Italy is famous for her food and for her food festivals. No matter where you go in the country or when you visit, you're bound to stumble upon a food festival if you look around for a bit. These festivals can celebrate specific local produce, local dishes, harvests, feasts, saint's days, other holidays, historic events, and more. And whether any sort of festival or event is specifically about food or not, food is always central to Italian celebrations! If you're looking for excellent, authentic, inexpensive dining experience while you holiday in Tuscany, these are the places to go!
If you're a foodie who has found a luxury villa in Florence and you are planning a trip in late August to mid-September, however, then there is one particular food festival that we recommend making time for. The Sagra della Pesca Regina, or the “Festival of the Queen Peach,” is an annual event that is dedicated to the super-sweet and late blooming Pesca Regina di Londa, which has been grown locally for the past fifty years. The Queen Peach of Londa is one of the best-loved and most lauded food products of the wider province of Florence and has put the charming town of Londa on the map. Head to this quaint town, backed by a picturesque misty mountain and approached by a pretty and photogenic old bridge called the Ponte Sul Rincine, to taste the queen of peaches when they are at their best mid-September. This is when the town will be at its liveliest due to the Festa di Settembre, during which the locals host a series of concerts, markets, cooking competitions (including a polenta contest), a competition to find the year's best peach producers, and closing with a fireworks show on the banks of the town lake.
Dates for the festival vary each year though it usually takes place mid-September but can also be held as early as late August. Double-check in advance of your trip to see if it coordinates with your visit because if you're a serious foodie spending time in Florence, it is a must!
Dates for the festival vary each year though it usually takes place mid-September but can also be held as early as late August. Double-check in advance of your trip to see if it coordinates with your visit because if you're a serious foodie spending time in Florence, it is a must!
