Midsummer Nights and Communists Holidays, Postcards from Capalbio and Castiglione

Capalbio, Tuscany

In Italy going for a stroll in the evening after dinner is still a time-honoured tradition, particularly during feast days and in the summer months.  If you have a gelato in your hand your stroll, or passeggiata, becomes even more enjoyable.  When I think of summer holidays I often think of coastal towns and villages in southern Tuscany, Le Marche region or Lazio, the region of Rome. At dusk or in darkness what are already beautiful locations become totally magical. 

Capalbio in Southern Tuscany is one of those locations where you get absolutely the best of everything.  It is a small town perched on a hill surrounded by two tiers of medieval walls.  Around are vineyards and sandy beaches are also close by. 

Capalbio became well known to Italians in the 70s and 80s because the news would report that members of the Italian Communist Party spent here their weekends and summer holidays.  The small town was then even more peaceful than now and the food quite extraordinary.  Given this 'political' past Capalbio has dedicated a street to Enrico Berlinguer, who was the influential leader of the PCI, Partito Comunista Italiano, and who distanced his party from the influence of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Berlinguer was an intellectual and a moderate, definitely more of a socialist than a true communist.  How could an Italian communist be anything but a moderate, surrounded by the Dolce Vita and tucking into a plate of divine spaghetti alle vongole?  

One of the walkway on the city walls, Capalbio

Capalbio over the years has maintained a tradition of fostering discussions of ideas by hosting a long list of cultural events, above all in July and August. The town is indeed called 'Little Athens'. Here below is a link to the events:

https://www.tuttomaremma.com/capalbioeventi.htm

Most events take place in July and August and it is mainly Italians who flock to the poetry event, or the photography competition, or the book Festival or the food events. Capalbio hosts fairs to celebrate its wine, which is called Capalbio wine, its boar meat dishes, fish dishes, Tuscan beef steaks, buglione, which is braised lamb, and even bruschetta! If you come across the name 'buttero', which crops up both in the list of events and in many local dishes, it is the name for a mounted cattle herder. These farmers on horseback look after herds in the Maremma, which by the way is the coastal area of southern Tuscany and northern Lazio.

Monte Argentario is near Capalbio and has stunning beaches

Maremma and the Medicis
Up to the 1700s the area of Maremma, which covers 5,000 Km2, consisted of marshland and was infested by malaria. Massa Marittima is a beautiful town at the centre of Maremma and there was a proverb saying 'Massa, guarda e passa'. This translates as 'Massa. look and go beyond'. Of course we are not one hundred per cent sure that the reason for the saying was malaria, perhaps the inhabitants of Massa were particularly hated by their neighbours!

Duke Cosimo I Medici in the 1500s was the first to have an area of the marshes reclaimed and turned to farmland. He would often travel here from Florence to inspect the works and also to hunt. His devoted wife Eleonora of Toledo often accompanied him, but this was an error of judgement on her part because aged 40 she contracted malaria and died. Three of their ten children also died of the same diseas

Castiglione della Pescaia

An hour's drive going south from Capalbio you reach Castiglione della Pescaia, which is a larger town than Capalbio but, like Capalbio still retains medieval streets and a large fortified castle on top of a hill. Lots of quaint restaurants line either side of the steep cobbled street which leads up to the castle. One of the picturesque side streets which is particularly beautiful is named Via dell'Amore, Love Street. The first time I visited it I went all misty eyed about the name but then I found out that the name is very old and its origin relates to the inhabitants of the street being prostitutes.... It was that kind of love, so not very romantic after all.

Castiglione della Pescaia by night

Gabicce Monte, Marche region

Thinking of summer evenings strolls I must mention Gabicce Monte, which is a very pretty village on the Adriatic coast in the northern part of Le Marche region. It is up on the San Bartolo mountain and it has a little square open to the most beautiful view of the sea and port below. If you happen to be in this area I recommend a boat tour along the coastline going north from Gabicce towards Fiorenzuola di Focara. Fiorenzuola is a village mentioned by Dante in the Divine Comedy. Focara comes from 'fuoco', fire, because on this mountain height fires would be lit in antiquity to guide sailors. Fiorenzuola has a wild beach which is dear to birdwatchers. These mountains are in fact the first proper mountains if you go south from the Alps and migrating birds flying southward along the coast use them for guidance. Here you can spot thousands of birds of prey such as red-footed falcons, European honey buzzards and western marsh harriers. As I have an extremely limited knowledge of birdwatching and I have had to look all these birds up I will stop twittering on.

Hope you have a great June,

Annalisa

View of Parco Monte Bartolo