The farm holidays "La Colmata", in the hearth of Val Di Chiana, is an excellent starting point to discover the artistic and natural marvels of Tuscany: in 10-15 minutes you can easily get art towns as Arezzo or the beautiful Cortona, in a bit more of half an hour you can visit Siena, Perugia, Montalcino, Florence and Trasimeno lake or the near hills where you can admire a wonderful landscape.

Arezzo: Flourishing Tuscan province with Etruscan origins, of which we have examples as the "Chimera" (V century B.C.), it was under Roman rule, during the IV-III century, reaching a considerable development. The first Sunday of every months and previous Saturday there is the antiquarian fair, an event that recurs since more than twenty years. The fair is an important appointment for lovers of antiques and for all curious people; every edition is visited by an average of 20.000 people of which many tourists.

Cortona: In the south of Arezzo, near the borders with Umbria, stands Cortona on the steep slopes of a hill which rests on the high S. Egidio. Perhaps Cortona was found by Umbri and transformed in a great town under Etruscan rule; nowadays it is one of the major centres of Arezzo. On its hill which commands Val Di Chiana, all encircled by old walls of rare archaeological importance, with its steep streets, churches and convents, it is the upholder of the old glories of which it jealously preserves the antiques in the museums and in the churches.

Florence: "Florentia", flourishing, was the name given by Romans to the small settling found in I century B.C. at the foot of the Etruscan Fiesole. It is considered the place of the born of Renaissance and all over the World it is known for being (for many reasons) one of the cradle of the arts and of the architecture with its many rich museums (as Uffizi Gallery, Palatina Gallery, Barghello and Archimedes Garden, museum of maths) and its many monuments, churches, squares, and interesting places as Ponte Vecchio, Signoria Square, Santa Maria delle Grazie and so on.

Perugia: The big "Arce Guelfa" stands in the centre of the region of Umbria, with its 5 historical districts contained by Etruscan walls: big bastions formed by cyclopean squared rocks of 22 centuries ago and still visible for long parts. When Rome was just a camp of huts, in the Etruscan Perugia there was 7 gates, as the imposing gate Pulcra or the August Gate. Entering through the Saint Pietro Gate, externally remade by Agostino di Duccio in 1475, we meet on the right the basilica of Saint Domenico; in the cloisters and in the adjacent convent there is the famous National Archaeological Museum of Umbria.

Siena: It stands at 322mt. on sea level in the hearth of Tuscany. This town was built on hills and has got a medieval aspect with its narrow streets and noble palaces each one full of history. Siena has got Etruscan origins and it was a roman colony with the name of Sena Julia; it had its major importance in the Meddle Ages, before under Lombard rule and then under Carolling rule. After a long period of Episcopal rule (from IX to XI century) the town reached its major magnificence after becoming an independent Commune in 1147 and it began an expansionistic politics towards the neighbouring territories. The comparison with Florence was inevitable and the war between those two towns lasted until 1555 when after a long siege Siena was conquered by Florence loosing its independence and becoming part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany until 1861, year of the Italian unification.

Montalcino: From its 567mt. Montalcino domains all the surrounding country with its powerful fourteenth-century fortress. Besides the many artisan shops, the small coffee bars and the typical Tuscan grocer's (here not only the wine but also the honey and the local biscuits, called "ossi di morto" which means bones of dead people, are very famous) you can visit the beautiful Communal Palace, the Episcopal Palace that houses the museums of Montalcino (the diocesan, the civic and the archaeological museum, with works of important authors of Siena of XIII-XVI century, as Bartalo di Fredi, Sodoma and Bartolomeo Neroni), the old Crucifix of Saint Antimo, that dates from 1100 and the churches of Saint Agostino, Saint Egidio and Saint Francesco, all built between the XIII and the XIV century, and the sanctuary of Madonna del Soccorso (Lady of Assistance).

The Joust of Saracino: made of traditions, memories, costumes and practices. The joust has an ethical value, even if "veiled" by the population's festive commotion, it follows its own distinctive essence, the essence of a town: Arezzo.
At the Joust we can still see the old family symbols on the knights and the symbols of their epic deeds under the walls of Jerusalem, originating from a memory or by what had to be done by those who followed pope Gregorio's invitation to go to the crusades (in partibus infidelium) . (The shield and the colors of the Pazzi family of the Valdarno is a good example.) In a day that is timeless, the tournament and the knights seem to "be carved." This term is a homage to "Mastro Wolf" and his art, who captured the joust's spirit by transferring it from his eyes to his heart, from his heart to his hand and from his hand to his work. This Vasarian genius created a game like effect between the stone floor (pietra serena) and the masses with a person's figure that separates from the rest indicating its own uniqueness, the event and its repetition: The Buratto (dummy target).
Described by the Herald's challenge, as the chosen one, the most skilful among Persia and Babylon's soldiers, the king of the Indies presents himself as a hero of Kitab af -futuwak, in other words the code of Arab chivalry equals for dignity and nobility the rules of "The Knights of the Temple".
Treated like a Prince by his family members, the Buratto of Arezzo has royal but isolated nobility, and thanks to his soul's strength he can withstand the challengers by stopping them and by striking back. If the Knight's lance breaks, by his arm's strength and by the Burratto's shield resistance, then the Buratto's honor is doubled while doubled can be the dishonor for the knight if the cat-o'-nine-tails on the Buratto's right hand strikes him.
The Buratto, never loses. He is the alter ego of a great game where the Knights must strike for points not only for themselves, but first of all for their "Quartiere" (district, area)
The joust is a reality, of extraordinary noble origins, that becomes passion for the citizens who support their local flag and by the observer that will experience the absorbing and powerful emotions of the joust. In conclusion:
To the Christian Knights: "Non nobis Domine, non nobis sed nomini tuo da gloriam" (motto of the Knights Templar) -Not to us, but give Glory to your name- To the Islam Knights: "la galib illa Allàh" (from the motto by the kings of Andalusia of the Ahmer dynasty) - There is no winner but God -
Saturday 17 GIUGNO 2006 at 8,30 pm
Sunday  3 SETTEMBRE 2006 at 17,00 pm

Arezzo Antiques Fair: The fair takes place in Piazza San Francesco 's extraordinary scenario, Piazza Grande and the Logge Vasari . From this central area the vendor's stands spread throughout the narrow streets and piazze (squares) covering and changing the looks of the town's historical center.
It has been the first fair to enjoy a long lasting success with regular dates. In the past, it became like a hunting ground for the best pieces, by people who would buy them the day and night before the opening of the fair when the merchandise was still in the lorries (trucks).
The vendors, behind hundreds of stands come from all over Italy, offering a large variety of objects where people can appreciate the traditions, culture and customs of the various Italian regions.
Beside the fair stands, we can find the traditional antique shops. Often, these antique shops are organized like the stands of the Antique Fair: furniture, paintings and objects of different nature, of high quality and different time periods are mixed leaving the visitor the challenge and pleasure of discovering them.
Nevertheless, next to these shops, we find many other antique shops that offer selected merchandise while others specialize in particular sectors: antique books, scientific instruments, classic archeology, liberty glass, old posters, art deco objects, modern antiques, jewelry, watches, silver objects, 18th and 19th century paintings and furniture.
Lately, antique exhibits have been organized by many qualified exhibitors who bring high quality items to their galleries during the fairs.
As we can see, there is a vast choice of items available to satisfy the most demanding collectors and amateurs. People that are not experts, but wish to visit the fair during their trip, can do so with confidence: they will find lots of interesting items to choose from and vendors that are willing to answer all of their questions and give guarantees. During the last few years there has been an increasing growth in the restoration sector. This has given along with the art historians, the possibility to create an environment able to suit new projects, not only to preserve and maximize the existing art works of public domain, but to also preserve the antique market its self.
Nowadays antique dealers and collectors have an advantage, since there are numerous restoration workshops that have stimulated Arezzo's painting market.
Thanks to their long tradition and experience, furniture restorers are able to solve all types of problems, even the most difficult and complex ones.
Renown and respected, Italy's most famous antique market is almost a myth. This guarantees a constant presence of vendors in every season and under all types of weather, while the market prices are not influenced by this.
The first fair began 32 years ago and was the first of its kind. Placed in a beautiful scenario, rich of art works and historical buildings, it is still today the most famous Italian fair, where tourists come from all over Italy and abroad to visit.

Arezzo Equestrian Centre is the brand of an important activity associated to the horses world, which concerns two different, yet very complementary aspects : the agricultural aspect, i.e. horse-breeding, and the sports aspect, i.e. show jumpimg event organization. Arezzo Equestrian Centre is the business unit that organizes equestrian shows on a national and international scale.
Since 40% of the equestrian show business is covered by show-jumping, AEC has specialised in organizing events of this kind (during 2003, AEC organized 15% of the international show-jumping events which took place in Italy and during 2005 it will cover 20% of the events).