Everything is ready for the new edition of the Spino Fiorito fair. The event dedicated to the food and wine starts the 27 April until the 1st May 2018, International Worker’s Day, at the suggestive setting of the Malaspina Castle of Massa, in northern Tuscany.

The fair of Spino Fiorito was born in 2000 with the aim of giving value to the small producers of this area and of all Italy. Support these little firms is the only way to keep the traditions, the history, the culture, and the local identities still alive.

wine Spino fiorito

What is Spino Fiorito

The event takes place in one of my favorite place of northern Tuscany: inside the walls of the Malaspina Castle. It is located up on a hill that dominates the city of Massa and the coastal flat land. The view from the roof of the castle is breathtaking, I could spend an entire day up there, walking backward and forwards, sitting on the wall and staring at the beautiful surrounding. You can admire a 360° view of the mountains, the Mediterranean Sea, the horizon, the rocky cliffs of the Gulf of Poets in Liguria and even the islands on a clear day.

The Spino Fiorito starts on Friday with the historical parade from the main square of the city Piazza Aranci to the castle, parading across the narrow uphill paths. Then, after the traditional toast made by the Tecchiaroli (workers of the marble quarries) hung along the walls, the opening of the stands will bring the castle back to life.

bread Spino fiorito

The courtyard, the walls and the cloister will be packed with dozens of stands of local producers. At the entrance, visitors can buy a glass for the wine (and take it away as a souvenir of the event), stroll around the castle tasting traditional food as cold cuts, pecorino cheese, honey, and bread combined with one of the many Tuscan wines at disposal. Tourists have also the opportunity to enjoy local delicacies as Panigacci or Testaroli of the Lunigiana, chestnut flour crepes with Ricotta cheese and drink a pint of fresh handmade beer.

Spino Fiorito is not only food and drink but also local customs and traditions. In fact during the weekend there will be exhibitions with musicians and dancers in historic clothes directly from the Renaissance and Middle Age. Instead, along the corridors and inside the rooms of the castle, visitors can step out from the crowd to enjoy art exhibits of local artists (paintings, sculptures and photos) surrounded by the silence and the history of the castle and of their owners: the Malaspina Family.

For security reasons, only 2.000 people are allowed to enter the castle every day. You can book your ticket contacting the number +39 0585.816524 from Monday to Friday from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm. Then, you will have to get your ticket by noon the day you booked at the ticket office inside the marvellous Palazzo Ducale. For more info click here (Italian only).

If you are passing through the coast of Tuscany during these days why don’t you take a look at this interesting Spino Fiorito?

A video with the best moments of Spino Fiorito 2015

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Spino Fiorito Fair in Massa

(updated on April 4th 2018)

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