Florence’s San Giovanni Week Festivities 2017

The arrival of summer on the longest day of the year, June 21, brings festivities to Florence, including free music marathons, an image of the sun mirrored on Cathedral marble floor, and St. John’s Day traditions.

There are also recent additions to the celebrations, including the Pitti Bimbo children’s fashion fair (June 22 – 24) and Cannes a Firenze. The film festival highlights 10 of this season’s critically acclaimed Cannes premieres – all with Italian subtitles, many in English – screened at Spazio Alfieri (via dell’Ulivo) through June 23.

June 21

Start the day by seeing the round image of the sun projected on the marble floor of the Duomo (12:30 – 1:30 pm). Visible only a few days a year, the phenomenon is thanks to a gnonome designed by mathematician Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli in 1475 located 90m (295 ft.) above the ground. Entrance is free with access at the Cathedral’s Porta dei Canonici.

The summer solstice will also be celebrated with eight hours of Bach (7 pm – 3 am) in the magnificent Sala dei Cinquecento — included is free entrance to Palazzo Vecchio — and a classical concert at Fiesole’s 2000-year-old Roman theatre, both accessible to the public at no charge.

“Bach in Black” will showcase many of the composer’s works: eight concertos for piano and orchestra, three concertos for two pianos and orchestra, all his violin sonatas and suites, interpreted by the Maggio Musicale Chamber Players.

At midnight, Marco Vichi, an Italian novelist, will hold a conversation with an actor performing as Johann Sebastian Bach. The rest of the instruments will fade out, leaving only the sound of Emilio Pischedda’s cello in a rendition of Suite N. 3 in B Major. The event will conclude with a performance of the Well Tempered Clavier by pianists Tommaso Filippi and Alessandra Esposito.

Up at Fiesole, the Orchestra dei Ragazzi under the direction of Edoardo Rosadini, will play opera overtures by Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini and Strauss to commence the summer season starting at 9:15 pm. (shiri gross)

June 23

Mayor Dario Nardella will confer the prestigious Fiorino D’Oro (Golden Florin) award on the Fiorentina Women’s Soccer Team and the British Institute of Florence in a ceremony that will take place in the Piazzale degli Uffizi at 6 pm. Fiorentina Women’s won the national championships this year, and, established in 1917, and British Institute of Florence is marking its centenary of significant contributions to the city in the fields of education and culture.

 June 24

Today is San Giovanni, the Feast of St. John the Baptist, the city’s patron saint and a legal holiday in Florence.

Cardinal Betori will celebrate a special mass at Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo) starting at 10:30, accompanied by sacred music performed by the Maggio Musicale Children’s Choir. The program comprises pieces by Léo Delibes and Charles Gounod, past and present choirmasters of the great Cathedral such as Marco di Gagliano (with a composition written to honor St. John; Filippo Vitali and Michele Manganelli with his contemporary take on “Allejua.”

The Rossi of Santa Maria Novella will face the Bianchi of Santo Spirito in the final game of the Calcio Storico match in Piazza Santa Croce at 5 pm, preceded by a historical pageant of Florentines wearing Renaissance attire. The Bianchi were actually trailing the Azzurri of Santa Croce during the June 10 semifinal but saw their archrivals disqualified for attacking their teammates and ultimately punching and kicking referees who were trying to break up the fight.  Tickets are available on Box Office.

San Giovanni’s grand finale is the spectacular 10 pm fireworks display over Piazzale Michelangelo.