Autumn Arts Festival In Tuscany from October 25

NEW YORK, USA – Who can resist Tuscany in autumn? It is a sensual feast. Russet and golden hills. Crisp air. Trees weighted with olives. Woods rich with mushrooms and chestnuts. The scent of grapes hangs over the valleys like mist. The harvest is the soul of the Tuscans. In autumn the hill towns revert to the locals. Their art is to prepare the bounty: prosciutto, nuts, olive oil and especially Chianti. Traditional festivals celebrate every phase from the vendemmia (harvesting of grapes for wine) to the wild boar. Music, folklore, dancing in the piazza.

And there, in the heart of Tuscany, is Siena. The legendary medieval town packed with history and art. In autumn, her museums and churches are uncrowded and the town relaxes. The streets echo her architecture, art and heroes.

Since 1998, Il Chiostro http://www.ilchiostro.com has celebrated this time of the year in Tuscany with their final workshop program of the year – The Autumn Arts Festival. The people of Dievole are like family to Il Chiostro directors Linda Mironti and Michael Mele and their guests: Dino roasts the pigs in an over built in the 1700`s, Silvano prepares a welcome appetizers to greet them on the first day of arrival, Leonardo waits for them to pick his olives so he can teach the guests the technique that damages the olives the least, and Enzo the chef creates a magical meal based on the bounty of the season that is enjoyed dining in the vecchia cantina, the historic wine cellar from the original Dievole vineyards.

The Autumn Arts Festival offers 3 separate workshops, Painting, Photography and Tuscan Cuisine, that all overlap during the 10-day celebration of the arts, the harvest, the wine and this wonderful region of Italy. In addition Italian Opera Appreciation is offered each day. The workshop chosen shapes the activities at the Autumn Arts Festival. For example the cooking class may go olive picking while the painters spend the day in Radda painting the vistas of the Tuscan hills and the photographers travel to Montalcino or Pienza for a full day shoot. And, there are also many additional activities, excursions and surprises, making the 10 day Autumn Arts Festival a spectacular experience for each and every participant. Says Michael Mele, “Our Autumn Arts Festival is a ball! There are many activities going on throughout the day but what I think the participants like the most are the surprises. We don’t like to tell people everything that we have in store so when something unexpected happens people really get a kick out of it. Everyone usually goes with the flow and drops their defenses and just has fun. I don’t want to be too specific but just remember that Halloween falls within the dates of the program.”

For additional information on The Autumn Arts Festival and other Il Chiostro workshops, visit http://www.ilchiostro.com, call LInda Mironti at 800-990-3506 or email at linda@ilchiostro.com.