Autumn is here and we’ll soon the season will be to start wearing pullovers, scarves and hats again. Hoping that the weather will still be nice this upcoming weekend, here are the main events in Tuscany from which to choose from – so many choices!

Chianti:

The grape harvest has started and in some areas, already finished, and it’s time to celebrate! In Panzano in Chianti starting tonight you’ll find “Wine to Wine”. Every day until Sunday enjoy tastings of local wines and of local products. The good stands will be in the main square where you can buy a goblet and then go around tasting.
In Strada in Chianti, between Florence and Greve in Chianti, three days of the traditional “Stradainfiera” festival includes shows, markets, food and wine for three days. The festival has its origins in Medieval times and while it has changed through time, the main idea is to get together and celebrate the harvest.

Prato:

Near Prato at Poggio a Caiano the stunning historical reenactment of “The Medici Villa under siege” will be taking place this weekend. The Medici Villa of Poggio a Caiano and the entire town return to the days of the Renaissance when the Medici family inhabited the villa. There will be characters in costume, concerts, food and wine, as well as an antiques market.

Volterra:

On Sunday, September 18 you can enjoy the Notte Rossa, or Red Night, a night festival of culture, art and tastings of local products. The entire town has organized something to share their beloved town with visitors, from free guided tours of the main museums and monuments to wine and food tastings, all with good live music throughout the medieval town.

There are many events across Tuscany and I would love to be able to attend them all. Since this isn’t possible for now, I’ll have to make some decisions of where to head to and wish you a nice weekend wherever you choose to go!

There are several events going on this weekend in Tuscany, and even though the weather is definitely changing, it should be nice for wandering around the region and enjoying the events going on. Hope these ideas will help you plan a great weekend in Tuscany!

Chianti:

Until Sunday September 12, Greve in Chianti is hosting the 20th Chianti Classico Expo. There will be over 100 Chianti wines from across the region, as well as workshops, wine and other food tastings, guided tours and live music.
Also on Sunday but in Tavarnelle Val di Pesa you can enjoy walking through the antique market, maybe making an incredible find, while in San Gusmè, a beautiful town near Castelnuovo Berardenga, you can go to the Palio delle Botti or Palio of the Barrels. There will be also food and wine tastings.

Lucca:

Waiting for the Luminara of the Santa Croce, the traditional procession of the Holy Cross on September 13th, Lucca will come alive from today until Sunday by the Ante Diem Sanctae Crucis, a medieval fair. A real military camp will be set up in the San Frediano borough along the walls, while within there will be a lively market with hand-crafted products.

Valdichiana:

In the beautiful town of Sansepolcro, near Arezzo, the Palio della Balestra will take place on Sunday. The crossbow tournament’s Renaissance origins are celebrated in great costumes in a parade and in the decorations and setting for the tournament. During the tournament the crossbow men of  Sansepolcro challenge those from Gubbio, the two town allies and adversaries throughout the centuries. Celebrations starts today and end on Sunday when the Palio will start at 4.30 pm in Piazza Torre di Berta.

There are lots events this second weekend of September. Let’s see where my heart will take me. Hope you’ll also enjoy a fun-filled weekend!

September is here and days are shorter than before. I like this month because the weather is sunny and mild and the countryside starts changing colors. In addition there are many events in and around Florence.

On Saturday I will stay in Florence and go for a walk in the city center. I want to go to Piazza Santissima Annunziata where the Fierucola del Pane will be taking place, a traditional festival of organic bread and products. There will be lots of organic food grown following traditional customs by local farmers. In addition there will be music and activities for children. Then I will go to the Tepidarium at the Horticulture’s Garden in via Bolognese. Inside this large recently restored glasshouse fly hundreds of colorful tropical butterflies. For all September it’s possible to take tea with the butterflies flying around you. The Tepidarium is open every day and from 7.30pm to 10 pm is “happy hour” time. The entrance costs 8.00 euro.

On Sunday I will go to Scarperia in Mugello, where the town organizes a Renaissance Fair in days before the Diotto festival. The city goes back to its Renaissance splendor and is animated by ladies of court and squires, musicians and jesters, as well as fire-eaters. There will be food and hand-crafted products that you can buy using the local coins called “fiorino di Scarperia”. The entrance to the event costs 7.00 euro and will continue until September 8th with the Diotto celebration, when the new Vicar will be nominated. In addition, until September 19th at Palazzo dei Vicari there is a nice exhibit of knives coming from all over the world. Then if I won’t be too tired for dinner I want to go to Borgo San Lorenzo to the Sagra della Ficattola. The Ficattola is a typical fried bread generally filled with ham and fresh cheese that I find extremely delicious!

Tummy of mine, make some space in there for all this bounty! Have a good weekend!

Ah, I was forgetting to remind you: for those who will instead be in other parts of Tuscany this weekend, on Sunday September 5th in Arezzo will be the second edition of the Saracen Joust Tournament in Piazza Grande and in Pienza is the Pecorino Cheese Festival. Near Lucca, if you’re looking to spend a few days in medieval times at a castle, head to Nozzano where starting today and all through the weekend the village transforms during its Medieval fair.

After my last sunburn this past weekend on the Tuscan beaches, I’ve decided to skip the seaside and visit Valdorcia, an area I personally love because of its stunning landscapes, many of which have been immortalized in movies.

On Saturday we’ll first go to San Quirico D’Orcia for a quiet walk through the historical center, with the intention to specifically revisit the striking Romanesque Collegiata Church and the Leopoldini’s Gardens, a wonderful example of Renaissance gardens. For lunch we’ll then head on to Bagno Vignoni and have a delicious lunch with local specialities at the Locanda del Loggiato, where I’ve been in the past and return to often. Then we move on to Pienza where the Cheese Festival, or Festa del Cacio, will be taking place on the following Sunday, September 5th with its particular games. I also want to take the opportunity to visit the splendid Palazzo Piccolomini, a fine example of Renaissance architecture.

On Sunday, we’ll head on to Montepulciano to see the exhibition about the Macchiaioli, called “The Macchiaioli in Montepulciano. Hidden and Private Masterpieces”. The exhibit is at the Crociani Art Gallery at the Logge della Mercanzia and displays over 70 works by Macchiaioli masters from a private collection, generally not open to the public. In the afternoon we’re looking forward to witnessing the Bravìo delle Botti, a hard race where the eight districts of Montepulciano push large barrels uphill to win the Bravio, a precious painted cloth. The race has two strong men from each district thrust the heavy barrels along the streets of the historical center of Montepulciano, which were also seen in the recent Twilight New Moon series film. The race will start at 7pm but starting from 3 pm there will be a parade in historical costume and then a Renaissance show in the main square.

Wish you a happy ending for this August, hoping my suggestions help you plan your own last weekend of the month!

This past weekend we tried something different from the medieval festivals we’ve come to love and went to Scarperia to step back into time, but not so far back: only about five centuries back into the Renaissance. The festival took place on September 6 and 7 as part of the festivities that precede the Palio del Diotto that takes place on September 8 of every year in Scarperia.

Scarperia, founded in 1306 as a local seat of the Florentine Republic, is considered one of the most beautiful hamlets in Italy and makes the perfect setting for a Renaissance festival. The stone streets were covered in straw, stalls along the streets showed artisans making paper or candles or binding books, blacksmiths pounded on iron, bowyers cut across wood to make bows and fletchers prepared their arrows. Market stalls offered local products such as honey and homemade preserves and cheese. There was also entertainment, from throwing small sacks at targets that would make a jester fall into a large tub of water to targets made of small pyramids of jars to knife throwing. The prize a bottle of red wine.

Then there were the processions in historical Renaissance costumes, the flag-throwers, the drummers. Horses were tethered at the soldier camps, where one could see swords and bows. Inns and taverns offered food and drink, and a chance to rest for a few minutes. All purchases has to be made in the coin of that time, the “fiorino“, especially minted for the occasion.

Particularly unusual and interesting were the falconers with both falcons and owls that demonstrated the predators’ as the flew across the piazza. It was an unexpected and delightful chance to view these truly magnificent creatures in flight at such a close distance.

Scarperia is a small town and visiting it during the festival made it seem particularly enchanting. It was easy to see all of crafts and offerings and catch most of the wandering characters as they performed on the streets. It was a fun day and we highly recommend visiting the town on this special occassion. We were unfortunately a bit too tired to go back the following day to also see the Palio del Diotto, but we definitely plan on making it next year – hope to see you there!