Medieval festival in the streets and squares of the city centre, with numerous novelties such as the “Peace Prize”‘ and the finale with a “Great Fire Show”. Free admission and open shops.
Combat tournament, medieval market exhibition, arts and crafts market, medieval encampment and dances, games and falconry, parade and historical procession.
A great “fire show”, accompanied by rich choreography, aerial dances, illusionism and special effects, will mark the finale of the re-enactment of the historic “signing” of the Peace of Castelfiorentino after the Battle of Montaperti, a medieval festival scheduled in Castelfiorentino (FI) from Friday 17 to Sunday 19 November. For three days (Saturday and Sunday in particular), the village in the Valdelsa valley will immerse itself in the medieval atmosphere at the time of the famous battle of 1260 between Guelph Florence and Ghibelline Siena, consummated in the “great havoc” narrated by Dante Alighieri in “The Divine Comedy”, and later culminating in a Peace Agreement signed in Castelfiorentino on 25 November of that same year.
A sequence of unmissable events for all ages will provide a worthy backdrop to the event: from the Medieval Combat Tournament at the Pala Gilardetti (memorial “Carlo Desideri”) to the Medieval market exhibition in the streets of the centre. From ancient crafts and mediaeval games in Piazza Kennedy to the “mediaeval encampment” and the “falconry shows”, this year located in a special context such as Piazza Gramsci, where on Saturday morning it will also be possible to visit the “Historical Curtain” of the Teatro del Popolo depicting the Peace of 1260. From Friday to Sunday there will be workshops for children, while on Sunday morning it will be possible to participate in an accessible urban trek to rediscover some lesser-known places in the historic centre. Also on Sunday, there will be a parade of costumed figures. In the morning, the Iron Tower ‘combatants’ with their 12th-11th century armour will walk through the streets of the centre as far as Piazza Gramsci to remember Carlo Desideri, castellan and president of the association who tragically passed away in February 2022. In the afternoon, the Historical Parades of the Republic of Florence and of the Agresto di Monteriggioni association will parade, together with institutional representatives, with their retinue of halberdiers, guild foot soldiers, infantry officers, bombardiers, musicians and Uffizi flag bearers, up to the historical re-enactment of the “signing” of the Peace Agreements in front of the Castelfiorentino Town Hall, preceded by the ringing sound of the “clarions”. The procession will be enlivened by medieval dances at the “Grande Leccio” and a musical performance (brass concert music school) in Piazza del Popolo, where at the end of the re-enactment the Romanello Cantini “Fabbricanti di Arcobaleni” Peace Prize will be awarded for the first time, an award given to those who have worked hard during the year to promote the values of peace.
After the signing, the processions will again walk through the streets of the city centre to Piazza Gramsci, where a flag-wavers’ performance is scheduled in front of the Teatro del Popolo. On the opposite side of the Piazza (Via Masini-Via Piave section), around 6:00 p.m., there will then be the “great fire show” by Lux Arcana: an action show with epic music, fire, aerial dance, acrobatic gymnastics and much more with special and pyrotechnic effects.
“Since the beginning of my mandate,” observes the Mayor, Alessio Falorni, “I have believed in the value of this historical commemoration, which this year too has received double recognition from both the Ministry of Culture and the Region of Tuscany, confirming the validity of an anniversary that we will thus be able to celebrate worthily with a rich sequence of events for all ages. An anniversary that takes on not only a noble and universal significance, but also a topical one, in view of the moment we are experiencing at an international level. This is why we have decided to institute a Peace Prize bearing the name of Romanello Cantini, an intellectual from Castelfiorentino who also addressed this theme in a book dedicated to the “rainbow makers”. Because the commemoration of an episode that took place in 1260 is not just an occasion to celebrate. It is also an opportunity to convey a message of peace to the citizens, to the new generations, and to all those who wish to cultivate dialogue and confrontation, rather than letting themselves be drawn into conflict. My thanks,” Falorni concluded, “go to the Ministry of Culture and the Region of Tuscany, for their support, to the staff of the Municipality’s “Services to the Citizen”, to the Proloco, to Confesercenti, and to the dozens of associations that collaborated in the organisation of this beautiful event”.
For detailed information on the programme: Castelfiorentino tourist office (+39 0571.629049)
