TUSCANY, ITALY

MOVEABLE FEASTS: WORDS, INSPIRATIONS,, VISIONS.

TUSCANY, ITALY

"When I was in Tuscany filming A Room with a View, I remember being in a horse-drawn carriage near Fiesole. I looked down to see wonderful cypress trees in a landscape lit unlike any other I’d ever seen. The spell, the beauty were completely intoxicating. I never wanted to shake that feeling; I wanted it to last". —Ismail Merchant, film producer

DESTINATION: MONTAIONE

Workshops will be held in Montaione, in a charming hilltop town in Tuscany. It's 23 miles south west of Florence. This ancient town dates back to the Etruscans.

We'll be staying at the PALAZZO MANNAIONI

Dating to 1598, the palazzo was first built as a feudal fortress. During the second half of the 18th century, it became the seat of the Florentine garrison of the Medici until the beginning of the 19th century when it was conquered by Napoleon's troops. Napoleon himself used the palazzo as his base for hunting during his Italian campaign, and said the beauty of the area and warmth of its inhabitants made him "feel a king in a foreign land." For four centuries, the Palazzo Mannaioni was striclty joined with the history of the town of Montaione and the Mannaioni family. The family was prominent in civic affairs; they played a key role in the public life of Montaione as notaries, magistrates, administrators, builders, land owners and - as shown by the coat of arms over the door of the building - also as master glass-makers. We will be here at this ancient four star Villa located in the former fortified walls of the town. TODAY The palazzo, adjacent to the walls of the castle, was built at the end of the 16th century. The present building dates to the 19th century. Part of the complex houses the living quarters and includes a large garden, a lemon grove, and stables as well as areas dedicated to its former incarnation as a working farm: barns, cellars and a room used to make olive oil. An interesting feature of the palazzo is the underground passage leading to Piazza della Concordia; this has given rise to many mysterious legends and tales of secret liaisons. The restaurant is housed within the former cantina of the building. Its brick arches create an original and cozy atmosphere where we'll be able to enjoy Tuscan specialities exquisitively prepared featuring such local delicacies as fresh porcini and white truffles from Montaione. The first-class menu is accompanied by an interesting local wines.

HISTORY OF THE REGION

Humans have left their marks and artifacts throughout the region; along the coast there are numerous neanderthal sites. Paleolithic settlements leading up to the Iron Age where small tribal settlements are found near woodlands, lakes, rivers or along the hillside caves and gorges, they are nomally located away from the dangers of the swamps and marshlands. These settlements are found throughout Tuscany. In the first century BC, the region began to change after the migrations of the Etruscans. Afterwards, the landscape changed forever. There are numerous theories of who the Etruscans were. One, perhaps they migrated here by sea from the Far East, or from northern Europe during the Beaker Migration from eastern Europe. They originally settled along the rivers Arno and Tiber, eventually their habitation extended as far as Liguria in the north, and down through Umbria to Lazio in the south. Superlative road builders, they began to clear swamps and marshlands and were great sea-farers producing exquisite art works and jewellery. They left behind their tombs and 'cities of the dead' (necropolis) which have survived for centuries. The Etruscans were exceptional artists and creative entrepreneurs in trading, farming, mining. Their organizational skills led to a relatively stable political and social environment. The towns were self-governing, yet there was a strong sense of national and religious identity. Besides Greece, other European governments do not have the longevity. Some of the early Etruscan settlements that remine cities today are Cortona, Arezzo, Fiesole (close to Florence), Chiusi and Volterra. They are thousands of years old. The end of this civilization was relatively swift, with incursions from the Greeks, Gauls, Carthigians and finally Rome. When Romans colonized the region they name it Tuscany (the word derives from Etruscans).

The municipal territory of Gambassi--the territory where we'll be staying-- extends fro 83,06 square kilometres in the middle hilly zone of the Valle dell'Elsa. Feudal centre then Medieval Podesta Office abolished with the Leopoldina reform, it was raised to community in 1917 when with the districts of Varna, Catignano and Castagno it was detached from the municipality of Montaione. From 1977 the new name of the municipality is Gambassi Terme. In the Medieval era it was owned by some small local Feudal Lords, the Gambassi castle from 1037 started to become the property of the Bishops of Volterra through donations and acquisitions which were concluded in 1115. In the XII century next to Gambassi Vetus, placed lower down, was Gambassi Novum, built on the hill were it is found today, in a safer position, and the men of the two places united themselves with stipulated agreements in 1150 and 1170. In 1244 Federico II gave the investiture of the castle to Gualtieri Upezzinghi: this however did not impede the Bishops of Volterra in continuing to exercise their Lordly rights, the inhabitants of Gambassi considered them so insupportable that in 1268 they subjugate themselves to San Gimignano traditional enemy of Volterra. This naturally provoked a grievance between the two rivals, culminating in an open battle in 1275, and concluding in 1280 with an arbitrational ruling. In 1293, with the peace of Fecucchio, Gambassi was detached from the San Gimignano territory and united to the Fiorentino county thus constituting a community together with Catignano, Pulicciano and Montignoso. In 1432 it was occupied by the Visconti militia, who sacked it. In 1435 it was united to the Podesta Office of Barbialla; in 1529 and in 1530 it suffered damage in the war which gave origin to the Duchy of Firenze. With the Leopoldina reform of 1774 the Podesta Office was suppressed and Gambassi was annexed to the community of Montaione, from which it regained autonomy in 1917. Florence commenced as a wealthy capitalist city of commerce, in the textile trade. Later she, dominated to grand cultural and artistic levels - the age of Dante, and the Renaissance. At the close of the Middle Ages, a new era was beginning. Florence, dominated all. Freed from clerical tyranny and feudal dominion, Florence and Tuscany became a crucible of ideas and inventions; the rigid strictures of the past had gone, language became free and clear, and cultural transformations were achieved in a way not possible before. During the 15th century, the Medici clan became ever more powerful, eventually transforming the Commune of Florence into a principality. Cosimo I, courtesy of energetic and oft time harsh policies, laid the foundations of the Tuscan state, and, in 1570, was titled Grand Duke of Tuscany by Pope Pius the 5th. The paternal patronage of the Medici allowed an incredible blossoming of intellect and culture in Florence, the undoubted epicentre of the Renaissance throughout the 15th and 16th centuries. The roll-call says it all: Brunelleschi, Donatello, Alberti, Ghiberti, Masaccio, Botticelli, Piero della Francesca and Leonardo da Vinci.

2004 Nancy Gerbault, ABROAD-crwf