Festivals of Radicondoli in Tuscany, Italy

Annual Festivals of Radicondoli

There is often a chestnut and wine festa at Radicondoli
in late October or early November.

May Day

May Day celebrations of Radicondoli and Belforte have deep and ancient roots. The festivities going back to really ancient times have today overlapped and merged with the more recent Workers' Day celebrations. The town band begins to play very early, starting from the countryside, marching from farmhouse to farmhouse, waking people up, stopping from time to time to enjoy a snack and a good glass of wine offered by the local inhabitants. The day is then spent with the community gathered on the Radicondoli "poggio" (the park located at the highest point of the town), where the whole population, in family groups, enjoys a picnic on the grass while the band goes on playing until night time.

Music has pride of place: the town band, often accompanied by the "maggiolini" ("Mayday revellers"), starts from Belforte on a tour of the local farms and ends up in Radicondoli, and people also join in the singing of the popular songs associated with this festivity. The traditional "May Day" song has a special flavour and significance because the text was written by an anarchist to the tune of the most famous aria from Verdi's "Nabucco".

Military precision characterises the wind band of Radicondoli

Processione della Santa Croce

In memory of an event that took place in about 1161, every year on 3 May, a procession starts in Belforte and ending at Falsini. It is in memory of Bernardino of Falsini, the parish priest killed by two brigands on the doorstep of Sant'Antonino church. In an effort to prevent the pillage of the church, the priest faced up to the brigands holding a cross in his hands. When he fell the cross hit the main door of the church leaving a trace which is visible and worshipped to this day. This happening caused such amazement and the memory of it was so strong in the faithful, that in 1459, Pope Pius II was moved to write a Papal Bull recording and approving the devotion to the cross of martyrdom and granting indulgences to the faithful. To this day a procession sets off in Belforte and walks its way through the rural districts to reach Falsini.

Feast of St. John (Festa di San Giovanni)

On the night of the feast of Saint John, until almost the beginning of the Second World War, it was customary to light huge bonfires on the hill tops. This celebration of the Feast of St John has been revived as part of a drive to keep ancient traditions such as the night countryside bonfires alive.

These festivities usually take place in mid-June, concurrently with the Radicondoli Summer Fair where there is entertainment and stalls, where you may taste and purchase local produce or buy the work of local artisans.