embracing the proud spirit of the local community. Regularly presenting prominent musicians, the Festival became the first event of its kind to provide such a platform and combine it with a pure celebration of life so abundant in Tuscany. Now produced by the renowned arts management company IMG Artists, the Festival incorporates an array of ‘Festival Events’ which include fine art exhibitions, culinary events, wine tastings, lectures and other literary events, as well as the outstanding musical concerts. A number of the Festival Events showcase the talent of the local Cortona community, underlining the desire to keep the Tuscan Sun Festival part of Cortona’s family.

And the 2011 winner of Cortona’s Archidado is…

PECCIOVERARDI! (no, not my district, but never mind..)

Finally a new trophy for them since their last one in 2007!

Last Sunday the two cross-bowers of Peccioverardi not only had to win over the other 4 districts of Cortona, but also over rain and wind!! ( I know…not exactly the typical weather for Italy in June)

An incredible victory!

The banner of the winning district

Just to enrich your knowledge about the crossbow tournament of the Archidado:

ARCHI stands for arch (crossbow)

DADO stands for dice (the characteristic cube of the target to be hit)

For those who want to know more about Cortona and the medieval joust of the Archidado, check my post about it here:

Coming up next on the blog: the Etruscan collections of the Louvre in Cortona.

Lucia

Roll of drums in Cortona: the Archidado!

Usually May means, also, fireflies.

But we’re in June!

And this year I saw my first fireflies on the first of June, wandering about in a very light and gentle rain, in the dark and wild countryside of Cortona.

Magical.

I found myself thinking: “Fireflies under the rain.. don’t they get electric shocks?…”

Ridiculous thought, Lucia.

Ok. June.

In Cortona.

The first week of June is all for the Archidado Joust!

In this occasion our beautiful etruscan town goes all medieval, more colorful than ever..

People go crazy and especially on the last day of the festival you find maids, knights, medieval civil and religious authorities, flags and crossbows at every corner.

Trumpets! Flutes! Drums!

It’s nearly weird.

If I were in a silly mood, I’d say we had time portals opened once a year…

Chatting away...

Flagthrowing

The Joust was officially instituted in 1397 to celebrate a very important wedding between a local lord and a noblewoman from Siena: Francesco Casali and Antonia Salimbeni. Throughout the week all sorts of medieval events take place, from religious ceremonies in honour of our patron Santa Margherita to delicious food banquets

AND

on the last day of the celebration, finally, the crossbow competition: the Archidado!

The challenge is for the 5 Quintieri (districts) of the town;

each of them have different beautiful coloured costumes which bear their emblems.

Only one of them will win and conquer the desirable “Verretta d’Oro”! The prize!

The people of each district support their champions in a very exciting competitive way…

you can even SMELL the rivalry, in the streets, during this special week!

The crossbowers

On monday I sneaked out to TRY and take pictures of the of the flag-throwers, rehearsing their choreographies at night, but I was kind of… gently… kicked out! They must have thought I was a spy from some other town in Tuscany…

I won’t post the ghastly picture I managed to take walking away!!

So, on Sunday, 5th of June…which one of the 5 districts will be the winner??

Santa Maria, San Vincenzo, Peccioverardi, Sant’ Andrea or my district: Poggio-San Marco?

The Archidado

I’d like you to read out loud these last words,

with a provocative tone followed by an evil laugh, please:

“WE’LL SEE…”

In Italian as well, please:

“VEDREMO…”

Thank you!

Lucia

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