A sojourn at Tenuta il Corno or at Romitorio di Serelle or in the La Lucciolaia, in Tuscany, will allow you to discover not only good Chianti wine.
MERCATO APRILANTE
Every first Sunday of the month, in Greve in Chianti, in the locality of Panzano in Chianti, Aprilante takes place, a relevant open-air market where it is possible to wander between the many stalls. Aprilante is a great chance to hunt collectables, fine artisanship items, walking along the alleys of its wonderful old town.
SCOPPIO DEL CARRO
Giovanni Villani, the famous Florentine reporter, told that the archaic festival of the Explosion of the Cart would be as old as the First Crusade, to which took part, under Pazzino di Ranieri de’ Pazzi’s rule, no less than two thousands and five hundreds Florentines. The Christian standard would have been raised, according to the legend, by Pazzino, on the 15th of July 1099.
Thanks to his courage, he had stone flakes from the Holy Sepulcre as a gift, given by Goffredo IV Duke of Buillon. Pazzino brought them to Florence, in 1101. First, those flakes had been kept by the Pazzis and used to generate a sparkle of new fire as Easter symbol of new life. This fire, after the blessing, was used by the families to revive their own fireplaces.
Scoppio del carro, Firenze
CAPODANNO FIORENTINO
The 25th of March, until the year 1750, was exactly the day in which Florence used to start the new year. The Florentine New Year’s aims to remind this celebration. Since Florence was bound to worship of Our Lady and the Church set the Annunciation right in that day, the city decided to start the new year exactly in that day.
This is a tradition that went on until the Grand Duke Francesco III from Lorena decided to set the New Year’s Day on the 1st of January. The feast of the Florentine New Year’s had started to be solemnly celebrated in the Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata, built in the XIII Century by the Servants of Maria.
LA LUMINARIA
Luminaria Festival takes place in Pisa.
In fact, the lovely town of Pisa, on the evening of the 16th of June, brightens up during one of the most folk and spectacular festivals, precious to citizens. The Luminaria is an ancient custom, which is proposed every year in honour of the patron saint, San Ranieri.
Once, it was bound to any kind of event that was particularly merry and solemn. On occasion of the Luminaria, hundreds of thousands of candles are set up to decorate the façades of the palaces of Pisa; while along the Arno River, they ease down on the water, floating, like sparkling fireflies, more and more small lamps.
MERCANTIA
It is the biggest International Street Theatre Festival in Italy, and it takes place in Certaldo in the middle of July, offering more than 100 shows each evening.
EXPO DEL CHIANTI CLASSICO
The Expo of the Chianti Classico is the best chance to know better the wine Chianti Classico right where it is made. Since the ‘70s, this exhibition has changed name and settings: first, it was called Mostra Mercato, then Rassegna, and finally Expo, always being the most important appointment to know the world of the wine from Chianti. During the event, Greve in Chianti offers its visitors a vast schedule with art and culture exhibitions, events linked to the rural world, meetings with winemakers, their vineyards and wine cooperatives. The aim is to get in touch the winemakers with the end user, because behind a bottle of wine there is always a story of people and places which needs to be told.
MONTERIGGIONI DI TORRI SI CORONA
It is a feast – a bit festival too – that, among ancient crafts, jester performances, and treasons, brings the Middle Age back into the castle of Monteriggioni, which has been mentioned even by Dante in its Comedy. The village, festively decorated, gets crowded of wizards, jesters, acrobats, theatrical and rhyme improvisers, noble maidens and charming harlots, a medieval inn, sword eaters, snake charmers, and the most representative artists from the Tuscan folk tradition.
Charming home near by
