It's not by chance that Florence has got the nickname "Cradle of Renaissance": its historical center is a triumph of art and during its glorious past the city has been the birthplace for many important artists, while many others lived and worked here, leaving their undelible and wonderful marks.
When you come in Florence for the first time, wandering around the center, exploring the narrow streets and enjoying the masterpieces of art hidden behind every corner is the best way to get to know one another, but if you want to really catch the essence, you need to live the city as a local. Florence's annual calendar is rich in events, traditional festivals, art exhibits, expositions and cultural manifestations that represent the core of the city and its inhabitants. Experiencing Florence means taking part to those events.
While many are concentrated from June onwards - when tourists begin to crowd the city - there are many all year rounds throughout the city and its province, so whenever you decide to come to Florence, you'll find something that will make you appreciate it even more.
Early Summer and Fall are the best times of the year for enjoying the many sagre - or food festivals - dedicated to a particular and seasonal local product, like chestnuts, porcini mushrooms, truffle, extra virgin olive oil and wine (from September to November and early December); culinary traditions have always played an important role in Florence's history and culture, that's why we use to say that to get to know someone, you need to sit down at the table with him!
Other events are aimed to celebrate local folklore and old traditions and represent the cultural background of Florence and all those ancient civilizations that have contributed to shape the city throughout centuries. June is the best month to visit Florence if you're interested in such a kind of event: the Patron Saint Feast Day and the Calcio Storico Fiorentino are maybe the most eagerly awaited manifestations of the city calendar and we strongly recommend taking part if are around. They always attract hundreds of people coming from everywhere in Tuscany as well as crowds of foreign visitors that can't wait to take part in the celebrations or assist at the most combative football game ever.
Last but not least, there are those events dedicated to national festivities, like Christmas or Easter: many are annual manifestations organized every year, others instead are simply occasional, but all are aimed to show you the magic the surrounds Florence.
In this section we've included man articles about all the main events you may find in Florence and surroundings all the year round, but for specific events we suggest you contact directly the tourism local office.
