All-Day Festivities for San Giovanni 2018

A centuries-old tradition enjoyed by Florentine locals and international tourists alike, the celebration of San Giovanni (St. John the Baptist, Florence’s patron saint) offers lots of special events on June 24.

To open the festivities, there will be a ceremonial procession throughout the historic center. After a candle ceremony in the Santa Maria Fiore Cathedral’s baptistery, the Maggio Fiorentino and Santa Maria del Fiore children’s choirs will perform in the Duomo at 10:30 am. Entrance to the Duomo and the concert is free, with a mass to follow.

In observance of ancient Florentine tradition, the Calcio Storico medieval parade and final will be held in Piazza Santa Croce on Sunday at 5 pm as part of the San Giovanni festival. The match is sure to be contentious, with the Rossi of Santa Maria Novella facing off against the Verdi of San Giovanni: the home neighborhood of the patron saint’s baptistery.

A dangerous sport, Calcio Storico Fiorentino combines rugby, American football, and soccer in a fascinating display of Florentine culture. Gut, glory, and agility are so well blended that one can scarcely distinguish one from another. Giovanni de’ Bardi published the official rules of the sport were in 1580 during the reign of Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany.  Originally an aristocratic game, today the match attracts men from all walks of life competing for personal pride, the thrill of adventure, and the opportunity to represent Florence in a centuries-old tradition.

Before teams align, a historic procession or corteo consisting of flag-throwers and ornately-dressed foot soldiers march in traditional Renaissance costumes to inaugurate the match. As spectators watch on with bated breath, the delicious stillness of the Piazza Santa Croce is transformed into a battleground with all the color and furor of the game’s ancient Roman and Greek forerunners.

Today, there are still 27 players per team. They attack. They defend. They kick. They score. Similarly to soccer, points (cacce) are scored when the attacking team propels the ball into the opposition’s goal. The coveted prize for winning the game is a trophy.

Florence’s four historic neighborhoods — San Giovanni, Santa Croce, Santo Spirito and Santa Maria Novella — will also be competing for another trophy.  This one is awarded to the winner of a boat race held near the Società Canottieri at Ponte Vecchio between 7 and 9 pm.  Both the semi-final and final will host eight-member crew teams.

San Giovanni events also include the inauguration of the seasonal opening of the Torre di San Niccolò – the first tower of many that will reopen for the Florence summer season. From Sunday onward, San Niccolò will offer daily tours in both English and Italian. Visitors can tour the tower every half hour from 5 pm to 7:30 pm until August 30, and from 4 pm to 6:30 pm throughout September. Tickets cost €4 each. 

Later, there will be a concert on Lungarno della Zecca Vecchia at 8:30 pm. More than 90 musicians from Fiesole’s School of Music boy’s orchestra, conducted by Edoardo Rosadini, will perform. The event will be open to the public at approximately 7:30 pm. Sponsored by the Fondazione CR Firenze, the performance is organized by the Society of St. John the Baptist Onlus for city residents and visitors.

The evening will open with two lively pieces: Allegro assai and Allegro, from the Symphony in D Major K. 297 “Paris” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, followed by the powerful composition Earthquake from Joseph Hadyn’s Last Seven Words of Christ on the Cross. The concert will continue with the cheerful overture of Giovanni Paisiello’s 1782 production of The Barber of Seville, followed by Rossini Barbiere’s The Temporal from his 1816 rendition of the same opera. Next will be Johann Strauss Jr.’s 1885 composition Treasure Waltz, or Schatz-Walzer and his buoyant Orpheus-Quadrille op. 236, with themes by Jacques Offenbach. Josef Strauss’s festive polka rhythm Plappermäulchen! will follow. The performance will conclude with Schubert’s commanding overture for the play Der Teufel als Hydraulicus.

Florence’s star-pricked sky will be illuminated with the San Giovanni firework show starting at 10 pm, a tradition dating back to the 17th century. The “fochi,” as they are called, will be set off at Piazzale Michelangelo. Those who want to see the pyrotechnic show have a variety of locations.

Usually the banks along the Arno and the Piazzale Michelangelo are the most crowded locations from which to see the show. Those wishing to spread out a blanket and stick their feet in Lungarno beach’s sand and enjoy the pop-up café’s food are encouraged to arrive early. The Ponte Santa Trinita, Ponte alla Carraia, and the highest point of Florence’s horticultural garden (Giardino dell’Orticoltura) along Via Trento offer less crowded vantage points. Those who want to be more removed from the city crowds can take a 15-minute bus or taxi into the Tuscan hills to Fiesole – a lovely spot from which to see the fireworks.

Fiesole offers its own all-day celebration on June 24: a series of musical performances by students of the Fiesole School of Music at Villa La Torraccia. Tickets are €10 regular admission and €7 reduced admission. To read more about the all-day music marathon, see here: (isabelle blank, tyler bunton, rosanna cirigliano & anna staropoli