During a poll we conducted on our Twitter profile we realised that one of the things you were curious about our beloved Tuscany was to know the quirkiest places, those hidden spots that only locals know about. We thought long and hard before coming up with a serious candidate for the crown of most peculiar village in Tuscany. Hidden in the hills above Pistoia, this tiny hamlet has a very odd name; it's known as the Valley of the Elves. It has nothing to do with the Lord of the Rings or Tolkien and everything to do with a particular community of people that in the early 1980s left everything behind to experiment an alternative way of living far away from the trappings of modernity.

40 years later the 150 people that live mostly without electricity have carried on their experiment remaining faithful to their ideals of sustainability, communion with nature and communitarism. Their remarkable way of living has caused some protests between their neighbours but it's becoming more accepted with time, especially now that sustainable living is all the rage. That's why this week What's Up Tuscany will tell you everything there is to know about the remarkable Valley of the Elves and the many other places in this region where people do their best to prove that another world is possible.

If you are on Twitter, come say hello: it's the best way to keep in touch, to provide some very needed feedback and to influence the evolution of our little podcast. We'd really love to know you better and to find new ways to engage your curiosity and satisfy your cravings for everything Tuscan.
Email: podcast@larno.it
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larno.it
Twitter: @arno_it / @WhatsupTuscany

LINKS TO SOURCES (ITALIAN ONLY)
https://ecovillaggi.it/rive/ecovillaggi/13-elfi.html?jjj=1675189004766
https://www.reportpistoia.com/gli-elfi-il-covid-e-una-comunita-a-cui-tutto-e-consentito-in-barba-alle-leggi/
https://www.lanazione.it/pistoia/curiosit%C3%A0/comunit%C3%A0-elfi-1.2018499
https://denunceinrete.blogspot.com/2011/05/chi-sono-gli-elfi-di-sambuca-pistoiese.html
https://www.lanazione.it/firenze/cronaca/ecovillaggi-toscana-1.6512529
https://www.dolcevitaonline.it/popolo-elfi-ecovillaggio-pistoia/
https://www.iltirreno.it/pistoia/cronaca/2023/01/08/news/mondo-di-sopra-e-mondo-di-sotto-piu-vicini-grazie-al-padre-degli-elfi-1.100219645
https://www.quinewspistoia.it/pistoia-barella-a-spalla-per-soccorrerla-tra-gli-elfi.htm

BACKGROUND MUSIC
Pipe Choir - Bom Bom Breakthrough (Instrumental)
Pipe Choir - A dark blue arc (Instrumental)
Pipe Choir - The Opening Closing
Wayne John Bradley - Summercycle (Instrumental)
Pipe Choir - Earth 2 Earth
Wayne John Bradley - Blues Rock Original Instrumental
All released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipe-choir-bom-bom-breakthrough-creative-commons-instrumental
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pc-one-a-dark-blue-arc-creative-commons-instrumental
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/p-c-iii-the-opening-closinginstrumentalcreative-commons
https://soundcloud.com/ayneohnradley/summercycle-original-indie-style-instrumental-creative-commons
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/p-c-iii-earth2earth-creative-commons-instrumental
https://soundcloud.com/ayneohnradley/blues-rock-original-instrumentalcreative-commons
http://www.pipechoir.com/