Visit Tuscany is an excellent idea and knowing which are the Tuscan public holidays could be really useful for your vacations! Why? Because visiting the land of the Renaissance during these days can offer you much more than the other moments of the year. infact public holidays mark many special events, like historical and religious ones.
This can permit you to discover Tuscany in a different view, even thanks to the many shops and businesses that stay open throughout the bank holidays in Tuscany, to not mention the uncountable attractions[/vc_column_text]
Italian and Tuscan Public Holidays
- 1. New Year’s Day January 1 (Capodanno)
- 2. Epiphany January 6 (Epifania)
- 3. Easter (Pasqua) – You should try Colomba once in your life!
- 4. Easter Monday (Pasquetta)
- 5. Liberation Day April 25 (Festa di Liberazione)
- 6. Labour Day May 1 (Festa dei lavoratori / Primo Maggio)
- 7. Republic Day June 2 (Festa della Repubblica)
- 8. Mid-August Holiday August 15 (Ferragosto)
- 9. All Saints’ Day November 1 (Ognissanti)
- 10. Feast of the Immaculate Conception December 8 (Assunzione dell’Immacolata concezione)
- 11. Christmas Day December 25 (Natale)
- 12. Boxing Day December 26 (Santo Stefano)
Events and Festival Calendars
FEBRUARY/MARCH
The Carnival of Viareggio. Parades with amazing giant floats
MARCH/APRIL
- Many places celebrate Palm Sunday blessing palm branches and organizing a street procession.
- In Florence, on Easter Sunday visitors and residents go to the Piazza del Duomo for the Scoppio del Carro. It is an igniter shaped like a dove shoots on a rope from the cathedral altar to a festively decorated cart to set it alight.
- In the town of Prato, the Parade of the Holy Belt takes place.
APRIL/JUNE
Florence hosts the oldest italian musical festival, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
MAY
- Alberese Festival of Butteri (1-3 May), the Tuscan cowboys from Maremma have a rodeo;
- Cortona Giostra del Archidado: Festival of Archers with historical costumes.
JUNE
- In many places Corpus Christi processions
- Fiesole Estate Fiesolana: Theatre, dance, music, and film festival (from mid-Jun until the beginning of August)
- Arezzo Giostra del Saraceno, the third Sunday in June, is an equestrian tournament first mentioned in 1593.
- Pisa Regatta di San Ranieri: Rowing regatta on the Arno River on 17 June.
- Florence Calcio Storico Fiorentino: ball game in historical costumes on the Feast of St. John on the Piazza della Signoria.
- Lucca Summer Festival
- La Prima Estate Music Festival in Lido di Camaiore
JULY
- Arezzo Arezzo Wave: an open-air festival with excellent artists from the International music scene
- Siena Palio delle Contrade: the famous historic horse race on the Piazza del Campo
- Grosseto International Jazz Festival
- Pistoia Summer Festival: the biggest Italian rock and blues festival Giostra dell’Orso: on 25th July, a historical equestrian game
- San Giminiano Concert and opera performances on the Cathedral Square
- Volterra Open-air theatre performances
- Torre del Lago Puccini opera season
JULY
- Torre del Lago Puccini opera season
- Lucca Summer Festival
- Carrara Historical Marble Lizzatura: In the magnificent set of the marble quarries of Carrara, in the picturesque setting of the famous Ponti di Vara, it renews the unforgettable and unique in world of lizzatura of marbles. With hard work and difficult maneuvers to be executed, a Lizzatori team will go down the route of the running, overcoming a gradient of 50%, a more than 20-ton block, from the quarry to the loading dock, reviving the ancient transport of marble blocks method, as was done in past centuries. The audience can enjoy an unforgettable and unique event in the world.
- Siena Jazz Concert and Workshop
AUGUST
- Montalcino Trush Festival, on the second Sunday in August every year the hunting season is opened with the Thrust Festival. Drummers, pipers, and knights in historical costume form a parade that goes up to the Fortezza, where the best archer of the quarters compete
- Massa Marittima Balestro del Girifalco, a town festival with an archery contest in medieval costume
- In many places Processions and fireworks on 15 August for Ferragosto and the Assumption of the Virgin
- Cortona Sagra della Bistecca, on 15 August the famous Florentine Steak is celebrated with a festival and market in Porto Santo Stefano
- Siena Palio delle Contrade, edition of the 16 August
- Alberese Torneo dei Butteri, equestrian competition of the Maremman Cowboys
- Montepulciano Bravio delle Botti, a horse race like the Palio, which was taken on 29 August. Today it is no longer carried out on horse-back but with barrels of 80kg/176lbs, which are rolled down the main street by representatives of the different parts of the town
SEPTEMBER
- Arezzo Giostra del Saraceno, a competition that goes back to the Crusades
- Pienza Fiera del Cacio, sheep’s cheese festival on the first Sunday
- Sansepolcro Palio della Balestra, historical crossbow copetition, on the second Sunday in September
- Lucca Luminara di Santa Croce, torch-light procession on 13th September
- Forte dei Marmi Satire Festival, cabaret, talk show and video shows
- Impruneta Festa dell’Uva, the Chianti hosts the largest wine festival of the region on the last Saturday in September
- In many places Wine Festival in most of the Chianti Villages at the end of September and beginning of October
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
- Lucca Comics and Games
- Borgo a Mozzano Halloween Festival
DECEMBER
Christmas Market all over the region. The Xmas Market of Arezzo deserves a special mention.
