Tuscany · Massa Marittima · palio
Crossbow Tournament (May)
Balestro del Girifalco (maggio)
24 May 2026· verify before attending
Held twice a year — fourth Sunday of May and second Sunday of August — Massa Marittima's three terzieri compete in medieval crossbow archery in front of the cathedral. Ten archers per terziere fixed-distance shots at a wooden falcon. Costume processions drum corps banner throwing fill the morning. The town has been hosting versions of this since the thirteenth century.
NoteThe terzieri host their own dinners on the eves of each edition — dense regional hard to book unless you know someone.
Massa Marittima
85 km from Florence · pop. 8,139
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Related
Jun 19 – 21·San Gimignano· verify before attending
Harvest Festival of San GimignanoFerie delle Messi
Each June San Gimignano's four quartieri reset the town to its medieval calendar for a long weekend. Costumed processions weave between the towers; archers and falconers compete in the piazze; banquets in each quartiere serve dishes pulled from medieval recipe books. The closing is a Cavalcade of the Knights — a real timed joust on horseback.
May·Lucignano· verify before attending
Maggiolata of LucignanoMaggiolata Lucignanese
Lucignano's circular medieval streets host a parade of flower-covered allegorical floats on consecutive Sundays in May. Each of the town's quartieri builds a float around a yearly theme; the vehicles inch through the spiraled streets while costumed troupes sing maggi — traditional spring songs. The whole thing closes with a vote and a procession of the winning float.
Jun·San Quirico d'Orcia· verify before attending
Barbarossa FestivalFesta del Barbarossa
Third weekend of June the four quarters of San Quirico d'Orcia stage a costumed reenactment of Frederick Barbarossa's 1155 visit. Daytime: a working medieval marketplace inside Horti Leonini; evening: archery contests between quarters and a torchlit procession from Collegiata to the rocca. The town stays in costume for three days.