Polo, a prestious Club in Tuscany right at La Selva's door

If you like Polo, or are interested in checking it out for the first time you may be in luck while staying at La Selva Agriturismo Holiday Villas in Tuscany.

La Selva's neighbour in fact has a prestious Polo club, Villa Sesto Polo Club owned by Riccardo Tattoni.  You can see it beyond from our road, cradled in a sloped valley a short distance below our Villa Felciai and Villa Fabbri.  

Polo:  an extraordinary exhilarating exciting experience!

 

It is fascinating to watch a polo match no doubt about it!  Villa Sesta Polo Club hosts international tournaments during the finer weather seasons (April to October) and it's open to the public.  It is a perfect location nestled in an outdoor amphitheatre of nature.  The club welcomes spectators and enjoys sharing their passions of the world of Polo in a very pleasant social atmosphere.  The dress code is not as one would think.  You can go as you are - no need for fancy clothes, hats and such as one might imagine - decidedly casual, though the parking lot is full of some very sleek vehicles!  

Viewing a game of Polo is as exciting as you'd expect!  It is amazing to watch the horse, or "ponies" as they call them - all the stop and starting, the turning around practically on one foot.  At first I was concerned for the animals but they seem to enjoy running after that ball!  They appear to do it on their own accord - and with gusto though hard work.  They've been training since they were very young.  

The "ponies" are in complete symphony with the rider - something beautiful to witness.

I found it memorable hearing the "crack" of the "stick" hitting the ball as the rider bends and twists over in unlikely yet elegant positions.  They are hanging on to nothing but the reins, galloping at full speed after the ball avoiding collisions on "ponies" who intuitively know the strategy.  The athletes are mostly (but not all!) from Argentina and are amazingly agile and good with horses.  

The other thing that gave my spine a tingle is the sound of thundering hooves as they collectively rush across the field.  

The riders often get into pileups and knots - it is interesting to watch them extricate themselves without for a moment taking their eyes off the ball.  They risk getting their legs crushed or a mallet smacked on the head in these circumstances - it certainly is a dangerous game on so many levels.  

Outside the playing field there is a lot of coming and going with fresh horse being exchanged often during the match.

The ball is made from a very hard, yet light material.  It's like Styrofoam highly compressed to a very hard compact form - you wouldn't want to get hit with it, another danger that looms for the players and their horses.  The ball gets a dent in it with each strike so they need about two dozen new balls each game!

In the evening they get out the wine, build a bonfire and grill up huge racks of typical cuts of beef rib, pork and sausage - a specialty of the Argentinians.  And they are very good at it!  It's all very jovial.

The manager Juan Luciano Bozzi organizes Polo practice and lessons for beginners and players of all levels.  They are available to do single or group lessons guaranteeing high safety level of the rider and horses.   Our son Leone took tutoring for about a year with Juan when he was around 14 years old (he already had experience with English riding) - it was an extraordinary exhilarating experience. 

Last I heard a single lesson of 1 hour is €140 including the horse, teacher and all the gear supplied by Villa Sesta Polo Club

I don't have this years' (2013) tournament calendar yet but I will post it when I do!

We've got some other fascinating neighbours but I'll save those other blogs!

Enjoy!
Sherry Mason
http://laselva.net
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Photos courtesy of Villa Sesto Polo Club

Important Art Exhibition Carlo Carrà (1881-1966) in Alba, Italy

CARLO CARRA' 1881 – 1966 - Fondazione Ferrero from 27the of October 2012 to 27th of January 2013

There is still some time to catch this fabulous Art Exhibition in Alba of Carlo Carrà.  

It is almost 20 years since such a major mono-graphic testimony has been dedicated to this very important artist.  A true icon and protagonist of the grand movements of the '900's .  

Born in Piemonte, Carrà was one of the few Italian artists who crossed and creatively interpreted independently the more significant movements of the Italian figurative culture of the '900's. 

There have been selected 76 prestigious public and private masterpieces gathered nationally and internationally, representing each phase in the Artist's life.  Spanning the various stages - early divisionism, the small period of "Antigrazioso" or "Anti-graceful", futurism, metaphysics, mythic realism, the 1920's landscapes, the 1930's monumental figure compositions and finally a selection still life's. 

It is a very large well installed exhibition and a must see.

 
Alba is located between Genoa and Torino.  

Admission is free

Hours: Tuesday - Friday: 15h00 - 19h00 Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: 10h00 - 19h00 

Closed Mondays 

For information: Fondazione Ferrero, Strada di mezzo 44, Alba – +39 0173 29 52 59 - info@fondazioneferrero.it



Enjoy!

Sherry Mason
Visit La Selva Vacation Villas

Power walking, Running, Biking in Tuscany

 La Selva to Montebenichi, one of Arezzo's prized “Strada del Vino” 

 


One of the wonderful things to do during your holiday at La Selva Vacation Villa Rentals is to take a walk up to Montebenichi. It overlooks the breathtaking Val'd'Ambra or valley of the Ambra River. It is considered one of the most scenic roads in the Province of Arezzo and is part of “Le Strade del Vino” or “Wine roads”. It's a great way to start your day or to get moving after a day of relax reading or lounging around the pool.  If you think La Selva Villas already has an extraordinary panorama just you wait!  

At the top is Montebenichi, a charming ancient medieval village and aside from the church and private homes of local and international dwellers, it has a small 4 star hotel in a castle and one quaint restaurant, both fantastic. There is no bar or grocery store, but thankfully there is a public drinking water fountain next to the church to fill up your water bottles.

Montebenichi is 3.5-4.2 kilometres (2.2-2.6 miles) up depending if you are starting out from the main grounds of La Selva villa where Libreria and Terrazza apartments are located or one of our large Villas, Felciai and Fabbri. It climbs 200 metres (656 feet) up in altitude, just right. A completely paved road it meanders among olive groves, vineyards, cypress trees, oak woods with a few lovely farmhouses and villas on the way. Wide enough that any passing cars can get by you easily, it's bordered with and array of wild flowers, some very fragrant. 

 The climb starts out slowly and increases, a sort of natural warm-up.  Softer slopes dot the route from time to time to give you a bit of a break. It's nice to stop and turn around to admire the remarkable view. Often wild animals can surprise you when they cross your path; wild boar, pheasants, porcupines, fox, deer and badgers. No worries, they are afraid and take off fast! You won't be alone on this trail as quite a few of us have discovered this wonderous walk.

About 2/3rds to the top is an interesting 8th Century Romanic Church where the local Priest Don Alessandro stays.  The church is a wonderful setting for weddings overlooking terraced hills you can see in the photo above. 

 

The back faces the road and you can just walk around the side to get to the front.

The 360° panorama is stunning from the top. Siena can be easily seen to the SW and the Chianti Mountain range to the north.







 Of course the main view is Val'd'Ambra spread out marveously below.  On clear days you can see as far as Rapolano, the Crete di Siena, Val'd'Orcia and Tucany's volcano, Monte Amiato where the famous Brunello wine comes from. Closer below you can see La Selva and a little beyond Castello di Montalto (historical enemies of La Selva Castle-now-Villa during the medieval, but this is another story for another blog!).

If you are super energetic you can continue on a gravel road along the crest of the Hills of Val'd'Ambra towards Solata and further, Cennina; a great trail for mountain bikers. After a wonder around Montebenichi and a rest the way down is much easier - it is hard to not run!  You can admire the sights all the way down.

When weather permits I go almost every day as one of my primary work outs. Just being outdoors, getting the heart pumping, breathing in the clean air along with with stupendous views and fragrances extends the mind and brings a real sense of well being. I feel so fortunate to have this at my doorstep.

What you will need:

comfortable running shoes, a water bottle, adequate clothes, sunscreen, hat and sunglasses depending on the weather.

I hope you enjoy it when you are here with us.

Sherry

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