Events
Capalbio is definitely a wonderful and enchanting town, with an enthralling past and an incredible artistic history.
This Maremman village hosts, throughout the year, numerous festivals, events and manifestations. Here is a list of the most important festivals organized in Capalbio, in chronological order:
January:
-“Festa di Sant’Antonio Abate” (Festival of St. Antonio Abate): seen as the most traditional festival of the town, it is held on the 17th, in honour of the patron saint and includes a procession of animal, who are blessed by the parish priest.
April:
-“Festa delle Oasi” (Festival of the Natural Oasis): an interesting cultural event held on the wonderful Burano Lake.
May:
-“Festa dei Piccoli Comuni”(Festival of the Small Communities): a manifestation held for the last four years on a national level. The festival aims to promote the identities of the smallest villages and towns in Tuscany and all of Italy. During the celebration there are guided tours of the oasis, the surrounding countryside and the streets of the historical centre.
-“Olivo della Strega” (The Witch’s Olive): an interesting gastronomic festival dedicated to the high quality oil produced in the Maremma. The event is held during the first half of the month and certainly one of the most precious festivals of the area.
-“Festa di San Bernardino” (St. Bernardino Festival): a popular local manifestation that celebrates the patron saint of Capalbio organized at the end of the month. The festival includes a traditional horse race and a historic procession through the ancient city.
June:
-“Capalbio Cinema”: an interesting short film event, produced by the unknown artists and directors of the area. It is seen as an important opportunity for emerging artists to be appreciated and recognized.
-“Festa dell’Agricoltura” (Agricultural Festival): a local celebration organized in the small district of Borgo Carige and seen as a very interesting event, during which you can have the opportunity to try the typical products of the area.
July:
-“Capalbio in Jazz”: an extraordinarily interesting musical and cultural event held in the streets of Capalbio.
-“Sagra della Lumaca” (Festival of the Snail): organized in the district of Chiarone during the last week of the month.
-“Sagra del Pesce” (Festival of the Fish): held in the locality Torba, a commune of Capablio, it is a celebration of cooking aficionados, offering everyone a chance to appreciate the local fish dishes of the territory.
August:
-“Festa dell’Aia” (Farmyard Festival): a delightful manifestation organized during the first half of the month.
-“Sagra del Buglione” (Festival of the Buglione): Buglione is a special traditional way to prepare lamb. This festival, held during the last week of the month celebrates this typical dish of the Maremma.
September:
-“Palio della Madonna della Provvidenza” (Palio of the Madonna of the Providence): a ‘palio’ is a banner or cloth won during some type of traditional race or contest, in this case a horse riding contest. This palio is seen as one of the most traditional, famous and important events of the year and includes a local Butteri (Maremman cowboys) tournament, a skills contest on horses and a historic procession through the town.
-“Sagra del Cinghiale”: (Festival of the Wild Boar): a traditional festival organized during the second last week of the month in the streets of Capalbio. This celebration includes markets, handicraft stands, musical and artistic shows and food stalls, where you can try the traditional wild boar dishes of the area.
Must see events:
“Capablio Cinema”: seen as one of the most important film and cultural events in the Maremma, the festival was created to showcase to work of emerging filmmakers who want to be launched into the world of great cinema. In fact, the festival hands out awards to the most talented artists and the best short films of the year.
The winners are then given the opportunity to present their work at the international level and hopefully will go on to achieve great success.
The event is held in the beautiful town of Capalbio in the month of June and is something of great pride and honour for the Maremma and the whole of Tuscany. It was first held in 1994 and was organized by Stella Leonetti.
Over the years, the event has managed to earn great respect at both a national and international level and holds huge cultural significance for the town of Capalbio.
Only short films of a certain standard are allowed to compete and will then be judged by a jury made up of connoisseurs, cultural personalities and film lovers.
“Palio della Madonna della Provvidenza” (Palio of the Madonna of Providence): a ‘palio’ is a banner or cloth won during some type of traditional race or contest, in this case a horse riding contest.
This palio, seen as the oldest festival of Capalbio, is celebrated in the first half of the month of August and is one of the most famous attractions in the Maremma, annually drawing large numbers of tourists to the incredibly beautiful town.
The main event of this festival is a test of skills on horseback between the four quarters of Capalbio: Bargello, Porta, Muratelo and Provvidenza, each represented by a different horse.
During the race the jockey is given a spear and must hit the targets located on the arms of a puppet. The jockey with the highest number of targets hit is named the winner and is awarded a beautiful painted cloth.
The festival then closes with a wonderful parade of traditional clothing, that travels through the streets of the historic centre, recreating and celebrating the history and traditions of this ancient town.