FLORENCE - CIOKO FLO’ Chocolate FLORENCE Experience

 Piazza Santa Croce 
April 3-4-5-6, 2025
Opening hours: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Free admission

A nationally significant event designed to celebrate chocolate. The stars of this event will be Master Chocolatiers and pastry chefs from Italy and abroad, showcasing the excellence of chocolate in its various forms against the stunning backdrop of Piazza Santa Croce.

The festival will feature the best producers gathered in the Tuscan capital for four days of tastings, sales, and exhibitions, presenting the finest creations from the regional and national confectionery scene.

ALWAYS ON OFFER:

• Stalls, exhibitors, and Master Chocolatiers
• Taste workshops, Chocolate Factory, and large chocolate installations
• Games and activities for children, and live performances

To discover the most authentic soul of Prato, TIPO Festival offers a unique opportunity. An event that opens the doors to the city’s industrial district, where sustainability, innovation, and culture come together in an engaging and surprising narrative.

Over the course of five days, the festival provides access to renovated factories, creative workshops, exhibition spaces, and symbolic places in the city, offering a full immersion into industrial tourism. From tours of regenerated textile plants to exhibitions on industrial archaeology, from multicultural food tours to upcycling workshops, every experience highlights the excellence of the local area.

A look to the future is also included, with a conference entirely dedicated to Artificial Intelligence and digital tourism, creating a dialogue between technology and new ways of narrating the territory.

TIPO Festival is also a journey into sustainable fashion: through the process of mechanical wool recycling, it is possible to follow the entire production chain that has made Prato an international benchmark in the green fashion industry.

The festival concludes with a remarkable show that blends music and storytelling, featuring Stefano Massini and Paolo Jannacci together on stage for a unique performance.

A festival that moves through history, creativity, and innovation—designed for those who wish to experience Prato from a new and unexpected perspective.

Complete Program ➡️ here

The famous Antiques Fair of Arezzo is one of the most important and largest antique fairs in Italy, held every first Sunday of the month and the preceding Saturday.

Pictures and paintings, small jewels, ancient and modern furniture, carpets, clocks, silverware, toys, books and vintage prints, collection stamps, musical instruments, gramophones and radios: it is easy to be charmed and indulge in discovering one of the biggest and oldest Italian Antiques Fairs. 

In 1968 a famous antiquarian and collector of Arezzo, Ivan Bruschi, gave birth to this fair which still today fills with its curious bric-a-brac the old town centre, its streets, yards, Vasari Loggia and wonderful Piazza Grande, every first weekend of the month.

For two days the town changes into a multicolor scenery of treasures waiting to be discovered by tourists and collectors: over five hundreds exhibitors from all over Italy meet here with their furniture and objects of all periods and styles, while antiquarians and restorers have multiplied their business, opening their shops during the fair and showing their best items. Experts of antiques and

modern antique collecting find here plenty of particular specializations, such as, for instance, scientific tools, Art-Nouveau stained glass windows, Art Deco furnishing.

First Sunday of the month: museums free entrance

It is a very important event involving all the State Museums with specials and free tickets access. Therefore, if you plan to visit Florence, Pisa, Lucca or any other Tuscan town our countless masterpieces without spending one Euro!

For instance in Florence you can visit: the Uffizi Gallery, Academy Museum, Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens, Bargello Museum, Medici Chapels, and many other attractions. All of them free of charge!

List of  State Museums in Tuscany HERE. 

Sales exhibition of gardening, local products and outdoor living 

An exhibition of traditional plants and flowers but also little-known, unusual, rare and curious seeds and bulbs, products of traditional crafts, gardening and country clothing, unprocessed fruits and vegetables, typical food of smaller places of our country and garden furniture. 

The event takes place on the city walls of Lucca – Baluardi San Regolo – la Libertà – Botanical Garden of Lucca

Exhibition times

Friday April 4 from 10.00am to 7.30pm

Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 April from 9 am to 7.30pm

Dogs can enter on a leash

Tickets

Full daily ticket €. 10.00

Reduced daily ticket € 8.00 over 65, minors between 8 and 14 years, disabled carers

www.verdemura.com

The Firenze Flower Show, a showcase and market for rare and unusual plants, returns on April 5 and 6, 2025, at the beautiful Villa Corsini, located at Via della Scala 115 in Florence.

This spring exhibition brings together the best exhibitors from across the country, offering two days of entertainment and learning in the field of horticulture and high-quality gardening for numerous visitors.

Visitors will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a fairy-tale world with a vast collection of rare and unique plants, including extraordinary orchids and very special succulents, each with its own unique characteristics. The event will also feature fruit trees, a rich selection of ornamental plants, perennial plants, and Japanese maples, as well as fascinating carnivorous plants, a wide collection of antique and modern roses, and curious kokedama.

In addition to the market showcase, there will be numerous free ancillary activities to engage both adults and children, including gardening courses, creative demonstrations, and educational workshops. The event will be open from 09:00 to 20:00. For further information and details, you can visit the official website of the event at 

https://www.firenzeflowershow.com/

The Creative Mani Factory returns to Florence with a new edition entirely dedicated to independent craftsmanship and sustainability. The event will take place on April 5th and 6th, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, at Manifattura Tabacchi, a fascinating venue that perfectly blends history and innovation.

For two days, visitors will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a creative and inspiring atmosphere, exploring exhibitor stands, workshops, and exhibitions. They will be able to discover and purchase unique handmade creations crafted by Italian artisans and designers, showcasing meticulous craftsmanship and original artistic research.

There will also be plenty of opportunities to learn and experiment through workshops and hands-on activities designed for both adults and children, offering a chance to try out artisanal techniques and creative processes. Additionally, sustainability will be a key theme, with dedicated events on ethical fashion and upcycling, providing insights into how to give new life to discarded materials.

To complete the experience, exhibitions and live performances will offer further inspiration, transforming Manifattura Tabacchi into a meeting point for enthusiasts of art, design, and sustainability. Admission is free, making it the perfect opportunity to be amazed by the creativity and talent of many independent artisans.

In Pistoia, the second Saturday and Sunday of the month an antique fair is held which attracts  many dealers from all over Tuscany. Here you can find very valuable antiques: furniture, majolica, porcelain, jewelery, clocks, coins, old lacework, crystal goblets and profane and religious period paintings.

On the stalls you can find clothing, utensils and ethnic products, as well as magazines, comics, used garments and other items from the past. 

The market takes place in the so called Cattedrale - not to confuse with the real Cathedral - (Via Pertini) - eccept July and August.

There are about 100 exhibitors who animate the historic city center with various kinds of antiques every second Saturday and Sunday of the month except July and August.

You will find ceramics, glassware and cutlery for a romantic table setting and a very good range of embroidered linen (perhaps an untouched trousseau from a failed marriage). Also sepia paintings, watercolours, vintage  postcards (full of insight into how we lived in the past and complete with shaky handwriting), out-of-print books for the attentive book collector, silver and gold coins from every corner of the globe and much, much more.

Where: Pisa, Piazza dei Cavalieri, Piazza Garibaldi

The Explosion of the Cart is Florence’s most famous traditional religious festivity held since 150 years. The ceremony begins at 10 am when the Cart known as “il Brindellone”, loaded with fireworks, is carried in a procession that winds its way through the city streets with the flagthrowers and arrives in front af Santa Maria del Fiore.

Here, at 11am, the colombina, a rocket in the shape of a dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, will fly out of the cathedral and then ignite the upper part of the Brindellone, creating an extraordinary fireworks show. The various ways in which the cart catches light are reputed to bode well, or ill, for the year’s harvest. 

Born in Borgo a Mozzano to promote and incentivize the cultivation of the azalea, typical of the area, the exhibition has now become a much-anticipated event for both producers and hobbyists dedicated to cultivating this plant.

In addition to the numerous exhibition stands, there are also collateral initiatives related to gardening and local craftsmanship.

The Azalea Market and Exhibition held in the municipality of Borgo a Mozzano owes its inception to the Agricultural Study Center of Shell Italia, which in 1954 decided to consider the aspects and possibilities of small peasant properties in a economically depressed municipality, choosing Borgo a Mozzano as the location for the experiment. The technicians who settled in the village noticed that numerous azalea plants were being cultivated in the courtyards of the houses, developing and reproducing with the utmost spontaneity and ease, thus discovering that the entire area constituted an ideal habitat for this type of plant, and decided to promote its commercialization. In 1970, the 1st Azalea Exhibition was organized, involving all those who owned one or more plants, and it was attended by numerous nurserymen and floriculturists from Pescia, Pistoia, Montecatini, Pontedera, and Pietrasanta, invited for the occasion.

After this initial small success, the Agricultural Study Center offered to help all those who declared themselves willing to undertake this particular floriculture, providing azalea cuttings and technical assistance to start cultivation and commercialization, thus leading many farmers to become true cultivators. Since then, this floricultural event has taken place every year in May, increasingly involving collateral sectors, leading to increasing success in terms of both public engagement and critical acclaim.

Second among the antique-dealers' market places of Tuscany for the number of its exhibitors and length of life, the Antique market of Lucca can boast of a solid tradition of quality and reliability thanks to professional antiquarians of high prestige who have always been an important presence in town. 

At the third weekend of each month (on Saturday and Sunday), from 8 am to 7 pm, Lucca opens its gates for a joyful event involving a large portion of the historical centre: from Piazza S. Martino, Piazza Antelminelli and Via Del Battistero - the historical antique dealers' street- ‚ to Piazza San Giusto, and Piazza S. Giovanni up to Piazza Bernardini. It is a gorgeous display of colorful stalls offering not only past vestiges of remarkable artistic value, but also traces of souvenirs impressed on a post-card, on a book, on a knick-knack or on an ornament. 

Furniture, clothes, fabrics, paintings, rare components of old instruments, lamps and chandeliers, old working tools, records..... a wide pattern of old or antique objects‚ patiently gathered and collected after explorations which

are getting more and more difficult. All these things speak to both the tourist and the lover, of a world, which has gone, but not willing to be forgotten yet.

Two unforgettable days around the most charming

streets of the town. It is Art facing Art, History meeting History. A really unique occasion to know Lucca better and taste the pleasure of peeping through the stalls in search of something beautiful to take home and - why not?- probably also making a good bargain! 

The Sacred Belt of the Prato Cathedral is a thin strip of green fabric with gold brocades and a green tassel and band at the ends. As told in an ancient oriental apocryphal text after the Blessed Virgin's death St. Thomas was carried by angels to the mount of Olives; there he contemplated the Virgin while she was taken up into the Heaven, and received the gift of the belt in proof of the event. According to Prato medieval tradition the sacred belt was then entrusted to a priest and preserved by his descendants. After the first crusade, a Prato pilgrim of modest origins called Michele, fell in love with Maria, the daughter of an oriental priest and married her in secret, against her father's wish and received as dowry the "Sacred Belt" in a small basket made of rushes. After returning to Prato around 1141, Michele spoke to no one about the holy relic and only on his death bed (1172), he donated it to the provost of the nearby church of St. Stephen. The sacred Belt furthermore was considered the most valuable treasure of the entire city, so much so that its public display was established by the bylaws of Commune which still today has in custody a set of the keys required to take it out of the altar. Up to the end of 13th century the holy relic was kept close to the high altar but in 1346 it moved to the left of the main entrance of the ancient church and later Cathedral where in 1386-90  was built, on a project by Lorenzo di Filippo, the chapel that stores the holy relic. The chapel is decorated with frescoes of Stories of the Virgin and of the belt (1392-95), a series of amazing figurative unity painted by Agnolo Gaddi with a faultless technique and luminous colors. On the corner of the façade is the amazing pulpit by Donatello and Michelozzo which was finished in 1438 and created for the display of the Sacred Belt in order to show it to the congregation gathered in the Cathedral square. 

The Easter Monday Craft Market is an annual event held in Greve in Chianti, offering visitors the chance to immerse themselves in Tuscan artisanal tradition.

The market is dedicated to artisans and hobbyists who showcase and sell their own handmade creations.

Piazza Vassallo will transform into a lively exhibition space, where visitors can discover and purchase unique items crafted with local artisanal skill. From handwoven textiles to artistic ceramics, as well as jewelry, sculptures, and traditional food and wine products, the market is a must-visit event for anyone wishing to take home an authentic piece of Tuscan heritage.

Saturday Night Spa

Saturday, April 12 and 26

from 7:00 PM to midnight

For an evening of pure relaxation, pamper yourself with a soothing bath under the stars in the thermal pool with rejuvenating whirlpools and

reinvigorate yourself with a steam bath in Europe's largest thermal cave at 34°C.

Includes:

Steam bath in natural thermal cave at 34°C (20 minutes)

Bathing under the stars in the 750 sqm thermal pool at 34°C with underwater whirlpools

Bathing in the Bioaquam thermal path at 34°C with rejuvenating whirlpools

Access to the Thermarium area

Access to the "Bioaquam Pavilion" the new covered and heated relaxation area of 310 m2

Lounge music

€35.00 by reservation

Bioaquam Café poolside open with à la carte menu

(payment upon consumption)

For more information, call 

+39 0572/9077992 or email terme@grottagiustispa.com

Free Guided Tours, Special Openings, Special Initiatives.

Free admission to all the State Museums on Italy's Liberation Day.

List of State Museum of Tuscany HERE. 

S. Zita is one of the patron saints of Lucca. The Market is an important flower show which takes place in Piazza Anfiteatro from April 23 to 27 from 9 am to 8 pm. 
The event is particularly striking for the colors of spring flowers on display and for the place where it is located: the ancient roman amphitheater encompassed by buildings of the typical medieval town of Lucca, and in Piazza S. Frediano.

Also this year at the International Handicrafts Trade Fair, the best of the arts and crafts from the various Italian regions as well from all over the world will be on show. 

Carefully selected traditional and innovating works will be on show, between originality and design, following an itinerary privileging productive traditions as well as the main territory attractions – local crafts, tourism, food & wine, landscape identities, and so on.

Florence - The International Handicrafts Trade Fair

When: April 25 - May 1, 2025

Where: Fortezza da Basso, Florence

More information:

☞ https://mostrartigianato.it/

From April 25th to May 1st, 2025, the historic plant and flower show organized by the Tuscan Horticultural Society will take place at the Horticultural Garden of Florence. The event will run continuously from 9:00 am to 7:30 pm and admission is free.

Throughout the duration of the show, you will find a wide variety of plants and flowers from over 75 specialist exhibitors in the Italian floriculture sector.

There will also be a rich cultural program featuring numerous free activities for both adults and children, including educational workshops, botanical illustration sessions, talks, book presentations, artistic performances, and guided monument and botanical walks. Additionally, there will be free specialized courses on orchids, acid-loving plants, air plants, roses, succulents, and many more, conducted by our expert instructors from the Tuscan Horticultural Society (these specialized courses are reserved for 2024 members of the Tuscan Horticultural Society APS). Membership registration is available at the stand located at the entrance of the garden on Via Vittorio Emanuele II.

Admission to the garden and the show is free and open to all. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in the beauty of nature and the fascinating world of horticulture!

"Lucca Classica"  is a festival of classical music and opera, featuring numerous performances by internationally renowned artists in various locations throughout the city of Lucca, such as the Church of Santi Giovanni and Reparata, the Teatro del Giglio, and the Basilica of San Frediano. The program also includes lectures, meetings, exhibitions, shows for children, and many other cultural initiatives. The event attracts many classical music enthusiasts also from abroad.

Complete Program:

☞ https://www.luccaclassica.it

From April 24 to 27, the city of Pistoia, at the Ex Breda Exhibition Center called La Cattedrale, will host the annual event "The Tuscany in Mouth", an opportunity to immerse yourself in the flavors and culinary traditions of the region.

During these four days, visitors will have the opportunity to explore a wide selection of typical Tuscan products, including cheeses, cured meats, extra virgin olive oil, wines, and traditional sweets. Exhibitors will offer the chance to taste and purchase these delicacies directly from the producers.

In addition to tasting local products, there will be related events and activities. These include culinary demonstrations, cooking classes for children, guided wine tastings, and musical performances.

Entry to the event is free and open to everyone from 12:00 to 24:00.

Free entrance

The Festival is devoted to classical music and opera fans, its main purpose is to highlight the town’s musical  tradition, especially the great operas. 

This  season’s program, from April to October, presents 19 events, set in the most attractive thermal building of  Montecatini Terme, the Terme Tettuccio, which welcomes everybody as in a warm hug and where you can still hear the musical echo of the great composers  who have made Italian classic music famous all over the world.

Arti e Mestieri is an arts and crafts market in the historic center of Lucca, with a big number of exhibitors that meet every last weekend of the month in Piazza San Giusto, Piazza Cittadella and Piazza XX Settembre with many traditional and original products from Tuscany.

At Arti e Mestieri there are ceramists, painters, sculptors, leather, glass and papier-mâché artisans, weavers, jewelers, cabinet makers, seamstresses and embroiderers, knitting and crochet experts. The artisans-artists offer their exclusive products in a colorful market: bijoux in silver, ceramic and crochet, natural products for body care, fountain pens worked on the lathe, bags, belts and leather bracelets, painted stones, scented lavender, splendid paintings and sculptures.