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Tuscany is the beautiful place to visit and enjoy its natural beauty along with its tasty bites. From the Romans, the Etruscans to the Renaissance, the land of Tuscan sun is possibly the greatest repository of art in the world from extraordinary paintings and sculpture to frescos and architectural masterpieces.

Tourists visit Tuscany for numerous reasons. Many come here looking for art and architecture, others to enjoy the exotic and outstanding countryside. Gourmets and wine buffs descend on Tuscany to enjoy the simple yet wonderful cuisine and wine. Many others come to enjoy the wine tour, which is the major attraction for the tourists visiting Italy. People, who love walking, come to enjoy the mountain paths, cyclists get enthralled by riding over the rolling hills, summer vacationers have fun on the sea coast and the islands. The students interested in languages enjoy by learning the beautiful Italian language and culture while relaxing under the warm weather.

There is a lot to see and enjoy in Tuscany. Apart from accommodating in Tuscany villas, one can roam about in the striking valleys as well as join the cooking classes to learn the traditional dishes of Italy or just spend time under the Tuscan sun leisurely. Thus, Tuscany is quite famous for its beautiful and ancient villas apart from the culinary tradition it holds from the past few centuries. Various food festivals are arranged every year to sooth the taste buds of locals as well as tourists visiting Tuscany especially for these food festivals. From Spring to Autumn, Tuscany brims with villages that organize special events to celebrate typical foods and unusual dishes with frogs, ostriches and steaks all being showcased artistically. Eventually, the villagers come out in huge numbers and dinners are followed by dancing and evening markets.

The major food festivals celebrated are as follow:

The Valley of the Giant White Festival in the month of May:
For lovers of steak, this festival is must a visit. The famous Bistecca Fiorentina comes from the Chianina cow. The animal it seems produces the finest steak in the world. The steak consists of a T-bone grilled over a wood or charcoal fire, seasoned with just black pepper and salt. The Bistecca is thickly cut and very large and is served very rare, garnished with lemon wedges and of course accompanied by red wine. This festival celebrates everything related to the Chianina and offers visitors food tasting, folklore shows, musical events and viewing of these amazing animals.

Snail Festival in Camucia, near Arezzo in the month of June:
This is an outstanding festival of the Escargot with snail based menus, pizza and local produce dishes, walking and cycling tours, motorcycle and rally car shows. A colorful street parade is all followed by a different dance event in the evenings with music provided by local orchestras.

Staying at one of the Umbria villas near one of these villages, you will have a great time to enjoy these food festivals.

Frog Festival in Brolio, near Arezzo held during the last week of July:
The tiny village of Brolio between Arezzo and Cortona holds the Sagra della Rana – the frog festival. It is extraordinary for the locals as 10,000 frogs’ legs are imported especially for this event while the evening balls are considered to be the best in the area.

About the Author:
Kathy Green is a dedicated social worker who while serving the disabled people in Ireland, came across the very common issue of effective disability equipments, especially in case of stairlifts. She has also performed market research on the equipment providers and the stairlifts rentals.