Salsa in Toscana - Organised by LeuvenSalsa!

The area
It would be a real pity being in this area without enjoying some of it, its people, its nature, its culture, food. Wouldn’t it?

The stage location
Prata and Boccheggiano are small villages in the south-west of Tuscany, in the Maremma area (province of Grosseto). If you draw a line from Siena towards Massa Marittima or Grosseto you might find it on a map! The villages are situated on some of the first hills coming from the seaside (which means there’s a great panorama), there’s an excellent climate (the seawind moderates the temperatures) and they are surrounded by great nature and beautiful historic cities. Massa Marittima is 10km away, Siena is 50km away, the seaside is 25km distant, San Gimignano, Volterra, even Firenze are all within reach.

'There will be classes in three locations: in Prata (Circolo Endas), in Il Gabellino (next to the hotel) and in Boccheggiano (palestra Scuola Comunale).

The sea
In August there are usually temperatures around 30°C in Prata and Boccheggiano, not too hot thanks to the proximity of the sea and the situation on a hill (surrounded by woods), very often an ideal climate. Of course we’ll adapt to the heat (classes will be in the morning and evening) and for instance you might feel like taking a swim … The coast line (‘Costa Etrusca‘) is wonderful: a coast line with ‘savage’ beaches and more accessible ones. Cala Violina (every year in the top 10 of the most beautiful beaches in Italy), Castiglione della Pescaia, Parco della Maremma, Follonica, … And how about a ‘night swim’?

The history
Some of the most beautiful cities of art are within reach: Siena, Firenze, Volterra, San Gimignano. Siena, Volterra and San Gimignano are at an hour from of Prata/Gabellino/Boccheggiano. Even Firenze is within reach (two hours by car). Massa Marittima is twenty minutes away, less known but a beautiful town with a huge historic patrimonium. There’s the abbey of San Galgano closeby, the medieval castle of Populonia and the Etruscan ruins that are only about 6000 years old … Many places in Tuscany haven’t changed much since their golden age (the medieval period) exactly because of the fact that not much has happened anymore after that period.

area

Today’s life
And then there’s today’s life … I always advice visitors to enjoy the Italian or Tuscan way of life for a while: take it easy, visit a town, have a nice meal, go for a swim … That’ll probably be a better idea than to drive far away every day and visit as much as you can.
Go and meet the real Italian and Tuscan food. It’ll be hard to find something that’s not good … And please forget the idea that there’s only pasta and pizza. Expensive? If you order a cappuccino on one of the central squares of Siena or Firenze it can be quite pricy of course. But for the rest? A great pizza on the Piazza in Massa Marittima will cost you 4 euro.
Enjoy the sun. The beauty of this area. The friendliness and openness of these people. Find out how people get influenced by what surrounds them.

The cultural agenda
The first half of August is ‘high season’ for tourism in Italy, which means that lots of things get organised, concerts, parties, performances, festivals … Often very cheap, often in open air: music concerts, theater, wine tasting, parties in every town or neigborhood.

tosc