Annual Italy Events

Banchetto Etrusco - The fortified village of Murlo was once a fief of the Sienese bishops in the 13th century. Today the imposing bishop's palace and courtyard have been expertly restored, most impressive of which is the complete reconstruction of a roof and pediment of a building dating back to the 5th century B.C.. This Etruscan festival revisits the culture, dress and cuisine of the ancient and mysterious people that populated this area many centuries ago. Highlighting the festival is the "Banchetto Etrusco" which boast a mighty Etruscan Table which is a massive offering of typical Etruscan food (typical of that era), which can be consumed to “tilt” quantities. It starts nightly at the Castello di Murlo at 8:30 pm and the festival typically ends on the weekend closest to the last day of August. An interesting point about Murlo is that a few years ago a group of researchers from the Institute of Genetics of the University of Torino arrived in Murlo to conduct a peculiar kind of historical investigation. One of the interesting conclusions they reached was that Murlo had remained intact and untouched by war and invasions throughout history. It was far enough away from major roadways and communications to guarantee total isolation to its inhabitants to the point that the genetic heritage has remained almost uncontaminated. The research went on to compare the DNA taken from ancient Etruscan bone samples with the actual DNA of modern-day residents of Murlo. The results of these comparisons was that the people of Murlo have conserved many genetic characteristics of the Etruscan population, including their facial features (the distance between the eyes, a straight and short nose, rather pronounced cheekbones) and the structure of their feet. They also found that the Etruscans passed on other important legacies, such as culinary recipes such as the Tuscan ribollita, and lasagna, and also the aspirated "C" sound of the Tuscan dialect. When the media found out that it was possible to interview actual descendants of the Etruscans in flesh and blood, they invaded Murlo and its inhabitants at an international level and, even today, many researchers, journalists, historians, tourists and students continue to bombard the small town every year. It’s a GREAT town right in the middle of Tuscany that is worth a visit or a stay and it’s an Agri-tourism paradise! www.comune.murlo.si.it