A diamond shaped jewel in the brilliant blue of the Mediterranean Sea, the island of Monte Christo has enthralled many a reader when it was the centre of an exceptional and exciting novel The Count of Monte Christo by Alexander Dumas.

Now this beautiful Italian island, just of the coast of Tuscany, will be open to upto a thousand visitors every year in two sessions, the first beginning from April 1 to July 15 and the other session beginning from August 31 to late October.

Let me tell you more about this mysterious and beautiful island which I hope you will enjoy visiting with us. We will register you for a day of lecture sessions which are vital for us to take you around the island. This isolated and fabled island, part of the Tuscan archipelago, is now been showcased as a tourist spot. Visitors are educated on its wonders and great care will be taken not only to sustain its environment but also to open its fabled treasures of a natural kind not only to scientists but also to visitors from all over the world.

The island of Monte Christo is about four kilometres at its widest and is situated off the Tuscan coast between Italy and the island of Corsica. This unspoilt island is a beautiful natural preserve with its hunting grounds filled with priceless and diverse natural resources included rare flora and fauna including the Monte Christo viper, and few rare bird species. The protected and endangered Mediterranean monk seal finds its last refuge in the waters surrounding Monte Christo. Thus the island can be rightfully be described as one of the best open air natural museums in the world.

Monte Christo has a history dating back to mystery and intrigue not only as outlined by Dumas but also as a result of its inhabitants who included pirates, saints and monks. Till today one can find the visible ruins of a monastery called San Mamiliano on Monte Christo Island. It has also been a part of Roman mythology, where it is considered to be one of the seven jewels that fell off Venus’s tiara into the Tyrrhenian Sea when she was bathing there.

Although we cannot promise you treasures in the form of gold coins, gold bars and precious stones including diamonds, rubies and pearls like Edmond Dantes, Dumas’s hero found on the island, we offer you treasures of a more permanent kind-amazing memories of the beauty and diversity of this little jewel of an island off the coast of our beautiful Tuscany.

Forbidden love often invokes a lot of curiosity and interest today as it did so centuries ago. Although Fra Filippo Lippi was born in Florence in 1406, the famous renaissance painter is still often associated with scandal and the notoriety he gained when he moved to Prato and began to paint frescoes for the Duomo di Prato. According to Vasari Filippo Lippi or Fra Lippo Lippi, as he is most commonly referred to, began working on the frescoes for the choir of the Cathedral of Prato in 1456. A couple of years later in 1948 he met Lucrezia Buti, the charming and young daughter of a Florentine called Francesco Buti. Succumbing to her beauty and undoubted charms Fra Lippo Lippi not only used her as his model to paint her as the Madonna and Salome but also had a long and passionate affair with her resulting in the birth of their son and daughter.  Their son Fillipino Lippo became a painter as well and achieved the lofty heights set by his illustrious father.

As we proceed towards the city of Prato we can see a magnificent ancient church built in various stages. This church had its origins from the tenth century when it was called the Pieve of Santo Stephano –Saint Stephen the first disciple of Christ and the patron saint of Prato. Many additions were added to the original church and it finally attained the status of a Duomo or Cathedral and currently houses the bishop.

The main walls of the choir in the Duomo of Prato showcase two of the most famous frescoes of Fra Lippo Lippi. They face each other and depict stories of Saint John the Baptist and Saint Stephen. These magnificent frescoes have stood majestically depicting the artistry and excellence of this renaissance painter and have recently been restored to their former glory. These luminous frescoes are vivid and yet controlled splashes of colour artistically depicting emotions and an innovative and exhilarating perspective of Christian history. The figure of Salome dancing has been featured by art afficionados and historians as been one of the most splendid and impressive figures among all his works. The floating figure of Salome, the temptress at King Herod’s banquet who delivers the head of John the Baptist on a platter, has been immortalized by many a painter, writer, musician and poet. But recently the city of Prato has also adopted this iconic painting of Salome by Fra Lippo Lippi as a symbol of their city. The Cathedral also house the famous Virgin Mary’s griddle which is safely ensconced in the Cathedral and taken out in a solemn procession on Christmas and other holy occasions to be venerated by the public.

The Cathedral of Prato also has many other famous works of art and historic value. Prato is not only the second largest city in Tuscany but is also a beautiful enclosed city with   historic buildings, museums, a palace, churches, excellent food and famous citizens.

Some 700 years old, the foundations of Piazza Santa Croce have withstood floods, executions, no-rules football matches of the Calcio Storico, markets, millions of tourists, markets and festivals… and has never lost the power to take a breath away.

The piazza is located just 800 metres from the city’s famous looming Duomo. When the afternoon sun relaxes in the sky, and its light catches on the quilted marble facade of the Santa Croce church, it is almost enough to turn heretics into believers. Possibilities open up before you with each nimbus slashed across the uneven pavement stones of the piazza.

Construction of the Santa Croce church that backdrops the piazza, began in 1294 on the site of a Franciscan chapel. Inside lie the remains of some of the world’s most famous minds - Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Galileo to name a few. And what a resting place - under the frescoes of Giotto, Donatello, and Tito in this, the largest Franciscan church in the world.

As if the history, art and splendor of the Church are not enough, the Santa Croce piazza is abundant with activities throughout the year that add a stark modern vibrancy to the historical backdrop. The 19th Century facade of the church stands guard over a variety of markets and events throughout the year, when the piazza hosts to numerous markets, festivals, sporting events, concerts, and other crowd-drawers.

Starting with the German ‘Heidelberger Weihnachtsmarkt’  Christmas market, the stalls are filled with various Christmas decorations, foods and gifts, as well as hot food stands selling staunchy, cold-warding foods like wurstel with sour crout… and of course, beer. But the steamy hot spiced wine, served from a large wooden vat, is just magnificent. Cupped in warm hands, the steam dissolving foggy breath, each sip gives warmth from the lips to the belly. Whilst this market has only been held in Florence for the past 6 years, its origins date back 500 years. If the idea of a German market in Florence seems a little out of place, the missing link is that Prince Heidelberg’s wife was actually the last of Florence’s royal Medici family. Maria Luisa’s statue can be found in the San Lorenzo church nearby, and her legacy of donating the family artworks is appreciated with each entry to the Uffizi gallery dedicated to holding this wondrous collection.

Just a short while after recovering from the reveries of a New Years Eve concert held in the square, Santa Croce, for but a few days in January, brings chocolaty bliss to its visitors by the way of a hand-made chocolate market. Each stall is a shrine to the god of chocolate, and there are many worshipers in attendance. From chocolate spanners and hammers for the more practical chocolate lover, to the decadent chocolate art works, and the in between delights… chocolate has never been so beautiful, so aromatic, so available in large, delicious quantities! Walking through the market, the air is filled with the aroma of chocolate and the palpable happiness of the market attendees, high from the excitement of so much chocolate, and perhaps on a bit of a sugar and caffeine rush from too much taste tasting!

In late April to early May, runs the Slow Market - a small collection of stalls showcasing wines, cheeses, meats, salsas and other food products. By this time of year, the temperature is quite warm, so entering into the shaded tents is a relief in itself. To find yourself surrounded with such wondrous foods, each imbued with the makers’ passion for good food. The worst part is trying to resist all of the numerous temptations, but some taste-testing usually helps make the decision, and the deciding process itself, a lot easier.

Something a little less palatable is the Calcio Storico - a no-holds-barred football match with origins dating back to the 15th century. In June or July, two teams of 27 players apiece gather to partake in an ancient sport that blends football and all-out brawling. Past years have been known to get so violent that the event was cancelled in 2007! It is quite a spectacle to see teams of young men, dressed in ancient Renaissance-style garb, whilst trying to get the ball into the net that runs the entire length of the pitch. However, the brawling component is often known to overshadow the actual ball-playing. Not that the spectators tend to find this a negative! Keeping in line with any form of Italian regulations, the rules are extremely complex, and the prize - a large quantity of the famous Bistecca Fiorentina (Florentine steak) which was traditionally butchered to mark the event.

Starting in the Santa Croce piazza before winding through to other famous historical posts throughout Florence is the Festa delle Rificolone (the Festival of Paper Lanterns) on 7 September. Usually for families with children, hundreds of people walk the streets holding tea-light candled paper lanterns in a festival commemorating the birthday of the Virgin Mary, a tradition dating back to the Renaissance. It is certainly a sight to see hundreds of coloured lights bobbing through the darkness en mass, and the sea of children in strollers being pushed by parents happily meandering through the ancient cobbled streets with children mesmerised by the bobbing candle-lights ensconced in magnificent paper lanterns.

Other markets peppered throughout the year peddle antiques, handcrafts, artworks, jewellery, and other treasures. Whatever the event, it is lovely to sit and enjoy the atmosphere of the market, wander through the stalls, pondering on the historical site in which you find yourself, with the backdrop of the stunning Santa Croce church.