Ever since reading Isabella Dusi's book "Vanilla Beans and Brodo", I have been thinking about visiting Montalcino to experience this festival. I also love Montalcino and would like to spend more time in Souhern Tuscany. Has anyone experienced this event-if so is it worth a visit or is it too crazy? Is southern Tuscany nice in late October?
As I am back from Italy for a week, I just have to start day dreaming about my next trip or I won't know what to do with myself!

As far as I am concerned nothing is crazy when it comes to Montalcino....
Have you read Isabella's second book?
We booked the apartment through Isabella and her husband Luigi when we stayed in Montalcino 2 years ago.

In Oct 1999 we visited the Sagra for one day. We arrived very early (before 9:00 AM)and had no trouble finding parking at the lot at the bottom of the hill, although the fire company was charging for parking that day. When we left to return to our rental outside of town, all the roads to Montalcino were lined with parked cars, so either stay in town itself or get there early if you are driving.

There are many different events for the Sagra, what we watched was a marvelous parade of beautifully costumed townfolk. It included an enromous Maremma ox with long horns pulling a decorated cart, several mounted huntsman with a pack of hounds and a group of falconers with hawks and owls. All were extremely photogenic.

Naturally all restaurants were filled, with long lines of people trying to get in. Having an apartment in town where you can retreat for a bite to eat would be a great idea.

Most of the crowds in town were Italian visitors, some stollling the street with open bottles of wine. Everyone was having a good time without getting excessively rowdy.

The fields of Southern Tuscany are a rich earth color in late October, and mornings are sometimes misty. Persimmons, chestnuts, porcini and new wine are special treats at that time.

Jeanne

Thanks Jeanne and jabo (yes I enjoyed her second book too),
I think I would plan to stay in the center itself for at least that weekend through Monday, perhaps with an apartment stay in the neaby coutryside the week previous to the festival. Thanks for your input-it really helps to hear from someone who's been there.

I'd also recommend doing a search on the board. Here's one thread with some additional information. Also check out Rebecca's Umbrian Sagra Guide. It might not be directly about Sagra del Tordo but it does has some general tips on what to expect when you are attending a sagra.

Hi Collen
It is a MUST! It too became interested after reading Vanilla Beans and actually got in touch with Isabella. She was most gracious, we got to meet her on the day of the sagra, and had pranzo in the Pianello church before the archery event. It is by reservation only so I'd start working on it now. We sat at long communal tables and the lunch was cooked by the ladies of Pianello. I will always remember it. Isabella is wonderful and I think they should make a movie of her life if people want to know about "life under the tuscan sun". Her books have really helped me to understand the Tuscan region and appreciate it even more. She is an amazing author and fascinating person. The sagra itself is a very festive time to be in Montalcino. People walk around with scarfs to show support for each quartiere, there are flags flying, beautiful medevial costumes, a great parade, lovely children dancing in costume, an exciting archery contest and a cart pulled through the street by two enormous white Chiana cattle. Need I say more? I hope you enjoy it as much as did.

We attended in 2001 if I recall. Weather that time of year is tricky but can range from fantastic to rainy.

There is a parade in historical costume 2 times during the day. After the second one, the Fortezza opens up and each quattiere has a food and wine booth where you can get a meal. Remember you must go and pay for your food first and then get in line to pick it up. I recall there being an immense crush at the first booth right inside the front entrance to the Fortezza so maybe you should leave that one till last. The Enoteca Fortezza itself is open but they do not serve wine by the glass that day, just selling whole bottles. By the end of the event in the evening, there are a lot of folk who have over imbibed so beware!

After the parade, there is music making and traditional dancing. Thisngs are going on all over town so just go and wander.

It was an amazing day for us and we would love to do it again someday.

Thanks all sounds like fun if it is well planned. It's good to have a goal for my next trip. ritaly, how far in advance did you book the sagra pranzo with Isabella?

Sagra del Tordo is a nice event, it's the typical town festival and Montalcino is a neat town.

What I really like though, is Tuscany in fall. even when it is a bit rainy, it's so romantic!

There is nothing better than sitting in front of the fireplace or on the sofa under some warm blankets!!!

a few years ago we drove up for the Sunday of the festival and it was one of the most fun experiences we had on that 9 week trip!We saw the parade and then went into the Fortezza and bought food and wine and sat near some folks who were delighted that we were there and wanted to share everything with us even though only one of them spoke a bit of English and we spoke a very little bit of Italian. We always tell friends who will be in the area at that time to go. We hope to go again next October.

Thanks caplanco-maybe we'll see you there!

I was in Montalcino last year for the Sagra del Tordo. I spent a week there as I had been planning to do for a number of years since my daughter and I spent an afternoon in Montalcino on the way from Urbino to Firenze and were charmed by the town.

I read Vanilla Beans and Brodo just before going, and enjoyed having the background.

I think a lot has changed about the sagra because of the large numbers of people attending from Italy and also foreigners. There is no longer a community meal served in the fortress. Instead, over a period of some days before and also during the Sagra the individual sede serve meals. It is kind of like going to a church supper. I attended one of the dinners in the quartiere where my hotel was located. For about 25 euro there was a multicourse meal with local wines. I happened to be seated a a long picnic-like table with a family from Milan who owned a country home near Montalcino and with whome I had a bit of conversation in my miserable italian and their miserable English, a group of 3 early-twentys boys who didn't speak to anybody except to pass the wine. Late in the meal after some had left I talked with a pleasant young couple from Prague who were intent on buying almost everything Italy had to offer. The food was pretty good but there were no roasted Tordi. Alkthough in principle I am against killing and eating all the songbirds, I confess that I really did want to eat one and was disappointed that we ate boar and liver and pasta and pork, but no birds.

There were lots of police around and signs saying not to drink in the streets. Some people did carry around glasses of wine, but there was not much real drunkenness, which evidently had been a problem in recent years. Everything shut down pretty early, and around 7pm Sunday I saw street cleaners with stick brooms tidying things up, and the town was pretty empty.

The archery and parades and dancing were fun to watch for a bit -- Well, I have to confess that for me that stuff gets old fast.

The best part of the experience was in being in Montalcino for the few days before the Festa. Every night around 11pm- 1am big groups of young people walked the streets singing the cheering, bragging, competing song that is the theme of the festa. They were very loud and enthusiastic aznd animated, some with beautifully sweet clear voices bouncing off the canyons of the narrow streets. The other great thing was to wake up on the morning of the first day of the festa and see the quartiere flags that had been raised during the early morning and then to walk about the vown and see groups of young people mounting more flags.

The town was wonderful. On the first day I was there people were pleasant. On the second they remembered how I drank my espresso and asked if i wanted the same espresso and pasta again, on the 3rd people started nodding or waving from their motorinos as I passed and giving me discounts at the restaurants. This I might have expected more in an off-season than in the middle of a festival.

The local museum had some fine pieces and a very interesting exhibition of a contemporary artist many of whose pieces were cleverly arranged in counterpoint with the old art -- intriguing and sophisticated.

Lastly, Dean and others have written extensively about the various eating and drinking establishments, and I won't add to that, but if you go you should consult earlier posts. Let me put in a word for the hotel Il Giglio, where the people were most accomodating (parking and retreiving my car, for instance), the rooms were clean and simple and attractive and reasonable in cost even at that busy time, and the food delicious. - gedlin