Festival name: New Wine Festival
Date: 2nd weekend of every November
Town: Montecarlo
Province: Lucca
Region: Tuscany
Food: Wine
About the event: A hearty celebration of the year's new wines with tastings and delicious food.
For more info: Montecarlo Tourist Information Office Tel. (+39) 005-83-22-971

Festival name: Chianti Wine Festival
Date: End of May through early June
Where: main square, Piazza San Pietro in Mercato
Town: Montespertoli
Province: Florence
Region: Tuscany
Food: Chianti wine
About the event: Montespertoli, in the center of the Chianti region, is situated high on a hill and thus features spectacular views of Florence and other Tuscan cities. The Chianti Wine Festival is held there from the last Sunday in May to the first Sunday in June. Because Montespertoli is one of the wine capitals of Tuscany, it's the perfect place for a festival that features the best of the year's vintage. This year, the town will swarm with wine lovers and professional buyers alike for the 46th annual festival.
For more info: Florence Tourist Office Tel. (+39) 055-233-20

Festival name: Cricket's Festival - Festa del Grillo
Date: Late April or Early May on Ascension Day
Where: Parco delle Cascine
Town: Florence
Region: Tuscany
Food: Sausages, braised artichokes
About the event: A market is held in the park where crickets are sold in colorful, hand-woven cages. Tradition holds that men should decorate their beloved's doors and windows with flowers and to offer them a cricket in a cage.
For more info: Florence Tourist Office Tel. (+39) 055-233-20

Festival name: Festa Della Rificolona
Date: First week of September
Town: Florence
Region: Tuscany
About the event: Florentine children parade through the streets with paper-mache lanterns tied to sticks, called rificolone. There are also parties in the squares and theatrical productions in the street. On September 6 and 7, a fair is held in Piazza Santissima Annunziata. The festival ends on the night of September 7 with a procession to the piazza led by the Cardinal.
For more info: Florence Tourist Office Tel. (+39) 055-233-20

Festival name: Giochi del Calcio Storico (historical soccer game) and the Feast of St. John
Date: On and around June 24
Where: Piazza Santa Croce
Town: Florence
Region: Tuscany
About the event: On the three days of the event, four soccer teams that represent the four districts of central Florence play three matches. The players wear 16th century costumes. The games take place in the square on a sand-covered field and are a mixture of soccer, wrestling and rugby. The winners receive a calf as a symbolic prize and they eat it at a street party after the match. On June 24, St. John's day, a pageant takes place at Pallazzo Vecchio and candles are presented. At night, a fireworks show in Piazzale Michelangelo ends the feast.
For more info: Tel. (+39) 055 2616052

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