Three days of celebrations along the ancient route and in the small hillside village of Castelnuovo d’Elsa. This is the highlight of “Castelnuovo Fest. The Via Francigena in Valdelsa”, which will take place in Castelfiorentino from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 September. There are numerous new features in this 2026 edition of the Festival, which, in addition to revamping a tried-and-tested format and expanding the event’s programme, will see the Pieve di Coiano take centre stage – one of the stops mentioned by Sigeric in his diary (990 A.D.), now restored to its former splendour following conservation work.
The programme for Castelnuovo Fest was presented yesterday in the Regional Council’s press room, with speeches by President Stefania Saccardi, Councillor Brenda Barnini, the Mayor of Castelfiorentino, Francesca Giannì, and the Councillor for Culture and Tourism, Franco Spina. Also present were Giulia Sireci, a councillor for the Municipality of Castelfiorentino, representatives of the Proloco, and Andrea Panchetti (Panificio Panchetti).
A cracking start on Friday 25 September with three events dedicated to poetry, food and wine, and music. Suffering, love and hope are at the heart of the poetry event with Massimiliano Bardotti (“Ma il bene resiste”, Cappella Madonna della Tosse, 5.00 p.m), whilst in the evening, at Coiano Castle (7.00 p.m.), there will be an explosion of local flavours: an open-air buffet dinner (cost €20, bookings on+39 0571 631 809), ahead of the concert taking place at 9.00 p.m. in the majestic Pieve di Coiano, organised by the “Amici della Lirica Umberto Borsò” association. “Per Saecula Voce” is the title of the evening, a musical journey through the centuries retracing the pilgrimage from medieval polyphony to contemporary sacred music (curated by “Aelsa Antiqua”). The Parish Church of Coiano will also be open for free guided tours on both Saturday and Sunday mornings (10.00 a.m.–1.00 p.m.).
Saturday 26 September sees the first walking routes open to everyone. At 1.10 p.m., meet at the Pieve di Coiano (open to visitors on request) for “Mangia e Cammina”, organised by the Castelfiorentino Farmers’ Association. A brand-new route waiting to be discovered, featuring stories, legends and fairy tales linked to the natural world, with a packed lunch and a buffet at the end (cost: €15; bookings: +39 347 106 5161). At 6.00 p.m., meet in Piazza S. Barbara (Castelnuovo d’Elsa) for “La via Francigena al tramonto”, an urban walk to discover the history of the village, full of anecdotes and interesting facts, organised by Toscana Hiking Experience. Also this afternoon (from 5.00 p.m., Via Roma), the food, wine and local craft market opens, alongside photographic exhibitions on Myriam Ferretti and the Via Francigena. At 7.00 p.m., there will be an aperitif in Piazza Santa Barbara, and at 8.00 pm, the chance to dine at the “Mensa del pellegrino” (cost: 25 euros; bookings: +39 338 838 0602), whilst at 9.00 p.m., the unmissable “Theatre Night through the streets of the village” in Castelnuovo d’Elsa takes place. “Between Shadow and Song” is the title of the theatrical tour (organised by GAT) which, starting from Piazza Santa Barbara, will take visitors on a journey back in time from Caravaggio to St Francis of Assisi, ending at the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, where the theatrical monologue “The Wolf of Gubbio” will be performed.
On the morning of Sunday 27 September, walkers are invited to follow “in the footsteps of Sigeric” through the hilly countryside along the Via Francigena. There are three walking routes on offer, organised by Toscana Hiking Experience: from Coiano to Castelnuovo d’Elsa (trekking route, 8.5 km), from Montaione to Castelnuovo d’Elsa (14 km) and from Gambassi Terme to Castelnuovo d’Elsa (14.5 km). Also in the morning, in the village of Castelnuovo d’Elsa (from 10.00 a.m.), the exhibitions that have been open since Saturday, the food, wine and craft market, and the “Market of Ancient Crafts” will be taking place: a journey into the past featuring the chair-maker and the chair-caner, the candle-maker and the alchemist, the basket-maker and so on. For those wishing to have an original photo taken in a vintage car, a special photo set-up featuring the “Minutera” will be available all day in Piazza Santa Barbara, organised by the Giglio Rosso Photography Group, offering the chance to be immortalised in an original black-and-white souvenir photo. From 11.00, children can watch a falconry display in the garden of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta. At 1 pm, lunch will be served at the pilgrim’s canteen (cost: 25 euros; bookings: +39 338 838 0602). In the afternoon, from 3 p.m., “The Court of Fools”: eccentric characters, jesters, commoners, fortune-tellers, storytellers and other figures typical of the era will bring a travelling court to life, alternating moments of theatrical improvisation with games, whilst through the streets of the Borgo there will be a theatrical tour dedicated to the women of Caravaggio (4 stops) and to the “Cammino di Francesco” (3 stops), with several performances throughout the evening. At 5.00 p.m., another session with the falconers.
In the week leading up to the event, the “Sassi del buon cammino” (organised by Prociv Arci and Auser) will be placed along the Francigena route, available to visitors and walkers who can collect them and carry them from one place to another, leaving a visible and shared record of their passage. Finally, from 21 to 25 September, special itineraries are planned exclusively for pupils from Castelfiorentino, including an accessible route on 25 September dedicated to children from the local centres (which, together with the “trekking theatre”, enabled Castelfiorentino Council to win last year’s “Francigena Best Practice 2024” Award).
“The Via Francigena,” observe the Mayor, Francesca Giannì, and the Councillor for Culture and Tourism, Franco Spina, “is the story of an age-old journey, a route to be undertaken. An unwritten history of Castelnuovo d’Elsa, passed down through the wells, the stones and the people who lived it. But it is also the present of a community that finds its essence in its inhabitants and, in art, its spirit and identity. This year we have managed to put together a more extensive programme – conclude the Mayor and the Councillor – partly to celebrate the grand reopening of the Pieve di Coiano, which is an official stop on the Via Francigena, and in which we will continue to invest in the future.”
As you may recall, Castelfiorentino was one of the first municipalities in Tuscany to rediscover, thirty years ago, the route of the ancient Via Francigena, which was only officially recognised by the Council of Europe in 2006 as a European cultural route, identified as the route travelled by Sigeric in 990 A.D.
“Castelnuovo Fest” is organised by the Municipality of Castelfiorentino with funding from the Ministry of Culture and under the patronage of the Region of Tuscany, the Metropolitan City of Florence, the Union of Municipalities of the Empolese Valdelsa District, the European Association of the Via Francigena and seventeen municipalities in Tuscany, in collaboration with local associations and with the support of numerous local sponsors
For more detailed information on the programme: www.comune.castelfiorentino.fi.it; Castelfiorentino Tourist Office: +39 0571 629049; ufficioturistico@comune.castelfiorentino.fi.it.
To view the full programme, click here
