Fairs festivals
Siena's Palio horse race, run twice a year in early July and mid-August, is the most famous local event: the whole town goes wild for three days of celebration, centering on a horse race that is really a war-game, where victory depends on luck, skill and (quite legally) money. But after the Palio we’ve also listed some other ideas for you, roughly organized by the time of year.
The May Music Festival in Florence is a series of internationally acclaimed classical music concerts and recitals, opera and ballet in venues across the city. Events often continue into June. Tickets can be hard to come by, so check the schedule online and purchase tickets in advance.
Easter Sunday is celebrated in Florence with the Scoppio del Carro (explosion of the cart), a tradition that dates back to the first Crusade when fire was distributed around the city by a cart at Easter so that families could relight their hearths that they had extinguished on Good Friday. Today, an elaborate wagon built in 1622 and standing two to three stories high is dragged through Florence by a fleet of white oxen decorated in garlands, to the square between the Baptistry and Cathedral. The cart has been rigged with fireworks so that when the colombina (a dove-shaped rocket symbolizing the Holy Spirit) slides down a steel cable at full speed from the Cathedral altar, it will set off a dance of fire on impact. A big bang ensures a good harvest. The Explosion of the Cart takes place around 11 a.m. so watch out for the cart on the streets of Florence an hour beforehand; a parade in medieval costume follows. Explosion of the Cart .
Greve in Chianti’s antiques and collectors fair is one of the better antiques fairs in Tuscany and occurs annually on Easter Monday (the name means “little market of things from the past”). On display are old and reproduction rustic furniture, old tools, farmhouse and vineyard artifacts, ceramics, glassware and cutlery, a very good range of embroidered linen, iron work etc. Along the street off the square, porchetta and other snacks are available, together with plenty of pecorino cheese, dried fruit and sweets.
Calendimaggio is a three day costume festival that takes place in Assisi on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday after the 1st of May. The upper and lower sectors of Assisi compete against one another in various ancient games and an evening choir competition. There are also daylight and evening costume processions.
This crossbow competition is held usually the second Sunday in June. A procession of knights on horseback, along with ladies, flag flyers, soldiers, pages, civil and religious authorities, all wearing medieval costumes, parade through Cortona's historic center. The joust commemorates the wedding of Francesco Casali, Lord of Cortona, and the noblewoman Antonia Salimbeni of Siena, which took place in 1397. The crossbowmen from Cortona's five quarters ("quintieri") compete for a golden arrow.
AT THE TUSCANY VILLAS FOR RENT AT MONTALTO CASTLE THERE ARE MANY THINGS TO DO EVEN IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER.
Events that take place all year round include the street market in Siena (every Wednesday morning) and the Antiquarian market in Arezzo (first weekend of every month). But you don’t have to leave the castle to enjoy what Tuscany has to offer. The 630 acres of the estate offer walking trails where you can relax and commune with nature. We can create themed events, cooking lessons, painting lessons at your request. In every corner you will find cozy places to read your books, ebooks or audiobooks. The warmth of millenary fireplaces warms the heart, comforts the minds, regenerates the soul with the typical and genuine tranquility of Tuscany. Contact with nature is always present and the crisp days offer a chance to regenerate, to regain your vigor for the joys and challenges of the year ahead.
