Visit Some Fun Palio Festivals In June!

During the month of June in Tuscany, a flurry of excitement is in the air! Throughout the region, some quaint little towns and villages celebrate their patron saint or engage in a friendly competition between districts in popular Italian events called Palios. Choose from a huge selection of spectacular villa rentals in Tuscany where you can relax and unwind after a few days of festival hopping!

Begin your festival hopping of Tuscany in June with a trip to the Orange Flag awarded town of Anghiari. The event is called the ‘Palio of the Victory of 1441’ which celebrates a very momentous day in this town’s history. Learn all about it here on June 29th and become embraced the warm welcome of the locals and their celebratory customs!

On the 17th of June in Pisa the Palio of St. Ranieri, the patron saint of the city, takes place. This is a thrilling boat race that is definitely worth looking at. Eight oarsmen battle it out to be the first to cross the two kilometres distance along the River Arno. The enchanting ‘Luminara’ event takes place the night before whereby the city dwellers light up the city by placing lit candles along their window sills and floating candles in the river to create a magical sight!

On the last Sunday of June in Pisa, tourists can watch the exhilarating Gioco del Ponte tournament. This is a battle between a total of six teams, three from each side of the river.

On the Mezzo Bridge, these teams take turns to push a 70 ton cart along a rail from the centre of the bridge to their opponents’ side. The competition is fierce and can sometimes take quite a while for one side to relent and lose the game but it is extremely fun to watch!

If you’re passing through the city of Florence on the 24th June you will be treated to the sight of the ‘Il Calcio Storico’. This is a game of costume football that dates back to Renaissance times with each contrada or district being represented in their coloured medieval costumes.

With 27 players on one team and very few rules, this event can get quite rough but draws thousands of spectators each year.

Another enjoyable medieval festival takes place in San Gimignano on the third weekend of June. The townsfolk dress up in medieval clothing and celebrate the beginning of a new harvest in the coming year.

Witness the horseback knight parade through this town of towers and sway to the old folk music playing during this weekend. You can be sure that a vacation to Tuscany in June will not leave you bored with nothing to do and see, so make your plans to come here soon and experience these fantastic festivals for yourself!