Siege of the Villa

La grande festa attorno alla villa medicea di Poggio a Caiano

Around the wonderful Medici Villa of Poggio a Caiano, the Siege of the Villa is celebrated every year in September. A rich program of music, traveling shows, food and wine, guided tours and artistic workshops takes the visitor on a journey through 5 centuries of history. In fact, there is many re-enactments that bring the characters of the Medici family back to life while flag wavers, ladies and knights, street artists and artisans animate the streets of the town. If food brings back traditions, the eyes turn to the present with 3D projections that give new shapes and colors to the facade of the Villa, a Unesco heritage site. The Siege of the Villa started from a specific event: in 1565 the Archduchess Giovanna d'Asburgo, daughter of Emperor Ferdinand I, arrived at the villa of Poggio a Caiano to introduce herself to the Italian and European nobility, before moving to Florence and marry Francesco I de 'Medici. For the occasion she was welcomed by the people in such a festive way that it looked like a siege, to which the Medici family responded by pouring out wine in abundance from a mask ( 'il Mascherone') as thanks for the warm welcome. Even today, during the Siege of the Villa, good wine gushes from the mask, symbol of this festival, in order to be tasted by all visitors.