What to do in Tuscany this April?

April is bursting with activities and the explosion of the cart in Florence on Easter Sunday will introduce it with a big bang. Nearly every town in Tuscany will be organizing some fun event or food fair which has resulted in a pretty long events list. Get out your diaries and makes sure you don’t miss any of the fun events in Tuscany this April.

Free Museum Sunday

Sunday the 5^th of April is Easter Sunday, but also the first Sunday of the month which means Free Museum Sunday. If you aren’t too excited about Easter celebrations, than make sure you’re hiding in one of the state museums like the Uffizi Gallery or Palazzo Pitti. Go look for your own Easter eggs in the form of spectacular art and exhibitions.

Explosion of the cart in Florence

If you do like Easter, than make sure you don’t miss out on the spectacular explosion of the cart, or ‘scoppio del carro’ in front of the Duomo in Florence. The actual explosion takes place at 11 am, but you might want to be there some hours in advance since the whole world seems to be gathered in that square on Easter morning. The explosion involves a dove being launched from above the altar inside the church, hitting the cart, igniting it and flying back. If it flies back alright, it means there will be a prosperous harvest. If it doesn’t, well, there won’t be. Easter lunch will be served anyway!

Sagra time!

Spring is the perfect season for sagre, food festivals. The local community gets together to cook up huge amounts of whatever they’re best at. In San Martino Sul Fiora agnello, lamb, is their thing. They show off their cooking skills from the 4th to the 6th of April.

Easter involves eggs, loads of eggs. In the town of Palazzuolo Sul Senio, in Quadalto to be more precise, they have made hitting cooked eggs against each other into a traditional event. Along with folkloric games and jolly music, the town’s people will be hitting their eggs against one another on the 6th of April. The joy is indescribable.

Also on Pasquetta, Easter Monday, Volterra brings an ode to Spring during its traditional flag throwing event. Flowers, garlands, and of course men in tights throwing flags will celebrate the coming of Spring and the rebirth of nature.

Barrel race

Instead, in Bibbona the Festa del Cedro, the cidre festival, will take place and involves an arts and crafts fair and a local produce market, including cider obviously. The afternoon is filled with a lottery, traditional games, concerts and tastings. The evening will be adorned with a parade of locals dressed up in traditional costumes and the fun Palio delle Botti, a barrel race. The different quarters of the city of Bibbona challenge each other in this race in which the men have to push barrels up the narrow streets that wind through the town.

Discover Peccioli

The unique guided walking tour of Peccioli, ‘A Walk Back in Time’, will return again Tuesday the 7^th. Every Tuesday morning, which is the day of the street market, from 10 am to 11.30 am, an English and Italian speaking guide will lead you through the gorgeous town of Peccioli. You will be shown local art, history and habits, visit a panoramic viewpoint and you will be able to enjoy a tasting. The best thing is that it’s for free. Click here for more info.

If you love motorbikes and greasy food, then XXVII Motoraduno delle frittelle is your place to be. In Castel del Piano from the 10^th to the 12^th of April there will be an event dedicated to motorbikes and fried delicacies called fritelle. Excursions, touristic rides and tastings will all be part of the programme.

Wild boar galore!

On the same dates, but in a different place, the Sagra del cinghiale will be held. This food festival dedicated to wild boar will take place in Certaldo and this year will be the 24^th anniversary. Book your seat in one of the restaurants in the Centro Comunale Polivalente ‘Antonino Caponnetto’ and just go wild! Lunch on Sundays and holidays, otherwise dinner.

Again on the 11^th and 12^th of April, another exquisite sagra is happening: the Sagra del fritto misto, tortello e carne alla brace; fried frood, fresh, stuffed pasta dumplings and roasted meat galore! Scarperia, Saturday from 7 pm onwards and on Sunday from 12 onwards.

Like soup and trippa? Don’t miss the Sagra della zuppa e della trippa in Bientina on the 19^th, 25^th and 26^th of April. All kinds of food and entertainment will be served, so it’s fun for kids too.

Beer, beer, beer

Beer fanatics unite! On the 24^th and 25^th of April, the craft beer festival Oltre la Birra will be taking place in San Piero A Sieve. Tastings, beer-worthy food like sausages, goulash, fish and chips and music will accompany your beer experience.

Nuts for pine cones? Then make sure you join the Festa della Pina in Arcidosso on the 23^rd of April. You’ll be able to enjoy an open-air lunch under the chestnut trees, where you can try soups, tasty grilled tidbits, and local sweets. Linked to a centuries-old betrothal ritual where gifts of pine cones, ivy twigs and sweet meats were exchanged, today children trade pine cones decorated in gold for traditional corollo cookies. Family fun guaranteed!

Wine event

During the Orcia Wine Festival you can try the best wines of the gorgeous Val d’Orcia area. Music will accompany the tastings which will be held in the mind-blowingly beautiful rooms of the Palazzo Chigi in San Quirico d’Orcia from the 24^th to the 26^th of April.

The 19^th bean festival, Sagra del Baccello, the 1^st artichoke festival, Sagra del Carciofo, and the 9^th arts and crafts fair, Mostra dell’artigianato, will be brightening up your day on the 25^th and 26^th of April in La Serra in San Miniato. Bring an empty stomach and a full wallet.

As you’ve been able to read, April is full of fun events and festivals. Enjoy it to the fullest and soak up the Spring sun while you’re at it.