Tuscany Events and Places

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More information on events in Tuscany and its surrounding areas can be found below.

Arezzo
Arezzo's Piazza Grande is the setting of the Giostra del Saracino, or Saracen Tournament. Held on the first Sunday in September, this tournament dates back to the Crusades of the Middle Ages, when all Christendom dedicated itself to driving the Moors out of Europe. There is a lively and colourful procession preceding the event in which e knights charge towards wooden representations of the Saracen, aiming to hit the Saracen's shield with lances. Each pair of knights represents one of Arezzo's four rival districts and their supporters each occupy a side of the piazza. They are quiet when their own district knights are jousting, but make as much noise as possible to distract the opposition. The winner receives a gold lance. [Back to top]

June is Florence's golden month. There are several events in Florence during the month. Fabulous fireworks on June 24th celebrate St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of Florence, and the historical football match, the Calcio Storico, is held on Piazza Santa Croce every summer, either in June or July. The Calcio Storico commemorates a similar match played by a soldier trapped in the city in 1530. This Renaissance soccer game is played by teams from four neighbourhoods in Florence: Santa Croce, Santa Spirito, Santa Maria Novella, and San Giovanni. The game is a combination of soccer, rugby, and big time wrestling, all played while wearing 16th century costumes. For 2004, the matches are on the 24th and 27th of June and the final playoff on the 4th of July.

Every summer, the Florence Dance Festival takes place at the Teatro Romano in Fiesole on the hill just over Florence as part of the wider Estate Fiesolana program of music, poetry and cinema. It is really a magnificent experience to enjoy a concert in a Roman amphitheatre thinking of the thousands, if not millions, who have shared in the experience over the course of the past centuries. [Back to top]

The Lucca Summer Festival is during the month of July. Various well known artists will be performing throughout the month. Concerts are in the open in the central Piazza Napoleone within the city walls.
More information at: www.summer-festival.com [Back to top]

The Gioco del Ponte, or game on the bridge, is a sham fight between the people living on the opposite sides of the Arno and takes place on the last Sunday in June, on the ponte di Mezzo. After a colourful procession in 16th and 17th century costumes, the combatants use contraptions on rails in attempts to take the bridge. The "Gioco del Ponte" is the high point of "Giugno Pisano", which also includes a regatta and the "Festa di San Ranieri", a candelight festival on the banks of the Arno commemorating the city's patron saint. [Back to top]

After a magnificent procession held on 25th of July every year, 12 knights take part in the Giostra dell'Orso, a mediaeval jousting tournament. The knights' goal is to hit two stylized bears with their lances to the sound of drum rolls and fanfares. The bear (orso) is the heraldic animal of Pistoia and the Giostra is the highlight of the towns's "Luglio Pistoiese" festival. Summer in Pistoia also hosts the Pistoia Blues Festival from the 16th to the 18th of July.
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