The terms feste and sagre refer to traditional festivals that celebrate seasonal abundance by highlighting a particular agricultural product and the way it is used in the culture. The events draw large crowds, and many such as the annual Monteriggioni Medievale festival in July include rich pageantry. Citizens dressed in the finest costumes and shining armor ride through the old towns on horseback, recalling medieval times and reminding everyone of the lingering influence of the Middle Ages. A Tuscany guided tour into the world of feste and sagre introduces visitors to important regional traditions and flavors.
Spring and Summer Festivals
The return of warm weather and budding flowers and trees draws everyone outdoors to celebrate life in the spring and summer months. The Festa della Stagion Buona (celebration of the good season) is a feast for the senses, with live music, food vendors and a Renaissance-style procession. Held in Panzano every April 25th, it is the epitome of the Italian celebration of life. San Gimignano honors its patron saint, Santa Fina, with a colorful medieval festival in June. In mid-July, the nights light up in in Certaldo during Mercantia Certaldo, an international fair for street theater.
Wine festivals can be found throughout the year in Tuscany. The town of Radda hosts a prestigious Chianti wine tasting event called Radda bel Bicchiere toward the end of May and early June. In Castellina, the Calici di Stelle (goblets of stars) is a wonderful open-air event in August that celebrates wine and stargazing. On the last Sunday in August, the Bravio delle Botti features a barrel-rolling competition between the contrade in Montepulciano.
Autumn and Winter Festivals
As green turns to gold in the hills of Tuscany during the fall months, the harvest draws a new bounty to the table. Chestnut festivals are held in towns such as Marradi outside of Florence, where palates are delighted by chestnut ravioli, chestnut cakes and chestnut pesto; gelato shops even sell chestnut ice cream. Olives, of course, are vitally important to the economy and culture of Tuscany, and the first taste of the season, the olio nuovo (new oil) is widely celebrated. If you have never tasted fresh-pressed olive oil, prepare yourselves for a peppery shock.
Mushrooms are another typical fall food. At truffle festivals, participants experience the ways truffles flavor everything from olive to cheese to pasta. The famous White Truffle Fair is held every November in San Miniato near Pisa. For another type of truffle altogether, the Chocolate Festival in Perugia is the place to be in November. Another sweet festival is Honey Week in Montalcino, celebrated the first week of September. The year-round selection of feste and sagre is perfect for private day trips Tuscany tours.