Praesepium di Casole d'Elsa
This Sienese hill village's open-air nativity spectacle deploys over 300 figurants through every corner of the historic borgo, from a gladiatorial arena and Roman market to the manger itself, making it one of central Tuscany's grandest Christmas events.
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"In the small Sienese hill-town of Sarteano, five contrade mount their knights on Ferragosto to joust against a rotating Saracen effigy in a contest rooted in medieval chivalric tradition, preceded the evening before by the provaccia trial run."
Giostra del Saracino
"For one week every August, Volterra's alabaster-walled medieval centre transforms into a living 14th-century town with period costumes, medieval money, crafts demonstrations and food stands inside one of Tuscany's most atmospheric hilltop cities."
Volterra AD 1398
"For five days each August the Lunigiana market-town of Pontremoli bans cars from its medieval centre and fills the streets with merchants, knights, and clergy re-enacting life under Frederick II's 1226 charter, culminating in the Palio contested between the rival borghi."
Medievalis - Palio di Pontremoli
"Held across twelve evenings in the hilltop wine village of Montecarlo, this long-running festival fills the medieval centre with stands of local Montecarlo DOC wines, artisanal pasta, and art exhibitions in the historic palaces."
Festa del Vino di Montecarlo
"Eight contrade of Montepulciano race 80 kg wine barrels 1,800 metres uphill along the main street to Piazza Grande, with a costumed procession before and a street banquet after."
Bravìo delle Botti
"A beloved September village fair in the thermal-spring town of Rapolano Terme in the Siena hills, mixing local produce, crafts and community festivity in a compact medieval centre."
Fiera del Settembre Rapolanese
"Paolo Fresu's internationally celebrated jazz festival, founded in his home village of Berchidda, transforms vineyards, piazzas and rural corners of the Gallura hills into intimate open-air stages each August."
Time in Jazz
"Now in its 16th year, this theatre festival stages performances on and around the water at Arona on Lake Maggiore, blending outdoor drama with the lakeside setting in a programme beloved by locals and visitors alike."
Il Teatro sull'Acqua
"For three candlelit evenings the ancient stone hamlet of Lundo near Comano Terme switches off all electric light, with over fifty figurants and professional theatrical performances including a theatrical Nativity, videomapping and a prize-winning marionette company."
Shalom, Pace: Presepe Vivente nel Borgo di Lundo
"Now in its 29th edition, this mountain film festival spreads across Gran Paradiso villages including Cogne, Aymavilles and Rhemes, screening nature and adventure films outdoors amid some of Italy's finest alpine scenery."
Gran Paradiso Film Festival
"A festival of music composed for the cinema held on the island of San Pietro, using the Ligurian-dialect village of Carloforte as an atmospheric open-air backdrop for film scores and live performances."
Creuza de Mà
"A twelve-edition mountain culture festival threading cinema, guided trekking, author talks and local food tastings across the high-altitude village of Castel del Monte, with transhumance and pastoral heritage as the 2026 theme."
Festival del Gran Sasso