Villa Bardini announces fireworks on the 24th of every month until the San Giovanni festival
January 24th launched a series of events and conferences at the Observatory of Traditions and Cultural Heritage of Florence, which will prepare Florentines for the arrival of the celebrations for the city’s patron saint, St. John the Baptist, on the 24th of June. Five evenings in the marvelous setting of Villa Bardini which will are part of programmed events by the Observatory on the Traditions and Cultural Patrimony of Florence of the Società di San Giovanni.
The program for every 24th has participants visiting the current exhibition at Villa Bardini starting at 7pm with a conference to follow at 8:15pm. Participants will get a unique experience: a minute of fireworks will erupt from the far end of the garden to create a sense of anticipation for the actual fireworks to be held in June. The conferences are held by experts on the historical, popular and religious motivations that led to the creation of the fireworks as a special part of the celebrations on the feast day of St. John. The evening ends with a light buffet dinner.
The plan for the evenings are as follows:
- 7pm exhibition opens
- 8pm one minute of fireworks
- 8:15pm conference
- 9:15pm buffet dinner
This are the planned speakers for each of the evenings:
- Saturday, February 24: Professor Carlo Sisi: “I Fochi nell’arte”
- Saturday, March 24: Fabio Baronti, Compagnia delle Seggiole: “Readings on Fochi”
- Tuesday, April 24: monsignor Timothy Verdon: “The spiritual symbolism of the Fochi”
- Thursday, May 24: Professor Antonio Paolucci: “Waiting for the Fochi”
Participation in the guided tour of the exhibitions and conference are free, but for the final buffet dinner there is a minimum donation of 10€ requested. Limited spots, reservations are required by emailing info@sangiovannifirenze.it or by calling 055-294174.
If you’re in Florence from now until the end of May, an evening on the hill overlooking downtown Florence from Villa Bardini will be a special experience, particularly with the opportunity to experience a “mini” fireworks session that is usually reserved for the main event in June.
