Tuscany in June: medieval madness and Summer sagre

It’s finally June and in Tuscany this means going back to the Middle Ages and the start of the Summer sagre season. This month is full of medieval madness including knights in shining armour and dames in distress. Food festivals are organized in every town across the region leaving you with some serious stress of choice. What place will you choose to explore this month?

Festa Medievale

The fourteenth Festa Medievale BiancoAzzurra in Castiglion Fiorentino will be happening from 5 till 7 June. The place to be is the Rocca del Cassero where there will be games, taverns filled with Val di Chiana delicacies, markets, duels and people dressed up in medieval costumes walking around the historic city centre.

From June 19th to 21st, San Gimignano will celebrate the traditional Fiera delle Messi and will go back to the Middle Ages through knights tournaments, costumed parades, medieval dances and much, much more. Here you can find the full programme.

Crossbow craziness

Like crossbows? Then make sure you’re in Cortona, Piazza Signorelli, in the Giostra dell’Archidado on the 14^th to see the different neighbourhoods battle against each other. Prefer food to flying arrows? Then save yourself a seat at the medieval dinner in Certaldo on the 6^th or 13^th of June.

The Festa Medievale di Malmantile will celebrate its second weekend on the 6th and 7th of June. The town of Malmantile will be filled with over a 150 dames, knights, archers and heralds stealing the show. During the same weekend, Barberino Val d’Elsa will also go back in time during Memoriae et Historiae de Semifonte. Two days filled with fun street artists, singers, jugglers and flag throwers.

Muscular, sweating men

The epic Calcio Storico Fiorentino will be taking place in Piazza Santa Croce on 13, 14 and 24 June. In this savage game, which is a mix of football, rugby and free fighting, the four rivaling neighbourhoods of Florence will do anything to end up as the winning team – or come out alive for that matter. If you’re into watching muscular, sweating men run after a ball, then this is your thing. More info and tickets here.

For the more romantic type of people, you’ll want to be saving yourself a spot along the Arno river in Pisa on the 16^th. The yearly Luminara, in which all the lights are turned off and little candles light up the night, is a definite must see.

More of a Renaissance type of person? Then head to Montemurlo for its 24^th Corteggio Storico held from 21 to 28 June. At the park of Villa Giamari, a Renaissance day will be organized followed by a themed banquet at the fortress.

Street art festival

Don’t miss the wonderful street art festival Maraviglia in Calenzano on the 13th and 14th of June. The weekend will be dedicated to the most creative forms of expression among which theatre, music, circus acts, visual art, flying actors, workshops for kids, artisans, and many more. Entrance fee: € 6,- or € 10,- for both days. Free for kids until ten. You can go there by bus taking the ATAF line 2 from Florence. More info here (in Italian).

Summer Sagre Season

The Summer sagre season has officially started and you’ll definitely want to get a taste of the scrumptious food festivals around Tuscany. Certaldo will be serving fish galore until the 8^th of June, while in Borgo San Lorenzo the Sagra del Prugnolo e del tortello Mugellano makes your mouth water. The prugnolo is a type of mushroom and the tortello from Mugello is filled with potatoes. Deliciousness!

Go truffle hunting at the Sagra del Tartufo in Cellai during all the weekends of June. The stands open at 7:15 pm. Porcini mushroom lovers should go to Palazzuolo instead for the Sagra del Porcino that ends on the 7^th of June.

Last but not least, head down to Pitigliano to see how they cover the streets of the enchanting town in flowers for the yearly Infiorata del Corpus Domini. This colourful display will definitely lift your spirits.

Enjoy June!