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Spring
TUSCANY begins to wake from winter as Easter approaches. The hillsides
are vibrant with the soft green of new leaves and the scent of fresh
growth. Even in the cities there is a sense of renewal as hanging
baskets and window boxes are displayed outside from April onwards,
and wisteria and iris bloom in the public gardens.
Instead of winter's heavy game dishes, asparagus, a speciality
of the Lucca area, begins to feature on restaurant menus, along
with tender young beans, usually served in lemon juice and oil.
March
- Carnevale (Shrove Tuesday), Viareggio, Scoppio
del Carro, or the Explosion of the Carriage (Faster Sunday), Piazza
del Duomo, Florence. An 18th century gilded cart is pulled to
the cathedral doors by white oxen, and a dove-shaped rocket swoops
down a wire from above the High Altar inside to ignite fireworks
hidden in the cart. Ostensibly a celebration of the Resurrection,
the ceremony has roots in pagan fertility rites. Many Tuscans
still believe that a successful firework display means a good
harvest.
- Festa degli Aquiloni, or Kite Festival (first
Sunday after Easter), San Miniato. Kite lovers perform aerial
acrobatics on the Prato della Rocca, the grassy common above San
Miniato.
April
- Sagra Musicale Lucchese, (April- early July)
Lucca. This extensive festival of sacred music is held in the
city's numerous Romanesque churches.
- Mostra Mercato Internazionale dell'Artigianato,
or Exhibition of Crafts (last week), Fortezza da Basso, Florence.
An important European exhibition of the work of artists and artisans.
May
- Maggio Musicale, Florence. This is the city's
major arts festival and it now lasts until early June, with concerts
by the orchestra Regionale Toscana, directed by Zubin Mehta, and
other international performers. The festival has been extended
to include dance (from classical ballet to experimental work)
and fringe events.
- Festa del Grillo, or the Cricket Festival (first
Sunday after Ascension Thursday) Cascine, Florence. The huge park
to the west of Florence where Shelley wrote Ode to the West Wind,
is the setting for this festival. It is a celebration of the joys
of spring, at which stallholders sell crickets in tiny woven straw
cages; these are then released to bring good luck.
- Balestro del Girifalco, or Falcon Contest (first
Sunday after 22 May), Massa Marittima.
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