A journalist and writer, Giorgio Batini, still very active, who had taught me a great deal about the difficult profession of which he is an irrefutable master, wrote an intelligent book many years ago, with a witty, amusing tide, which summed up, in an affectionate and charming way, a passion which appears a must in the lives of many Tuscans, namely that for antiques or old things. The book was entitled The Dictionary of the Woodworm, an enjoyable beginner’s introduction to the secrets of collecting antiques. The publication was a success like so many of the works of the Florentine writer.
The title was even more so, seeing that the idea of a spiteful but familiar woodworm leaving its traces on a piece of furniture and also serving as a reliable proof of its age, was such a hit that many shops, especially small antique dealers and junk shops, exploited the idea of the woodworm for their business. The epidemic of this minute, harmless insect which did not present any risks, thus became chronic. In the large square in Greve, the authentic propelling center of the village, two important events are held that are becoming more and more popular, one on Easter Monday and the other on the second Sunday in October. There are over one hundred stands of dealers from all over Italy with their fine antiques. We stop to touch an old Tuscan madia of a century ago, even if the restorer has been rather heavy-handed with it. Our pleasure grows in front of a rustic, chestnut table which undoubtedly welcomed a peasant family to their lunches and dinners. Then we come across a French sideboard, conceived and realized by a refined craftsman in the second half of the 18th century. There is also a fine table from Sorrento with an incomparable intarsia effect which determines its taste and stifle: The Vacanza Antiquaria in Radda in Chianti is quite a different thing: It is an event which is distinguished by a better choice for a more demanding customer, twice a year, once at Easter and the other in September.
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See also:

The Markets of Chianti, Meeting a Stranger, Chianti by Bike, Portrait of a Land, Chianti Artists, Chianti at The Bar, Chianti Theatrical Festival, Music and Culture in The Vineyards, Villa Le Barone, The Art of Hospitality at Podere Terreno, Chianti English Style, The Legendary Millemiglia in Chianti

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