I know it's less interesting that next month's US Summer season on hard courts, however here we go...

two tournements this week

Bastad

Semifinals
(1) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. (3) Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 63 46 62
María José Martínez Sánchez (ESP) d. Gisela Dulko (ARG) 75 64

Wozniacki is the favourite here. Dulko won 2 very hard fought matches against Cirstea and Cibulkova in previois round. Martinez Sanchez defeated Suarez Navarro yesterday to reach the semi. I thought Dulko was going to get the final, but maybe she was a bit tired.
The first round there was the Italian derby between Pennetta and Schiavone After the good Wimbledon run, I thought it may have been closer, but in the end Pennetta won it 62 75

Budapest

Quarterfinals
(4) Agnes Szavay (HUN) d. (Q) Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) 62 63
(6) Alona Bondarenko (UKR) d. Shahar Peer (ISR) 75 61
Edina Gallovits (ROU) d. (Q) Petra Martic (CRO) 63 76(6)
(1/WC) Patty Schnyder (SUI) leads (5) Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) 43 Suspended due to rain.

Schnyder and Szavay are both having a struggling year. So a win (even without a too competetive field) can cheer them up in terms of confidence.

Next week we have Prague and Palermo. In Prague the field will be led by Cibulkova, Suarez Navarro, Alona Bondarenko, Bummer, Benesova, Schiavone, Kvitova and Rybarikova. The last accepted player is Klara Zakopalova. In Palermo we have Pennetta, Schnyder, Cornet, Pavlyuchenkova, Errani, Makarova, Rezai, Dulko, Safarova, Vinci and Groenefeld.

I guess my question would be, why do they even have a summer clay court season? The French is already over with. Can't they push back Wimbledon and have more grass court tournaments, so that there is actually a grass court season?

Being so traditionalist, I guess Wimbledon won't like to be moved.

Meanwhile María José Martínez Sánchez upsets Wozniacki 75 64
Schnyder and Szavay will battle off in Budepast final.

Szavay won Budapest.

Maybe winning her home country tournament will do something for her mental strength. She crashed and burned in the first round last year.

It seems like the smaller Euro clay tournaments happen now because clay is still the favored surface outside the US, and it's the only time on the calendar for some of the smaller countries with an interest in tennis, like Hungary, to host events. Agreed that it doesn't make a lot of sense, but very little on the tours does!

I also wondered about the point of having ATP Newport taking place after Wimbledon (but there's practically no place in the grass little season).

A solution would be having hard court small tournaments in Europe in this period, but as you said, clay is still the favourite surface in many Europe countries. So considering these countries (Hungary, Czech Rep, Turkey, Sweden) desire to organize a tournement and the only time of the year available is now, we get them now.
Anyway, without them, they would probably need to organize minor events in US (but I guess they would find some places willing to do it).

Same old thing that. Not enough time between French and Wimbledon for a grass court season. There used to be a US grass court season leading up to the USOpen, but that was back in the day when the USO was played on grass. Newport is a vestige of bygone days.

Clay is easier on the body than hard courts, so it makes sense that there would still be tourneys. With still enough tourneys before the USO to get in hard court shape. I think it'd be easier to go from clay to hard. Not sure why...but hard is so consistent in bounces, footing...just seems like it wouldn't be as much of a challenge as going the other way.

In Prague Kateryna easily defeats Alona in the Bondarenko battle.
Vaidisova is still struggling: lost to Kudryavtseva in 2 sets.

In Palermo, Martinez Sanchez continues her good period sweeping over a struggling Cornet 62 62
Gronefeld won over Dulko. Anna Lena won the mixed double title in Wimbledon (according to reports being decisive in the final), maybe she' starting to gain back confidence in her game.

Prague

Quarterfinals
(1) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 61 61
(2) Sybille Bammer (AUT) d. (7) Lucie Hradecka (CZE) 75 57 75
(3) Iveta Benesova (CZE) d. (WC) Zarina Diyas (KAZ) 64 61
(Q) Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) d. (4) Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) 64 64

Palermo

Singles - Quarterfinals
(1) Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. (7) Aravane Rezai (FRA) 64 64
(5) Sara Errani (ITA) d. Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 62 75
Tathiana Garbin (ITA) d Olga Govortsova (BLR) 62 61
Anna Lena Groenefeld (GER) d Patty Schnyder (SUI) 43 ret

I wonder if a double Italian win is possible this week.

Almost..but Bammer defeated Schiavone in the final. Sybille hasn't had a great season this so far.
Pennetta demolished Errani in Palermo final (as she did with Garbin yesterday). She played the last 2 matches really well (I wasn't so impressed after seeing her against Rezai in the quarters. Too many mistakes, but probably it was because Rezai hit much harder compared to Garbin/Errani).

This week Safina is playing in Portoroz in Slovenia (it's not clay, but hard court). The others seeded: Medina, Kanepi, Vinci, Errani, Safarova, Dushevina, Kvitova. Frankly Dinara should win it without losing a set.....
We still have clay in Bad Gastein....Cornet leading the field followed by Schiavone, Bammer, Benesova, Suarez Navarro, Rybarikova, Groenefeld and Hradecka.