Siege of the Villa

In mid-September, the Renaissance festival of the " Siege of the Villa" takes place.
This is a festival with very recent origins, even though it refers back to a Renaissance-era event: it is said that, during the stay in Poggio of Princess Joanna of Austria, wine was made to flow from the fountain known as "Il Mascherone" (the Mask). This supposed tradition was revived in this century to celebrate special occasions, such as the first anniversary of the Victory (1919), the founding of the Empire (1936) and the end of the Second World War (1945), and it lies at the basis of today's festival, whose first edition dates back to 1984. The event, now entirely renewed, aims, for the organising Committee, to recreate a genuinely Renaissance atmosphere. Along the streets of the historic centre of the town, "workshops" are set up where craftsmen in costume demonstrate their trades, alongside an antiques market. The food stalls, called "Osterie" (taverns), are decorated in Renaissance style. On Saturday and Sunday, historical re-enactments are organised with the participation of the residents of Poggio a Caiano. To reinforce the Renaissance atmosphere on which the event is based, the Renaissance Dinner is held in the garden of the Medici Villa — an unmissable and inseparable feature of the Siege of the Villa itself. The banquet, set up in the garden of the Medici Villa, aims to recall, based on accounts from the period, the sumptuous celebrations held in 1565 for the wedding of Francesco I de' Medici and Joanna of Austria. The Medici Villa thus once again takes centre stage in the life of the Poggio community. Costumed performers from the Gruppo Storico Poggese play, besides the bride and groom, other members of the Medici family, servants, guards, ladies-in-waiting, pages, masters of ceremony and court ladies. In such an atmosphere steeped in history, the pleasure of the palate — provided by dishes inspired by authentic Renaissance recipes as well as by Tuscan culinary tradition — combines with the entertainment offered by the music and dances of Renaissance groups, with imaginative performances alongside the shows and demonstrations put on by the flag-wavers of the Historical Procession, all for unforgettable evenings.

The Siege of the Villa 2025 will be held on 19, 20 and 21 September

PHOTOS Siege of the Villa

Website: www.assedioallavilla.it

2025 SIEGE OF THE VILLA poster