Lucignano, Italy

 City of Festivals     

This quintessential Tuscany hilltop town knows how to live and certainly knows how to play. It has four festivals a year with the most elaborate being La Maggiolata  - the Festival of Flowers - in the last two weekends in May.  An important part of their heritage, a large part of the town participates in this lively festival.  This very small village has four districts that develop a theme project that involves months of planning to compete for the most original and elegant float and win the "Golden Griffin". The streets are filled with flowers and lots of celebrations to include barbeques, parades, folk music, dancing and all kinds of frivolity. On the second Sunday, the festival concludes with the Battle of Flowers during which the floats are completely stripped and residents throw flowers at each other, it's a very amazing battle - too cool.  

Dating back to the 13th century, this medieval walled city embodies village living.  We have been going there almost every year since 1999. Thirty minutes south of Siena and only approachable by car, all roads lead to Lucignano - from north, south, east and west. Only local traffic is allowed in the city and rarely do you see cars actually moving, mostly delivery trucks.  Lucignano is elliptical  in shape, at multiple levels with a tiny road winding around and through the town leading up to Piazza San Francesco with the church of the same name at its highpoint. Windows full of flowerboxes and hanging laundry are commonplace and aromas of lunch and dinner fill the cobblestone streets and walkways. For such a small village, it is teaming with really good restaurants and full of remarkably friendly people. My favorite three restaurants in order are:  La Tavernetta - Elizabeth, the owner and award winning chef, is absolutely delightful and focused on bringing traditional Tuscan food to the table. It is home cooking at its best and any pasta dish is a must, particularly the Pici. The restaurant is small and cozy on the inside but the outside Terrace is where you want to dine.  Quite large, it affords scenic views across the Chiana Valley, especially at sunset. Simply stunning. La Rocca - this is the first place we ate in Lucginano and it never disappoints. Chef Marcello and his wife have been there from the beginning and make a great team. With a new remodeled location in a corner building, the multiple level interior keeps much of its medieval charm but again, the Terrace is the place to be. It provides a rustic view of the downtown and has a very pleasant atmosphere in the evening. The breads are the best in town and the mixed antipasti is most generous. Try the wild boar tagliatelle, its special. Il Goccino - Susanna's cuisine offers  a modern twist on traditional Tuscan fare. We discovered deep fried Zucchini Flowers and they are to die for. The seating inside is somewhat limited but tastefully done with modern art. Again, the place to dine is the Terrace, it's small but provides rolling hillside views overlooking Cortona. It is covered in Jasmine and in the Spring it's almost intoxicating. We typically will order the special, it will be creative and tasty. 

 I would be remiss if I did not mention the local grocery store, the only one inside the village walls. Maximo, the proprietor, greets everyone with a welcoming smile and knows everyone in town, so many regulars for so long. Somewhat small but it has everything you need - great selection of meats/salamis, large variety of cheeses, fresh baked breads, local fruit and vegetables, an assortment of Tuscan and Veneto wines, alcohol of all kinds, lots of  sweets/cookies and all the other stuff stores are suppose to have. We always shop there at least twice on a week long visit to Tuscany. Maximo knows to breakout the credit card machine, stored underneath the counter, when he sees us coming, most everyone pays in cash. I would highly recommend to stay at least one week in Tuscany, plan day trips from a central location and explore its many, many wonderful sights and towns.

Courtesy of La Casina

We stay in La Casina just five minutes from Lucignano, it is like heaven to us and we have stayed there for over 20 years. We can be away for a year, come back and it feels like we never left. The Porro family, who owns the 6th century farm house, are nothing short the best folks in the world. I will devote an entire blog to La Casina soon.   

The best time to visit this delightful village is during May and September when the two largest festivals are occurring. Warm days, cool nights, not much rain, sunny blue skies, birds singing - you get the picture. During working hours the streets are nearly deserted, the town is yours to explore, stroll and photograph. Thankfully, outside of the region, Lucignano has not been discovered by tourists. The single Gelato store has an amazing variety of flavors and makes exploring the town even more enjoyable. I would recommend seeing the churches, some are very old and unique. I've traveled the world, Italy extensively and this is one of my favorite towns, large or small.  See it!