One of the things that puzzles the most my foreign friends is how, sometimes, people in Tuscany are completely unaware of stuff that just lies a few miles from where they live. This can be explained with two simple facts: nothing in Tuscany ever changes and, sometimes, places that look quite close on a map are actually much harder to reach than they look. More than 25 years ago, for example, I landed somehow in a thoroughly unremarkable village around 20 km from my hometown. It was just another hamlet where a few hundred people lived and completely uninteresting, just another place left behind by the tides of time. Recently a friend of mine told me that this place in the middle of nowhere has been completely transformed in a few years and is now a veritable internet sensation. This left me quite startled, as things like this are exceedingly rare around here, enough to let me research a bit what happened there. The story I found was so interesting that I had to drop the episode I had planned for this week and venture into this veritable rabbit hole. The transformation happened in just a few years, thanks to the money obtained by a controversial landfill and was part of the work of some well-known modern artists that have used the village as the canvas for their artistic vision. That's why this week What's Up Tuscany will bring you to Ghizzano, the small but incredibly colourful village that is the favourite of Instagram aficionados in Tuscany.

If you listen to the whole episode, you will learn about the ancient history of this hamlet, how it was forgotten by time until the money obtained by the Peccioli municipality from a very controversial landfill allowed the mayor to entice some foreign artists to the village and transform it into an open air museum. The most famous work, that of British artist David Tremlett, has turned a normal road into a festival of colours, a project that should represent the contrast between the natural and urban dimensions of this land. There are several other high-concept sculptures that dot this tiny village: while I'm no fan of modern art, this has firmly put Ghizzano on the map, with tourists and art aficionados that come to visit this open air museum. The Venerosi family, which still owns most of the land in Ghizzano, has turned an ancient orchard into an innovative garden where art and nature go hand in hand, a place where they organise art exhibitions, musical happenings or other art events. They applied the same logic to their estate, which is now a modern farm where they produce wine and olive oil with innovative techniques. While the villa they rent looks a bit too expensive for regular tourists, their approach to wine is quite up to date, with a newsletter to popularise their idea of winemaking and a wine club where they try to create a community of wine lovers from all over the world.

In the last chapter I will also tell you about the fascinating walks you can do in this little-known part of Tuscany and the festivals dedicated to olive oil that are organised in this little village both in February and May. While you don't have a plethora of choices when it comes to eating, the only restaurant in town is quite interesting. It has a stunning view and offers dishes that are produced exclusively with what is grown locally, staying faithful to traditional Tuscan cooking. If you're lucky you can also take part in the many art events that the owners organise, turning a meal into a unique experience. A few miles away there is a veritable local institution, a restaurant that is the favourite of locals when they want to eat great traditional dishes in huge portions without breaking the bank. It is definitely not the most modern or fancy restaurant but offers a lot of bang for your buck. This is also valid for Ghizzano and Valdera in general: you won't find it on the front page of any glossy magazine but, if you give it a chance, it will steal your heart.
Email: podcast@larno.it
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larno.it
Twitter: @arno_it / @WhatsupTuscany

LINKS TO SOURCES (ITALIAN ONLY)
https://www.tenutadighizzano.com/it/
https://www.daicollifiorentini.it/visitare-la-toscana-ghizzano-legoli-peccioli-larte-non-e-mai-troppo
https://www.intoscana.it/it/articolo/il-borgo-colorato-alle-porte-di-peccioli-dove-larte-contemporanea-e-di-casa/
https://www.ricordinvaligia.it/2022/01/25/visita-a-ghizzano-di-peccioli/
https://www.terredipisa.it/attrazione/ghizzano-peccioli/
https://www.artribune.com/arti-visive/arte-contemporanea/2019/06/peccioli-piccola-capitale-italiana-dellarte-contemporanea-opere-di-tuttofuoco-kwade-e-tremlett/
https://www.terredipisa.it/events/giardino-sonoro-di-ghizzano-peccioli/
https://www.terredipisa.it/events/sagra-dellolio-novo-peccioli/
https://it.wikiloc.com/percorsi-escursionismo/trekking-anello-di-ghizzano-peccioli-pi-88582504
https://www.tripadvisor.it/Restaurant_Review-g1934166-d26656269-Reviews-The_View-Ghizzano_Peccioli_Province_of_Pisa_Tuscany.html
https://restaurantguru.it/Da-Pasquino-La-Sterza

BACKGROUND MUSIC
Pipe Choir - Bom Bom Breakthrough (Instrumental)
Pipe Choir - A dark blue arc (Instrumental)
Pipe Choir - Almost time (Instrumental)
Aerocity - Love Lost
Incompetech - Leopard Print Elevator
Pipe Choir - Trampled (Instrumental)
Wayne John Bradley - Blues Rock Original Instrumental
All released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipe-choir-bom-bom-breakthrough-creative-commons-instrumental
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pc-one-a-dark-blue-arc-creative-commons-instrumental
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipe-choir-almost-time-instrumental-creative-commons
https://soundcloud.com/argofox/aerocity-love-lost
https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1500077
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/p-c-iii-trampled-creative-commons-instrumental
https://soundcloud.com/ayneohnradley/blues-rock-original-instrumentalcreative-commons
http://www.pipechoir.com/