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. 

One of the oldest and still the most famous traditions of Florence is that of its traditional soccer, or its „soccer in costume“ as it is more commonly known. In fact it is said that „the game of soccer“ was born on the banks of the Arno, and only centuries later moved to the Thames where, after fine-tuning the rules, it gained the fame that it still bears today. And insofar as Florence is concerned, we know that at the beginning of the Middle Ages soccer was so popular between the youth of Florence, that in order to keep the peace it was decided that the game should be played only in the most important squares of the town. The players coming down to the field were aristocrats, ranging between 18 and 45 years of age, and dressed in the magnificent costumes of the period. And many centuries later, what remains of “soccer in costume”, is the evocative historical commemoration that takes place during the Festival of San Giovanni, Patron Saint of Florence. The formal procedure of the game, rather than soccer, is more similar to modern rugby. There are four teams in the tournament corresponding to the oldest districts of Florence, each of which is marked by a different color, with players in Azure from Santa Croce, White from Santo Spirito, Green from San Giovanni and Red from Santa Maria Novella. There are three games, two playoffs, and then the final (on June 24), the day of the Feast of San Giovanni) played in the splendid setting of Piazza Santa Croce, equipped with seats for hundreds of spectators.

Due to the municipal elections scheduled for June 9th, this year's semi-finals will take place on Saturday, June 1st and Sunday, June 2nd. Additionally, the final match will not be played as usual on the day of St. John, June 24th, but will be brought forward to Sunday, June 15th.

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

List of State Museums of Tuscany HERE. 

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.

From Tuesday 4 June, and throughout the summer, until 26 September, the Gallery extends its opening hours for two days a week. Every Tuesday the Gallery will remain open until 10.00pm (last admission 9.30pm) and every Thursday until 9.00pm (last admission 8.30pm). As always, it is possible to book the visit directly from the site of the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence

https://www.galleriaaccademiafirenze.it/visita

or by calling  Firenze Musei: Tel +39 055 294883.

For centuries, the Medici family Villas have been centers of excellence for art, culture, spirituality, and science. Every summer, they continue to play this role, renewing their connection with music through great classics, from Mozart to Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Prokofiev.

Once again this year, the enchanting concerts are being offered in the marvelous gardens and villas of the Medici, a UNESCO heritage site: 14 events in 7 villas, featuring the extraordinary Regional Orchestra of Tuscany, from June to July 2024.

In Volterra, on June 2nd, the Palio del Cero takes place. Originally born as a religious festival where the districts donated a substantial amount of wax to the city's churches, this event has evolved over the centuries into a vigorous and festive competition, the Corsa dei Ceri. This consisted of a race where participants would push heavy wooden machines, topped with large candles, through the streets of the historic center, ultimately to be donated to the city's patron saints.

Today, the competition is somewhat less strenuous. The defiance takes place between the eight districts, each composed of eight shooters (6 men and two women) who compete in two direct elimination rounds in Piazza dei Priori.

The particularity of the Palio del Cero lies in the fact that it is not a direct tug-of-war, but the two opposing teams, in addition to pulling the opposing team, have a towering structure of several quintals to move towards their own field. At the top of the tower is a candle, hence the name Palio del Cero (Palio of the Candle), painted every year by a Volterran artist, which rightfully belongs to the winning Contrada along with the banner with the white and red colors of the Municipality.

Before the defiance, a spectacular ceremony takes place, with the representations of the districts, the ladies in traditional attire, the musicians, and the famous Volterran flag-wavers parading through the city streets, creating a vibrant and engaging atmosphere.

Small, round, red, delicious and rich in precious vitamins: it’s said that you eat one and you want another. It’s so true since it is truly impossible to resist this exquisite fruit that takes us hand in hand through a season that is all too brief.

In Lari, a lovely village that even charmed the Grand-Duke of Tuscany in the 19th century with its breathtaking views, the truly local cherry has been celebrated for over half a century since 1957, to be precise, with what is now one of the leading events in Italy devoted to this fruit. The event takes place in May 25th and 26th, and May 31, 1 and 2 June where the Pisan town, the Tuscan centre of cherry cultivation, showcases many colourful stalls that bring the village streets to life with the best produce that compete to win the “golden cherry”.

A popular people’s festival that is enriched with itinerant shows, music, exhibitions, and gastronomic stands.

But the true and undisputed queen will still be certainly her: the cherry and the 19 different traditional varieties of this fruit that are produced in Lari and surroundings and other also "modern variations" of recent introduction: all worth tasting! Good, tasty, with more or less intense flavor, but ready to satisfy all tastes! 

More information:

Lari Tourist Office: +39 0587646258

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.

Opera concerts in which at least 2 singers alternate among the most beautiful voices of the national opera scene accompanied on the piano. The most famous opera arias from the repertoire of Italian and international opera are scheduled, as well as the most famous classic Neapolitan songs.

90 minutes of live music with a break during which guests can enjoy a typical sweet of the city.

The concerts will take place every Wednesday from May to October 2024 in the Music Hall of the Grand Hotel Croce di Malta in Montecatini Terme in Via IV Novembre, 18 at 9.15 pm.

Tickets can be booked by calling +39 3518066988 or by sending an email to info@operaconcerto.it even on the day of the concert.

Further information is available on the website

www.thebestofopera.com.

Saturday 7 and 14 June we are all invited to "A cena da Messer Giovanni", the medieval dinner in the streets of the ancient village of Certaldo.

The re-enactment of a perfect torchlit dinner, with typical dishes of the time, served by people in medieval costumes. As a tribute to the participants, the nice served of earthenware dishes and wooden cutlery. The artistic show of the "Black Dragon" Company is also foreseen.

Reservations HERE

Organ concerts with the presence of internationally renowned organists.

FREE ADMISSION

Program:

Friday, May 17th at 9:00 PM

PRESCOTT CHORALE (U.S.A.)

Conductor: Dennis Houser

W.A. MOZART - REQUIEM K 626.

Thursday, May 23rd at 6:30 PM

Andreas Meisner Altenberg (DE)

Friday, June 21st at 6:30 PM

Bernhard Marx Freiburg/Sankt Blasien (DE)

Friday, July 19th at 6:30 PM

Elisa Teglia Bologna (ITA)

Thursday, July 25th at 6:30 PM

Jean-Christophe Geiser Lausanne (CH)

Wednesday, July 31st at 6:30 PM

Przemyslaw Kapitula Warsaw (PL)

Thursday, August 8th at 6:30 PM

Franz Günthner Leuthkirch (DE)

Tuesday, August 20th at 6:30 PM

Josef Still Trier (DE)

Friday, August 23rd at 6:30 PM

Konstantin Reymaier Vienna (AU)

Tuesday, November 26th at 9:00 PM

MOSAIC Canadian Vocal Ensemble Ontario - Canada

Conductor: Gordon Mansell

More details here

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

Antiques market, vintage clothing, collectibles, crafts and home accessories. 

9 am - 8 pm 

Piazza S. Maria delle Carceri

Info: +39 3483396638

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! 

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! 

Ceramic Festival 

June 21, 22 and 23  

Opening times 

Friday from 6pm to 12pm; 

Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 1pm and from 6pm to 12pm

It will take place in the center of Montelupo Fiorentino on June 21, 22 and 23, and offers exhibitions, meetings and demonstrations that are based around a very old factory in Montelupo Fiorentino. Traces of ceramic workmanship date back to the 12th century, but it was from 1400 to 1530 that Montelupo worth its immense fortune as the ceramic production centre of Florence. The Medici, Strozzi, Peruzzi, Pandolfini, Pucci, Machiavelli, Corsini and Minerbetti families competed against one another to own a dinner service with their coats-of-arms, plates with their heraldry or pieces in majolica made in Montelupo. The finished products were then sold in the Mediterranean basin and even further afield. In 1600 the plague and economic decline slowed down the production, which became a minority for years until the beginning of the 20th century when Montelupo revived its former splendour with the historic Fanciullacci factory. Artists and designers of the calibre of Ettore Sottsass have worked for this enterprise.

Ceramics is still an important sector for the town’s economy today, although the crisis has also had an effect here and many companies have seen a sharp decrease in orders. 

On show are products from all the companies that manufacture or sell finished items guaranteed by quality markings. 

The ceramics festival is above all a time for fun, a chance to admire the master craftsmen at work, to buy finished products in the open-air ateliers or to sit down and enjoy a traditional dish in one of the many food points. 

Renaissance Dinner in the splendid setting of the garden of the Medici  Villa in Cerreto Guidi, one of the favorite villas of Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici and his daughter Isabella.

Full menu at 30 Euros per person.

Reservation required.

Saturday Night Spa

Saturday, June 22 and 29 

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

On Sunday, June 23, the Antique Market will take place all day in via Cavour, via Cino, and via Buozzi, in Pistoia. This event is in addition to the regular appointments held every second Sunday of the month.

From 9 AM to 7 PM, there will be stands from vendors specializing in antiques, modern art, collectibles, vintage items, and design.

This year, open-air cinema returns to the Castello dell'Imperatore in Prato with reduced ticket prices of 3.5 euros for Italian and European films, while the cost for non-European films is 6.5 euros. Screenings start at 9:45 PM. There are 200 numbered seats available, and tickets can be purchased at the box office starting one hour before the film begins, but it is recommended to buy tickets online on the terminal's website. The presale allows you to book and choose your seat.

Here is the program - Movies in Italian:

June 2024

June 14 – Il signor Quindicipalle – Francesco Nuti – Free admission.

Guest of the evening, hosted by Federico Berti, will be the Prato screenwriter Mario Rellini.

June 15 – Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet

June 16 – Perfect Days – Wim Wenders

June 17 – Misericordia – Emma Dante

June 18 – Un altro ferragosto – Paolo Virzì

Andrea Carpenzano will be present to introduce the film. In collaboration with the "Under 30" Festival. Hosted by Simone Pinchiorri and Filippo Bardazzi.

June 19 – Anselm – Wim Wenders

June 20 – Life as a Cat (6+, Cinefilante)

June 21 – Challengers – Luca Guadagnino

June 22 – The Holdovers – Alexander Payne

June 23 – A Haunting in Venice – Kenneth Branagh.

June 24 – Trenque Lauquen (Part I) – Laura Citarella – Mabuse

June 25 – Once Upon a Time in Bhutan – Pawo Choyning Dorji

June 26 – Io capitano – Matteo Garrone

June 27 – The Old Oak – Ken Loach

June 28 – The Taste of Things – Tran Anh Hung

June 29 – La casa di Ninetta – Lina Sastri

The director and actress Lina Sastri will be present to introduce the film. Hosted by Federico Berti.

June 30 – Un mondo a parte – Riccardo Milani

July 2024

July 1 – Trenque Lauquen (Part II) – Laura Citarella – Mabuse

July 3 – Gloria! – Margherita Vicario

July 4 – My Robot Friend (6+, Cinefilante)

July 5 – There’s Still Tomorrow – Paola Cortellesi

July 6 – Romeo and Juliet – Giovanni Veronesi

July 7 – Fallen Leaves – Aki Kaurismäki

July 8 – Visions of Sounds and Colors – Concerto Cittadino Edoardo Chiti

July 9 – The Boy and the Heron – Hayao Miyazaki

July 10 – La chimera – Alice Rohrwacher

July 11 – Coup de Chance – Woody Allen

July 12 – Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan

July 13 – Kinds of Kindness – Yorgos Lanthimos

July 14 – Past Lives – Celine Song

July 15 – The Settlers – Felipe Gálvez – Mabuse

July 16 – Fantastic Machine – Axel Danielson – Associazione Sedici

July 17 – Palazzina Laf – Michele Riondino

July 18 – Don't Open That Coffin – Matteo Querci

Present to introduce the film will be the director Matteo Querci, actor Francesco Ciampi, and part of the cast. Hosted by Federico Berti.

July 19 – Wicked People at Home – Thea Sharrock

July 20 – Poor Things – Yorgos Lanthimos

July 21 – The Fall Guy – David Leitch

July 22 – Private Desert – Aly Muritiba – Mabuse

July 23 – The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer

July 24 – Confidence – Daniele Luchetti

July 25 – The Adventures of Little Lucas (6+, Cinefilante)

July 26 – Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet

July 27 – The Animal Kingdom – Thomas Cailley

July 28 – The Teachers' Lounge – Ilker Çatak

July 29 – The French Connection – William Friedkin – Mabuse

July 30 – Hit Man – Richard Linklater

July 31 – Perfect Days – Wim Wenders

Open-air cinema in Pistoia at the Porta al Borgo arena, via delle Pentole 4. Screenings begin at 9:30 PM, costing 6 euros (full price) or 5 euros (reduced price, for children aged 3 to 14 and adults over 65).

Here is the program Movies in Italian:

June 2024

Friday, June 21: Coup de Chance (2023) by Woody Allen

Saturday, June 22: The Old Oak (2023) by Ken Loach

Sunday, June 23: 50 km per hour (2024) by Fabio De Luigi

Monday, June 24: Memory (2023) by Michel Franco

Tuesday, June 25: Garfield – A Delicious Mission (2024) by Mark Dindal

Wednesday, June 26: Private Desert (2021) by Aly Muritiba

Thursday, June 27: La Chimera (2023) by Alice Rohrwacher

Friday, June 28: Perfect Days (2023) by Wim Wenders

Saturday, June 29: The Boy and the Heron (2023) by Hayao Miyazaki

Sunday, June 30: There’s Still Tomorrow (2023) by Paola Cortellesi

July 2024

Monday, July 1, Pistoia Docufilm Festival: The Value of a Woman is Her Silence (1980) by Gertrud Pinkus (free admission)

Tuesday, July 2: Wonka (2023) by Paul King

Wednesday, July 3: The Sky is Burning (2023) by Christian Petzold

Thursday, July 4: The Holdovers (2023) by Alexander Payne

Friday, July 5: Poor Things (2023) by Yorgos Lanthimos

Saturday, July 6: Wicked People at Home (2024) by Thea Sharrock

Sunday, July 7: The Zone of Interest (2023) by Jonathan Glazer

Monday, July 8, Pistoia Docufilm Festival: Anulloje Ligjin (2023) by Fabrizio Bellomo (free admission)

Tuesday, July 9: Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) by Mike Mitchell, Stephanie Stine

Wednesday, July 10: Explanation for Everything (2023) by Gábor Reisz

Thursday, July 11: Anatomy of a Fall (2023) by Justine Triet

Friday, July 12: There’s Still Tomorrow (2023) by Paola Cortellesi

Saturday, July 13: Io Capitano (2023) by Matteo Garrone

Sunday, July 14: Perfect Days (2023) by Wim Wenders

Monday, July 15, Pistoia Docufilm Festival: Beyond the Valley (2023) by Virginia Bellizzi (free admission)

Tuesday, July 16: Ghostbusters – Frozen Menace (2024) by Gil Kenan

Wednesday, July 17: Last Summer (2023) by Catherine Breillat

Thursday, July 18: Gloria! (2024)* by Margherita Vicario

Friday, July 19: The Zone of Interest (2023) by Jonathan Glazer

Saturday, July 20: Un mondo a parte (2024) by Riccardo Milani

Sunday, July 21: Poor Things (2023) by Yorgos Lanthimos

Monday, July 22: The Teachers' Lounge (2024) by Ilker Çatak

Tuesday, July 23: Inside Out 2 (2024) by Pete Docter

Wednesday, July 24: Drive-Away Dolls (2024) by Ethan Coen

Thursday, July 25: Palazzina Laf (2023) by Michele Riondino

Friday, July 26: The Boy and the Heron (2023) by Hayao Miyazaki

Saturday, July 27: The Taste of Things (2023) by Tran Anh Hung

Sunday, July 28: There’s Still Tomorrow (2023) by Paola Cortellesi

Monday, July 29: Past Lives (2023) by Celine Song

Tuesday, July 30: IF – Imaginary Friends (2024) by John Krasinski

Wednesday, July 31: The Kidnapping (2023) by Iris Kaltenbäck

---

If you need any further adjustments or translations, feel free to ask!

The city history festival organized by the City of Lucca .

Lucca is a city with over two thousand years of history, marked by extraordinary events. 

Lucca Historiae Fest aims to tell this story through nine bastions where as many historical reconstructions will be set up to retrace the various periods that have characterized the city.

The festival will be devided in three main sections: the clock of time, which will see nine historical reconstructions (which will take place simultaneously) on the nine bastions, the performances, which will have an area dedicated to the former Balilla field, and the exhibitions, which will be set up in the casermette (small barracks). The history of Lucca will be told with an original mix of multimedia tools that will allow full enjoyment by a wide audience, from children to the elderly, from young people to adults.

The program is really rich and interesting and can be consulted on the website

 ☞  www.luccahistoriaefest.it 

Every year Florence celebrates the feast day of its patron saint, St. John the Bapist, with a series of events that involve the whole of the city. The fitting end to the celebrations consists of a spectacular fireworks fired off from the Piazzale Michelangelo and then fall down on the Arno River and on the whole city. As every year the show will be very exciting, a memory to keep until the next San Giovanni festivity. The fire has been the protagonist and the main attraction of this festivity since a long time, as in many pagan celebrations of the summer solstice around Europe, and the fireworks also has its antique tradition, present in Florence since the XIV century. Until 1827 the fireworks were fired off from the Piazza della Signoria, it was the Grand Duke Leopoldo II that decided to move it to the Piazzale Michelangelo because he considered the square too narrow and also because it was possible for more people to watch the show. The fireworks was preceded, as it is still today, by the offering of candles in the morning and the traditional procession parade, arranged by the ecclesiastic and the public authorities, which will finish in the Baptistery in order to pay homage to the relic of the Saint. They also used to run two “palii”, the vigil “palio” in Piazza Santa Maria Novella called “dei Cocchi” because the race was run by four wooden chariots and the Berberi “palio” that took place in the afternoon. But the main attraction of the event has always been the fireworks that Florentines, or tourists for that matter, don’t want to miss and for once they will be enchanted not by towers and bell towers on the skyline but with another breathtaking show up in the sky. 

On the last Sunday of June, along the splendid flagdecked roads which line the Arno (Lungarni), to the roll of drums, the contest known as the Gioco del Ponte takes place. This is a Pisan mini-war in which annually the two parts of the city divided by the Arno "fight" to conquer the Ponte di Mezzo. This is a relic of the cruel feudal Gioco del Ponte which today has become part of a folklore exhibition and is among the most important event of its kind in Italy, not only because of the numbers participating, but also because of the richness of the 17th century costumes of velvet, brocade, silk, damask and its outstanding choreography.

Prior the main "battle" on the bridge, the "armies" representing both parts of Pisa, namely Mezzogiorno (south of the river) and Tramontana (north of the river), march in procession along the roads immediately adjacent to the bridge.

More than 700 participants take part dressed in splendid costumes, armed with swords, daggers and halberds. The Commanders are ornately dressed in suits of armour with plumed helmets, and some 40 horsemen are accompanied by the roll of 40 drummers.

This march along the banks of the river is quite unique and annually tens of thousands of tourists come to Pisa with the sole purpose of enjoying the spectacle. 

After the parade it is time for the wagon contest to begin.

Until several years ago, the battle between the two teams sent onto the bridge was to physically prevent their adversaries crossing and there was an actual "man-to-man” contest. Not surprisingly some ended up in the waters of the Arno or in hospital with a pronounced headache.

When the Gioco del Ponte was resumed after the 2nd World War, the battle between Mezzogiorno and Tramontana became less aggressive with the introduction of a metal wagon. Instead of the contest being a wielding of wooden clubs against shields, it became a type of tug-of-war instead. The team who is able to push the wagon and force the enemy to retreat off the bridge, is the winner.

The lack of physical contact has in no way diminished the rivalry between the teams

taking part and provocation between them goes on constantly throughout the year.

There is in fact a spy network of informers engaged in sussing out the make-up of the team in order to be able to measure its strength and the stamina required to oppose it. Veritable giants ultimately go onto the bridge dedicated to the frantic effort, which at times, results in illness.

Naturally, clandestine betting is the order of the day and is obviously followed by the inevitable arguments about a possible “fixed” event and "those wishing to get rich quickly”. Tradition requires that the winners celebrate their victory with a night of banqueting and toasting while

the losers spend the night in the dark. The lights of the entire area, the public streets and piazzas of the “loser” District, are switched off and half the city meditates in the obscurity of darkened streets on the reasons for the defeatand how to plan the return match.

The Cathedral of Siena contains numerous masterpieces from every epoch. A work that in many respects is exceptional, is the floor, "the most beautiful ... largest and most magnificent ... that ever was made" in the words of Giorgio Vasari, the fruit of a plan that took on concrete form through the centuries, from the XIV century up to the XVIII century. 

The techniques employed to transfer the ideas of the various artists onto the floor are marble intarsia and graffito: the procedure was initially quite simple but gradually attained a surprising degree of perfection: the first depictions were scratched onto slabs of white marble using a chisel and a drill, and the signs then filled with black stucco. This technique is known as "graffito". Then, coloured marble was employed in much the same manner as wood inlaying. This technique is called "marble intarsia".

The 56 intarsia of the floor are still largely in its original condition. As these artworks are quite sensitive, the entire floor is shown only a few weeks a year. Otherwise, the ground is covered and only a few works are visible for the many tourists that visit the Cathedral of Siena. 

Floor uncovering period in 2024: June 27th - July 31st; August 18th - October 16th.

For this year as well, the program of the Lucca Summer Festival, which will take place in the months of June and July, will see the participation of internationally renowned artists of great importance; for some, their presence in Lucca will represent the only Italian date... you can't miss them!

Lucca Summer Festival Programm 2024

08 -09 |06 Ed Sheeran (Historical Walls)

30 06 Swedish House Mafia

03 07 Tedua

05 07 Geolier

06 07 The Smashing Pumpkins Special Guest 

Tom Morello

07 07 Rod Stewart

11 07 Calcutta

12 07 Lenny Kravitz

15 07 Diana Krall

16 07 John Fogerty

18 07 Salmo- Noyz

19 07 Mika

20 07 Sam Smith

21 07 Duran Duran

24 07 Toto - Marcus Miller

26 07  Gazzelle

More info: 

☞https://www.luccasummerfestival.it/

Tickets:

☞https://www.luccasummerfestival.it/events/ticketone

Monthly appointment with Collecting in Florence, where the monthly market of all that is collectible takes place outdoors on the banks of the Arno in the Tuscany Hall car park in Florence. Among the various stands, enthusiasts will be able to find books, jewellery, small pieces of furniture, plates, candlesticks, clocks, chandeliers, dolls, porcelain, coins, records, DVDs, etc.

TUSCANY HALL Parking area Via Fabrizio De Andrè

Open from 10.00 to 19.00 in the parking area of the Theater.

FREE ENTRY.

On Saturday, June 29th, Serravalle Opera returns. The Rocca di Castruccio will host 'Opera and Unrequited Loves, from Mozart to Puccini, duets and arias of love and rejection.' Free admission starting at 9 PM.

The main theme of the evening will be unrequited love, the kind that makes you dream and suffer at the same time, but also gives rise to situations bordering on irony in a succession of often humorous duets.

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.