Tag: Events in Tuscany

September Festivals and Holiday Events inTuscany

September Festivals and Holiday Events inTuscany

Tuscan Festivals, Holidays, and Special Events in September

In September Italians return from their vacations. Many festivals take place the first Sunday in September as summer comes to an end. You’ll still find small food festivals throughout Italy during the month of September. Look for brightly-colored posters (like the one in the picture) for a festa or sagra, where you can usually sample inexpensive regional food.

Here are some of the top festivals you’ll find in Tuscany in September.

Palio di San Rocco in Figline Valdarno is said to be one of the first palio competitions (definition of palio) in Tuscany. The palio includes five days of medieval competitions with jousting, archery, and a horse race during the first week of September.

Feast of Rificolona is believed to be one of the oldest festivals in Florence. You’ll find outdoor festivities September 6 and 7 including a big fair in Piazza Santissima Annunziata. The celebrations close the evening of September 7 with a procession from Piazza Santa Croce led by the Cardinal. You may also find Feast of Rificolona celebrated in other parts of Tuscany September 7.

Luminara di Santa Croce, illuminations of the holy cross, is a beautiful procession in Lucca, Tuscany, on September 13. The city is illuminated with thousands of candles at night as the procession goes through Lucca’s historic center. (Lucca travel resources)

Feast Day of San Michele on September 29 is a popular saint’s day celebrated many places in Italy, often with an agriculture festival.

Scottish Wedding in Barga – Tuscany

Too Funny! A part of Scotland lives in Barga a very charming village 30 minutes driving far from Lucca.

Direction to Grotta del Vento

To don’t MiiiiiiiiSSSSSSSSS!!

Situated in the centre of the Apuan Alps’ Natural Park, this is one of the most complete European caves, presenting an extraordinary variety of phenomena which are outlined with competence and precision by expert speleological guides.

Following illuminated and easy-going trails, we can admire the many wonders of the underground world: from shining stalactites and stalagmites to polychrome flowstone, alabaster draperies, crystal-brimmed lakes, underground water-courses and bizarre forms of erosion.

There are three itineraries: the “first” (one hour) proceeds horizontally and is characterized throughout by splendid calcareous formations; the “second” (two hours), which also includes the first, visits a small underground river and its charmingly vast environment; the “third” (three hours) consents a complete visit of the cave and easily follows several perfectly vertical tracts.

The Wind Cave is open to the public every day of the year (excluding Christmas).
From April 1st to November 1st and on Sundays and public holidays of the remaining period, the times are as follows:

1st itinerary (one hour): 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18
2nd itinerary (two hours): 11, 15, 16, 17
3rd itinerary (three hours, complete tour): 10, 14

On weekdays between November 2nd and March 31st only the 1st itinerary can be visited at the following times: 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18.

Internal cave temperature is of +10.7°C. (53°F.)

Bar facilities can be found next to the ticket office, as well as a large selection of minerals, fossils etc.

54th Festival Puccini in Tuscany

Giacomo Puccini


54th Festival Puccini
The Puccini Festival 2008 will be characterized by one of the most important cultural events of the latest years: the opening of the new Theatre, around which will take form a cultural park, where to celebrate Giacomo Puccini, his music, his history and his art, on the lake Massaciuccoli which inspired him in his life.

54th Puccini Festival

June – August 2008

THE PERFORMANCES START AT 9.15 p.m.

CONCERT
Sunday June 15th , Puccini IV Act

Tribute to Puccini
Sunday July 6 2008 a co-production with Accademia Chigiana in Siena

TURANDOT
Friday July 11th; Saturday July 19th; Friday July 25th;
Sunday August 3rd; Sunday August 10th; Saturday August 23rd

TOSCA
Saturday July 12th; Friday July 18th; Sunday July 27th; Friday August 8th; Friday August 22nd

MADAMA BUTTERFLY
Sunday July 20th; Saturday July 26th; Saturday August 2nd; Sunday August 17th

EDGAR
Saturday August 9th; Saturday August 16th


Journeys through history, culture and tradition

LUCCA (half day morning or afternoon)

Join our guide for a walking experience, taking you back in time to 180BC when Lucca was founded as a Roman colony.  The day will start with a stroll on top of the medievel walls (built between 1504-1645) and wind its way into the heart of the city to discover the anfiteatro, an arena shaped piazza, the church of San Michele in Foro (where Puccini began his musical career as a choirboy), the 11th century Cathedral of San Martino housing the Volto Santo, a cedar-wood crucifix said to be a true portrait of Jesus sculpted by Nicodemus, an eyewitness to the crucifixion, Matteo Civitali’s marble tabernacle the “Tempietto”, the Tomb of Illaria del Caretto (1408) by Jacopo della Quercia and Tintorettos’s “Last Supper”.   A typical Tuscan lunch is offered in one of the best restaurants in Lucca and your afternoon is at leisure to stroll, shop and discover this enchanting city for yourself or join our sommelier for a wine and olive oil tasting in the cellars of Enoteca Vanni.