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 30–31 May, 1–2 and 6–7 June 2026 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

June in the Padule with Lipu: events and guided visits in the Padule di Fucecchio Nature Reserve

In June 2026, the Padule di Fucecchio Nature Reserve invites adults and children to discover one of Tuscany’s most fascinating wetlands through a programme of events dedicated to nature, local traditions and biodiversity.

The events are part of “June in the Padule with Lipu” and offer a special opportunity to experience the reserve up close, accompanied by expert guides.

Ethnobotanical visit: marsh herbs and the art of weaving

On Tuesday, 2 June 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., a guided visit in the reserve will take participants on a journey to discover marsh herbs and the traditional art of weaving.

The event is part of the project “The Art of Weaving Herbs” and will allow participants to learn more about the typical plants of the Padule, their uses, and the deep connection between nature, local culture and ancient knowledge.

A night of… moths!

On Saturday, 20 June 2026, at 9:00 p.m., the reserve becomes a magical place to explore after sunset with the event “A Night of… Moths!”

The experience is dedicated to discovering the world of nocturnal butterflies and moths, with the help of lights and guided by naturalist Lorenzo Vanni. It is a fascinating opportunity to observe creatures that are often little known, yet essential to the balance of ecosystems.

Guided visits by reservation

In addition to the special events, guided visits by reservation will also be available during June.

The visits will take place on Saturdays and Sundays, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., on the following dates:

6, 7, 27 and 28 June 2026

A perfect opportunity to discover the Padule di Fucecchio at a relaxed pace, accompanied by experts, among nature observation, water landscapes, birds and marshland habitats.

Costs and reservations

All events are free of charge, but booking is required.

For information and reservations:

riserva.fucecchio@lipu.it

+39 328 6206306

Lucca – Giovanni Boldini: The Seduction of Painting – from December 2, 2025 to June 2, 2026

La Cavallerizza, Piazzale Verdi, Lucca

An exhibition of over 100 works tracing the evolution of Giovanni Boldini's painting through the lens of feminine beauty—the focus of his continuous aesthetic exploration and deep psychological investigation. Boldini crafted an idealized model of grace and elegance.

An undisputed master of elegance and portraiture between the 19th and 20th centuries, Boldini placed the female image at the heart of his artistic world. With vibrant brushstrokes and a refined play of light and movement, he captured not only the outer grace of his models—their fashion, their social allure, the very spirit of their era—but also their inner psychological depth, giving life to a timeless ideal of femininity and charm.

He portrayed the vital spirit, the grace of gestures, and the intensity of their gazes, transforming his subjects into icons of sensuality and modernity.

Curated by Tiziano Panconi, the exhibition will be open from December 2, 2025, to June 2, 2026, at La Cavallerizza, Piazzale Verdi, Lucca.

In the heart of Florence, the historic spaces of Palazzo Medici Riccardi host an exhibition that brings back the elegance and creative energy of the 1920s.

“Firenze Déco. Atmosfere degli anni Venti” (Florence Déco. Atmospheres of the 1920s) is an exhibition that highlights the central role of the city in the spread of Art Déco in Italy and across Europe. Promoted by the Metropolitan City of Florence and organized by Fondazione MUS.E, curated by Lucia Mannini, the exhibition tells the story of an extraordinary decade in which Florence established itself as a refined center for applied arts, fashion, design, and theatre.

The exhibition takes visitors on an immersive journey through ceramics, glass, furniture, jewelry, textiles, garments, and posters, recreating the cultural atmosphere of the 1920s and the dialogue between tradition and international avant-garde.

Among the featured figures are Gio Ponti, Galileo Chini and Thayaht, alongside refined creations loved by high society and objects that reflect the cosmopolitan taste of the era.

🕒 Practical Information

📅 Until: August 25, 2026

📍 Location: Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence

⏰ Opening hours: daily 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM (closed on Wednesdays)

Lucca – Lucca Pottery Festival, from May 30 to June 2, 2026

📍 Piazza San Martino, Lucca

🗓️ May 30 – June 2, 2026

Contemporary ceramics come back to life in the heart of the city, among history, art, and creativity.

For four days, Piazza San Martino transforms into an open-air workshop:

👉 50 selected ceramists

👉 Live demonstrations, workshops, and talks

👉 Unique pieces blending art, design, and tradition

A festival open to everyone, where clay takes shape and tells stories made of hands, culture, and passion.

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

List of State Museums of Tuscany HERE. 

The exhibition, hosted in the rooms of Palazzo delle Papesse, a Renaissance residence once belonging to Caterina Piccolomini, sister of Pope Pius II, documents the flourishing production of domestic art that developed in Siena between the 15th and 16th centuries.

Through more than eighty works, furnishings such as marriage chests, wall panels, daybeds, headboards, textile artefacts and household objects will take centre stage in an exhibition route designed to reveal the richness and variety of a figurative culture intended to decorate domestic interiors.

Opening hours: every day from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Thursday from 10:00 am to 9:30 pm.

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. 

From March 7 to July 26, 2026, Palazzo Buontalenti in Pistoia hosts a major exhibition dedicated to Ettore Sottsass, a key figure in 20th-century Italian design.

The exhibition brings together over 1,400 works, including drawings, objects, photographs, and documents, tracing thirty years of research from the post-war period to the 1970s.

The exhibition follows a chronological path: from early artistic experiments, to ceramics created with Bitossi, through to innovative design for Poltronova and the collaboration with Olivetti. Significant space is also dedicated to the turning point of the 1960s, when Sottsass’s work became more symbolic and radical, anticipating the Memphis movement.

📅 Visitor Information

Dates: March 7 – July 26, 2026

Opening hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 10:00 – 19:00

Special openings: Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, April 7 and 25, May 1, June 1 and 2

📍 Venue: Palazzo Buontalenti, via de’ Rossi 7, Pistoia

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 April to October  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.

The programme

Saturday, 16 May, at 6:00 p.m., in the Tobino Room at Palazzo Ducale, the event will be Cantate a voce sola: the history of music in Lucca in 60 minutes, performed by soprano Maria Luigia Borsi with Gabriele Micheli on the spinet. Borsi is a refined performer with an unmistakable timbre, a leading figure in Mozart, Verdi and Puccini operas on major Italian stages, as well as in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Micheli holds diplomas in Piano and Choral Conducting, has studied the interpretation of music on historic keyboard instruments — harpsichord, organ, clavichord and fortepiano — and has been active as a harpsichordist, teacher and choir conductor since 1984.

Saturday, 23 May, at 9:00 p.m., at the Church of San Pietro Somaldi, Laudato sii, mi Signor will take place: a concert marking the eighth centenary of the passing of Saint Francis, featuring music composed by Marco Bargagna. Performing will be the San Nicola Polyphonic Choir of Pisa, the Tuscan Chamber Orchestra, soprano Sonia Ciani, contralto Alessia Baldinotti, baritone Carlo Morini, narrator Salvatore Ciulla, and organist Silvia Mannari, conducted by Stefano Barandoni.

Friday, 5 June, at 5:00 p.m., at the Oratory of the Guardian Angels, there will be the presentation of Paola Muller’s book Visioni sinfoniche, Il degarda di Bingen. The author, Professor Paola Muller, will be in conversation with Professor Amos Bertolacci and musicologist Professor Renzo Cresti.

Saturday, 13 June, at 9:00 p.m., in the Cathedral of San Martino, it will be time for Cantantibusorgani. Performing will be the Santa Cecilia Musical Chapel of Lucca Cathedral — the White Voices of the Santa Cecilia Chapel, Niccolò Bartolini on the organ, conducted by Luca Bacci.

Sunday, 14 June, at 9:00 p.m., at the Church of San Vito, the programme features Oltre il silenzio: Il canto dell’umanità dall’inquietudine alla speranza. Performing: the vocal group Stereo Tipi.

Saturday, 20 June, at 9:00 p.m., at the Church of Sant’Alessandro, it will be the turn of La pace sia con te, performed by the Luigi Boccherini Chamber Orchestra of Lucca, conducted by Luca Bacci.

Monday, 10 August, on the City Walls, “E lucean le stelle”

Antonio Dimasi: guitar

Greta Buonamici: soprano

The final event is scheduled for December 2026 — date to be confirmed — at the Teatro San Girolamo, with Academia Brevis: a concert in the style of Mozart’s time, featuring soprano Nunzia Fazzi.

📍 All events take place in Lucca.

🎟️ All events are free, but reservation is required via email:

prenotazioni@sagramusicalelucchese.com

From 11 June 2026 until August, a new edition of Ville & Giardini Incantati will take place: the festival that, on summer evenings, brings the great classical music of the ORT to the Medici Villas of the area.

Now in its 10th edition, Ville e Giardini Incantati in Florence is a project by Fondazione ORT, in collaboration with the Ville and Monumental Residences of Florence, directed by architect Federica Bergamini.

The 2026 edition of Ville e Giardini Incantati features 15 concerts in 10 enchanting locations in the Florentine area and beyond — places that come back to life through sound, creating a wonderful encounter between architecture, landscape and music.

The venues of the 2026 edition

Seven Medici Villas and Gardens will host the concerts: Villa della Petraia, Villa di Poggio a Caiano, Villa di Cerreto Guidi, Villa La Magia in Quarrata, Parco di Pratolino, and, making a welcome return this year, the Giardino di Castello and Villa La Ferdinanda in Artimino.

Also included are Forte di Belvedere, Cava Barghetti at Palazzo Mediceo in Seravezza, and, new for 2026, Villa di Poggio Reale in Rufina.

Concert calendar of Ville e Giardini Incantati 2026 in Florence and the surrounding area

Thursday, 11 June 2026 – Villa Medicea di Cerreto Guidi, 9:30 p.m.

Friday, 12 June 2026 – Villa Medicea La Petraia, Florence, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, 13 June 2026 – Parco Mediceo di Pratolino, Vaglia, 6:30 p.m.

Diego Ceretta, conductor

Orchestra della Toscana

Mendelssohn – The Hebrides, overture op. 26

Schubert – Symphony No. 4 D 417, “Tragic”

Opening the programme is Diego Ceretta, principal conductor of the ORT, with a programme that immediately creates a dialogue between nature and form.

Mendelssohn’s overture The Hebrides was born from a direct impression of the Scottish landscape, transformed into sound through a clear and fluid orchestral gesture.

Alongside it, Schubert’s Fourth Symphony, “Tragic”, reveals another kind of tension — more inward-looking — built on sharp contrasts and on writing that already looks beyond Classicism.

Wednesday, 17 June 2026 – Villa Medicea La Ferdinanda, Artimino, 9:30 p.m.

Thursday, 18 June 2026 – Forte di Belvedere, Florence, 9:30 p.m.

Friday, 19 June 2026 – Villa Medicea di Poggio a Caiano, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, 20 June 2026 – Villa Medicea La Petraia, Florence, 9:30 p.m.

Sieva Borzak, conductor

Enrico Ruberti, double bass

Orchestra della Toscana

Beethoven – The Creatures of Prometheus, overture

Hoffmeister – Concerto for double bass and orchestra No. 1

Haydn – Symphony No. 86

The second programme introduces a less usual presence at the centre of the stage: the double bass.

With Sieva Borzak on the podium and Enrico Ruberti as soloist, Hoffmeister’s Concerto restores to the instrument a brilliant and virtuosic dimension, far removed from its usual supporting role.

Around it are two works focused on movement and energy: the overture from Beethoven’s The Creatures of Prometheus and Haydn’s Symphony No. 86, a mature example of balance between formal structure and invention.

Saturday, 27 June 2026 – Villa Medicea La Petraia, Florence, 9:30 p.m.

Tuesday, 30 June 2026 – Villa Medicea di Cerreto Guidi, 9:30 p.m.

Wednesday, 1 July 2026 – Villa Medicea di Poggio a Caiano, 9:30 p.m.

Julio Garcia Vico, conductor

Donato De Sena, trumpet

Orchestra della Toscana

Mendelssohn – Das Märchen von der schönen Melusine, overture

Neruda – Concerto for trumpet and orchestra, transcribed from the horn

Mendelssohn – Symphony No. 4 op. 90, “Italian”

With Julio Garcia Vico, the musical journey moves towards a more narrative and theatrical dimension.

Mendelssohn returns with the overture The Fair Melusine, a musical tale suspended between legend and transformation, while the Trumpet Concerto attributed to Neruda — here entrusted to Donato De Sena — highlights an unexpected vocal quality of the instrument, capable of singing with lightness and momentum.

The programme closes with the “Italian” Symphony, a bright and rhythmic work that conveys a luminous and dynamic idea of travel.

Saturday, 4 July 2026 – Palazzo Mediceo di Seravezza, Cava Barghetti, 7:00 p.m.

Semplicemente Ornella

The ORT Brass & Rhythm Section

Lucia Sargenti, voice

Music by Ornella Vanoni

Arrangements by Demetrio Bonvecchio

Alongside the symphonic programmes, the festival also maintains a distinctive space for more cross-disciplinary projects.

Semplicemente Ornella brings to the Villas a different repertoire, linked to Italian singer-songwriter tradition: Lucia Sargenti’s voice moves through the arrangements of the ORT Brass, supported by a rhythm section made up of piano, electric bass and drums, evoking with elegance a sound world of nuance, memory and storytelling.

Sunday, 12 July 2026 – Garden of the Villa Medicea di Castello, 6:30 p.m.

Sextours Concertants

ORT Sextet

Mozart – Grand Concertante Sextet for string sextet from the Sinfonia Concertante K 364, anonymous 1808 transcription

Tchaikovsky – Souvenir de Florence op. 70, for string sextet

The chamber-music dimension finds a compact form in Sextuors Concertants, where the dialogue between instruments becomes the true centre of the musical discourse.

The sextet transcription of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante focuses the listener’s attention on a close and transparent interweaving of lines, while Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence broadens the expressive palette, alternating lyrical momentum with structural tension.

Wednesday, 15 July 2026 – Villa Medicea La Magia, Quarrata, 9:30 p.m.

Friday, 17 July 2026 – Villa Medicea La Petraia, Florence, 9:30 p.m.

The ORT Strings

Giacomo Bianchi, violin and concertmaster

Mozart – Eine kleine Nachtmusik

Tchaikovsky – Serenade for Strings op. 48

On one side, the almost nocturnal lightness of Eine kleine Nachtmusik; on the other, Tchaikovsky’s Serenade, which transforms writing for strings into dense and singable material, capable of combining formal elegance with emotional intensity.

Saturday, 1 August 2026 – Villa di Poggio Reale, Rufina, 9:30 p.m.

Michaël Cousteau, conductor

Letizia Bertoldi, trumpet

Orchestra della Toscana

Mozart – La finta giardiniera, overture K 196

Mozart – “Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio” K 418

Pasquale Anfossi – Il curioso indiscreto, overture

Mozart – “Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen” from The Magic Flute

Mozart – Symphony No. 36 K 425, “Linz”

In Rufina, at Villa di Poggio Reale, the journey ends with a programme focused on the musical theatre of Mozart and his contemporaries.

Michaël Cousteau conducts the Orchestra della Toscana together with soprano Letizia Bertoldi, moving through overtures and arias that create a dialogue between orchestral brilliance and vocal virtuosity: from the theatrical lightness of La finta giardiniera to the dramatic tension of The Magic Flute.

Information and tickets

Concerts begin at 9:30 p.m.

Parco Mediceo di Pratolino and the Garden of Villa Medicea di Castello: 6:30 p.m.

Palazzo Mediceo di Seravezza – Cava Barghetti: 7:00 p.m.

Concert duration: approximately 60 minutes, with no interval.

Single-seat ticket: €15.00; €12.00 for Unicoop Firenze members, plus any booking fees depending on the purchase channel.

Tickets can be purchased at the box office of Teatro Verdi, Via Ghibellina 97, tel. 055 212320; at Box Office – Ticketone sales points; online on Ticketone; and at the venue before the concert only if not sold out in advance.

For concerts at the Villas of Quarrata, Seravezza and at Forte di Belvedere, admission is free with reservation.

For Forte di Belvedere and Seravezza, reservations are available from 6 June online via Eventbrite or by phone at 055 0681726.

For Quarrata, reservations are available from 1 July by phone at 0573 771500, Monday to Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

In Volterra, on June 2nd, the Palio del Cero takes place from 5 pm to 8 pm. 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.

Saturday 6 and 13 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

Here is the programme of Seminare Idee Festival 2026 – City of Prato, taking place from 5 to 7 June 2026.

All events at Seminare Idee Festival 2026 are free of charge, with free admission subject to seat availability.

The theme of the 2026 edition is Desire. All meetings are free and open to the public subject to seat availability, while booking is required for the creative writing workshop.

Friday, 5 June 2026

6:00 p.m. – Teatro Politeama Pratese

Festival opening

Speakers: Diana Marta Toccafondi, President of Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Prato; Eugenio Giani, President of the Tuscany Region; Simone Calamai, President of the Province of Prato; Annalisa Fattori and Paola Nobile, creators and directors of the festival.

6:30 p.m. – Teatro Politeama Pratese

Massimo Recalcati

The Face of Desire

Lectio magistralis.

9:45 p.m. – Teatro Politeama Pratese

Gino Castaldo

I Love You, I Sing to You

Lecture-performance.

Saturday, 6 June 2026

9:30 a.m. – Teatro Metastasio

Natasha Solomons

Seduction and Political Strategy: Cleopatra’s Lesson

10:00 a.m. – Palazzo delle Professioni

Guido Bosticco

The Syntax of Desire

Creative writing workshop, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

10:45 a.m. – Chiostro San Domenico

Paolo Di Paolo

The Novel? A Machine of Desires

11:00 a.m. – Teatro Metastasio

Gianvito Martino

Living Forever: The Dream of Immortality

11:30 a.m. – Museo del Tessuto

Marina Spadafora, Roselina Salemi

Beautiful Clothes, Good Clothes

12:00 p.m. – Chiostro San Domenico

Francesco Piccolo

From the Unnamed to Bell’Antonio: Paper Men

Monologue, duration 70 minutes.

3:30 p.m. – Museo del Tessuto

Nicola Mondaini, Mapi Danna

Intimacy Between Performance and Relationship

4:30 p.m. – Chiostro San Domenico

Maurizio Ferraris

Eros Is Not Dead

4:45 p.m. – Museo del Tessuto

Camilla Baresani

Desire à la Carte: Why We Go Out to Dinner

5:15 p.m. – Garden of Palazzo Buonamici

Giuseppe Pastore

World Champions!

5:45 p.m. – Chiostro San Domenico

Marianna Aprile

1946–2026: Freedom Is Still a Goal

6:30 p.m. – Garden of Palazzo Buonamici

Filippo Capobianco, Martina Lauretta

A Hoax Under the Stars

Poetry Slam.

7:30 p.m. – Chiostro San Domenico

Valerio Aprea, Sara Zambotti

Let’s Laugh About It!

Conversation with reading.

10:00 p.m. – Chiostro San Domenico

Luca Bottura

Tragicomic Diary of a Child Who Dreamed of Television

Open rehearsal, duration 75 minutes.

11:15 p.m. – Garden of Palazzo Buonamici

Literary Debate

The Secret Hour of Desire

Curated by Pratosfera.

Sunday, 7 June 2026

9:30 a.m. – Chiostro San Domenico

Antonella Anedda

Those Who Sow Books Make Words Grow

9:30 a.m. – Garden of Palazzo Buonamici

Nadeesha Uyangoda

Far from Home, Close to the Heart

11:00 a.m. – Chiostro San Domenico

Pietro Del Soldà

Love Is Freedom

12:15 p.m. – Chiostro San Domenico

Lama Michel Rinpoche

Happiness, Here and Now

4:00 p.m. – Chiostro San Domenico

Nicoletta Verna

Children’s Dreams Are Desires

An event in the Seminare Idee Kids & Teens section, suitable for ages 13–99.

5:15 p.m. – Chiostro San Domenico

Federico Faggin

No Machine Will Ever Be Able to Desire

5:30 p.m. – Garden of Palazzo Buonamici

Antonella Lattanzi, Alessandra Tedesco

Look at Me, Love Me, Save Me

7:45 p.m. – Chiostro San Domenico

Amalia Ercoli Finzi

Eyes to the Sky

Lectio magistralis.

Seminare Idee Kids & Teens

Saturday, 6 June 2026

10:00 a.m. – Palazzo Buonamici

Fondazione Golinelli

The City of Desires

Creativity and technology workshop, ages 4–13, until 6:00 p.m.

10:00 a.m. – Palazzo Datini

Chiara Manzan

Words That Dream

Poetry workshop, ages 8–10

.

4:00 p.m. – Palazzo Datini

Alice Barberini

Things from the Woods

Creative workshop, from age 8.

5:30 p.m. – Palazzo Datini

Chiara Manzan

Desire in Verse

Poetry workshop, ages 11–13.

Sunday, 7 June 2026

10:00 a.m. – Palazzo Datini

Artebambini

What’s in My Head

Art and reading workshop, ages 3–6.

4:00 p.m. – Chiostro San Domenico

Nicoletta Verna

Children’s Dreams Are Desires

Kids & Teens event, ages 13–99.

4:00 p.m. – Palazzo Datini

Artebambini

Desires in Bloom

Art and reading workshop, ages 7–10.

6:30 p.m. – Garden of Palazzo Buonamici

Luca Piazza / Herr LucaPlatz DJ

Put Your Hands on the Music!

DJ workshop, ages 11–14.

For Kids & Teens events, booking is required by email at kids@seminareideefestival.it, except for the event with Nicoletta Verna, which is free admission subject to seat availability.

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

Saturday Night Spa

Saturday, June 13, 20 and 27,

from 7:30 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

https://terme.grottagiustispa.com

18 June 2026, 7:30 p.m.

La Toscana in Bocca Summer Gala

An evening where excellence, local identity and solidarity come together in the heart of Pistoia.

Twenty chefs, pastry chefs and bartenders will offer a high-level tasting experience, designed to showcase the quality and identity of the local area through flavours, creativity and research.

But “La Toscana in Bocca” has always been much more than a food event: it is a project that combines conviviality and social responsibility, turning every participation into a concrete contribution in support of important local organisations.

The Summer Gala includes a complete and open tasting of the creations prepared by the protagonists of the event.

The participation fee of €75.00 will directly support the projects of Fondazione MAiC Onlus and Fondazione Radioterapia Oncologica (FRO). The entire proceeds from the evening will be donated to the two associations.

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.

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! 

In Pistoia, from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 June 2026, the Festa della Musica returns.

The subtitle of the 2026 edition is “The Voice of Places”.

Three days of meetings, workshops, performances and plenty of music for a great open-air festival that will bring the city to life.

Click here for the program

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. 

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 2026: 27 June – 31 July; 18 August – 15 November 2026.

Also this year, the Lucca Summer Festival, taking place in June and July, will feature internationally renowned artists. For some of them, their performance in Lucca will be their only concert in Italy—an unmissable opportunity!

Lucca Summer Festival 2026 

• Wednesday, 24 June 2026, 9:30 p.m. – Piazza Napoleone Ludovico Einaudi
• Thursday, 25 June 2026, 9:30 p.m. – Piazza Napoleone David Byrne – Who Is The Sky?
• Saturday, 4 July 2026, 9:00 p.m. – Historic Walls Jamiroquai – only Italian date
• Sunday, 5 July 2026, 9:30 p.m. – Piazza Napoleone John Legend – A Night of Songs and Stories
• Tuesday, 7 July 2026, 9:30 p.m. – Piazza Napoleone Alabama Shakes  Special guest: Matt Berninger
• Thursday, 16 July 2026, 9:00 p.m. – Historic Walls Zucchero – Overdose d’Amore Gold
• Friday, 17 July 2026, 9:30 p.m. – Piazza Napoleone  Ronnie Wood and His Band – only Italian date
• Sunday, 19 July 2026, time to be checked on the ticket – Historic Walls Katy Perry Opening act: Dov’è Liana Only Italian date
• Monday, 20 July 2026, 9:00 p.m. – Piazza Napoleone Riccardo Muti conducts the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra, with students from Italian conservatoires
• Tuesday, 21 July 2026, 9:30 p.m. – Piazza Napoleone Marcus Miller – We Want Miles!  Tribute to Miles Davis 
• Saturday, 25 July 2026, 9:00 p.m. – Piazza Napoleone Din Don Down – In Search of (G)od With Mayor Von Frinzius, Paolo Ruffini and Claudia Campolongo
• Tuesday, 28 July 2026, 9:30 p.m. – Piazza Napoleone  Tom Jones – Come Gather Round
• Wednesday, 29 July 2026, 9:30 p.m. – Piazza Napoleone Pooh – La nostra storia Estate

More information: 

☞https://www.luccasummerfestival.it/

The Tuscany Choral Experience Concludes in Lucca with a Special Concert

On Saturday, June 27, 2026, the beautiful city of Lucca will host the final concert of the Tuscany Choral Experience, a musical event that brings together international talent, passion for choral music, and unforgettable emotions.

The concert will begin at 7:00 PM at the Auditorium del Conservatorio Luigi Boccherini and will mark the culmination of an inspiring artistic journey involving singers and musicians from both the United States and Italy.

Leading the performance will be Dr. Jennaya Robison, acclaimed conductor of the National Lutheran Choir, internationally recognized for her artistic sensitivity and her ability to create deeply moving musical experiences.

The program, titled “Songs of Love & Life,” will guide the audience through a powerful and evocative musical journey celebrating love, life, and the universal beauty of choral music.

Admission to the concert is free, but reserving a seat is recommended to ensure participation in this special event.

Reservatiions  here

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.

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.