Comedy, tradition and charity. These are the ingredients of Figline's Feste del Perdono, scheduled in the city's historic center from Sept. 1 to 5. There will be many initiatives organized by the Pro loco "Marsilio Ficino," starting on Friday, Sept. 1, at 9 p.m., when the traditional procession will start from Piazza San Francesco, in which the city's contrade and the Sbandieratori dei Borghi e dei Sestieri Fiorentini will also take part. At 10 p.m., however, we will move to Piazza Ficino, for Paolo Migone's comedy show entitled "Completely Disheveled."
It will always be Ficino Square that will be affected by events on Saturday, September 2. It will start at 4 p.m., with the treasure hunt (by smartphone and QR code) of "Enigma live Game": it is a route in stages through the streets of the center, which, for the occasion, will be dotted with clues and riddles, which will be accessed only by QR code. The afternoon will continue to the sound of music, with the benefit show "Pinocchio. Story of a puppet," curated by the "Giuseppe Verdi" Philharmonic of Terranuova Bracciolini and sponsored by the Insieme per il Meyer association, Circolo Fanin and Circolo UniArno. At 5 p.m., we will move to Palazzo Pretorio (Piazza San Francesco, Figline), for theopening of the exhibition "The Municipality and its Community. Journey through the history of Figline and Incisa from the postwar period to the present," sponsored by the Presidency of the City Council. Council President Cristina Simoni, Mayor Giulia Mugnai and Regional Council President Eugenio Giani will speak. At 9 p.m., space will instead be given to the performance of the Flag-wavers of the Borghi and Sestieri, followed at 9:30 p.m. by the historical re-enactment with floats, by the city Contrade.
On Sunday 3, it starts again in the morning with the Forgiveness Fair, which will remain set up from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Via XXIV Maggio and Piazza San Francesco. Also at 9 a.m., the appointment is in Piazza Ficino with the charity walk organized by the association Il sorriso di Enrico, while at 9:30 a.m. from Viale Galilei will start the tenth bicycle race "Piccolo Giro del Valdarno," organized by the Ciclistica Figlinese association(here the ordinance issued by the Prefecture, which modifies the circulation to allow the event to take place properly). From 2 p.m. to midnight, Corso Matteotti and Corso Mazzini will be affected by the craft market and street food stands, respectively (to be repeated on Monday 4 as well, in the same manner), while from 5 p.m. the traditional games will kick off, which will see the Contrade Porta Aretina, Porta Fiorentina, Porta San Francesco and Porta Senese engaged to compete for the 45th Palio di San Rocco . It begins with the Bigonce race and continues with the tug-of-war, set for 6 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. In the interval between the two events (7 p.m.) the Misericordia di Figline has organized a raffle, which will also take place in Ficino Square.
There are also many family-friendly initiatives during the Forgiveness festivities on Sunday, Sept. 3. In fact, from 2 to 7 p.m., the association The Brick Club will be in Corso Matteotti (2 to 7 p.m.) to present the 2017 edition of ValdarnoBrick and to allow children and adults to dabble in Lego games. At the same time, at the Misericordia gardens starting at 3:30 p.m., the Children's Parkwill remain set up, on the initiative of the Red Cross, Valdarno in bici and Ranch Margherita.
Monday, Sept. 4, kicks off again at 6:30 a.m. with the opening of the 15th Songbird Fair (organized by Federcaccia). In the early evening, however, space will be given to charity with an entertainment show, in Piazza Ficino, in favor of Meyer Hospital, preceded by a dinner (8 p.m.; restaurant "Convivio in Casagrande," Via Castelguinelli 84) organized by the Rotary Club of Figline and Incisa Valdarno together with the Pro Loco, with the aim of raising funds to be donated to the Contrade, which will use them to purchase new costumes.
Finally, for the final day of Sept. 5, the 40th Giro del Valdarno, organized by Gs Nuovo Pedale Figlinese, is scheduled (bicycle race starting at 1 p.m. from the Circolo Arci in Incisa and arriving in Piazza Ficino around 5 p.m.; here are the ordinances modifying the traffic, to allow the event to run smoothly ). This will be followed by the historical parade of the Contrade (9 p.m.), the horse palio (starting at 9:30 p.m.), the final awarding of the winners, complete with the presentation of the banner, signed by artist Armando Fontana (here is a brief biography of him), and, in closing, the customary fireworks display, by the Soldi company.
To ensure safety during the event, an ordinance has been issued by the mayor's office that, from 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, to 1 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6, prohibits the consumption and sale of take-away beverages in glass containers in the historic center, while authorizing it in private establishments (inside which it will be the responsibility of the owners or serving staff to ensure that customers do not bring glass bottles and glasses into the street. Any behavior deviating from the ordinance will be sanctioned, in accordance with Article 650 of the Penal Code, with an arrest of up to three months or a fine of up to 206 euros[full ordinance here].
Tickets to watch the Palio di San Rocco games are available at the Tourist Office in St. Francis Square (Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.) and during the days of the festival in Ficino Square. For info: 055.9153509. Cost: 7 euros
Full program here
To receive updates on events in Figline and Incisa directly on your mobile phone, sign up for WhatsFiv. To find out how to access the instant messaging service click here