Festivals and Events in Tuscany, Italy

Festivals and Events

Giostro del Saracino Arezzo

Giostra del Saracino is a symbolic competition on horseback held at the Piazza Grande in Arezzo, Tuscany, where Aretine knights compete and charge an effigy of the Saracene king with lances and score points for accuracy trying to win the Golden Lance; a competition full of exotic, memorable sights and sounds.

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Palio di Siena

Imagine this. A jostling, impatient crowd of 33,000 people closeted in a square. An absolute cacophony of bells, bugles, trumpets and drums. Fluttering flags, spectacular banners and myriad colors all around. Charged excitement in the air. A boom echoes around the arena and suddenly a group of horses appear goaded by their jockeys. The crowd goes crazy, voices at their peak. The horses race around the arena, the jockeys intent both on racing as well as displaying open hostility to fellow jockeys. For two minutes, the entire world is filled with thundering hooves and the din of the crowd.

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Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

Operas were performed in Florence in the 16th century and they still thrive in this city which has an exciting artistic life. The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino or the ‘May Florentine Music Festival’ is conducted in the romantic city of Florence and runs from early May through end of June. The Music festival takes place in Teatro della Pergola. The annual event, along with Bayreuth and Salzburg is one of Europe’s oldest and most important events.