I Love Touring Italy - November Attractions Of Central Italy, Part I

So you are planning to visit central Italy in November, but aren't sure what to see and what to do. Don't worry; you'll find lots and lots of special events that simply aren't available in the good old summertime. Here are a few of them. Get rolling; November is almost upon us. We will start our virtual tour in Tuscany and then visit its neighbor, The Marches. The second part of this article visits the rest of central Italy in November.

The Tuscany region of central Italy is famous for wine and food, as well as being one of the greatest art centers in the world. Tuscany is proud of its white truffles, "mushrooms" that are very tasty and quite expensive. One excellent setting is La Sagra del Tartufo Bianco (Festival of the White Truffle) in the medieval hilltop town of San Miniato. This festival runs on the second, third and fourth weekends of November. In addition to the food you'll enjoy craft displays, theater performances, and marching bands. If you can manage to rent a room at the Convento di San Franceso, you'll have more money to spend on those delicious truffles. The town of San Giovanni d'Asso, near Siena, hosts a truffle festival on the second and third weekends of November. It is also home to a truffle museum open on weekends.

The thousand-year old town of Suvereto hosts a ten-day wild boar festival in late November that culminates in a feast around December 8. The festival showcases other local products such as honey and olive oil and includes historic reenactments, archery competitions and exhibitions, and other costumed medieval competitions. Tuscany's excellent Brunello di Montalchino and Barolo from neighboring Piedmont pair very well with boar.

The Florence Noel celebration starts at the end of November and runs through the first week of December. This family event includes children's activities such as visiting Babbo Natale (Father Christmas). The whole family will enjoy the chocolate, food, music, and nativity village. You'll find Tuscan Christmas markets in Florence's Piazza Santa Croce (this one has a German touch), Siena, Lucca's Piazza San Michele, Arezzo, Montepulciano, and Pisa.

The Marches is also truffle country. The town of Acqualagna calls itself the "truffle capital." It holds a white truffle fair on weekends beginning at the end of October through mid-November. For another truffle fair visit Sant'Angelo in Vado every weekend from mid-October through early November. On Saturday nights there is live music as well. Make sure to pay careful attention to the full town name; Italy boasts several Sant'Angelos and to my knowledge the other ones are not truffle territory.