Events
The town of Pitigliano, characteristic for its shape and the beauty of its historic centre, hosts a great number of interesting and popular cultural and local events and festivals each year.
Here are some of the best, in chronological order:
January:
- “Giorno della Memoria” (Day of Memory): held on the 27th, this is the official international Day of Memory for the Holocaust. At Pitigliano, nicknamed “The Little Jerusalem” for the small community of Jewish who lived there from the 16th century, there are important events and cultural manifestations.
February:
- “Festa di Carnevale” (Festival for Carnival): organized every year in Pitigliano on Holy Thursday and Shrove Tuesday, this event consists of the traditional festivities in the streets of the town.
March:
- “Torciata di San Giuseppe” (Torch of St. Giuseppe): a traditional, local festival held on the day of St. Giuseppe, the 19th. During the events there are extraordinary nighttime shows and numerous stalls selling the typical products of the Maremma.
June:
- “Festeggiamenti in onore di San Paolo della Croce” (Festivities in honour of St. Paolo of the Cross): celebrated for the patron saint of the small district of Casone.
August:
- “Petilia Festival”: a traditional festival during which the cellars of the historic centre are opened and visitors are offered the opportunity to try the high quality wines of the area and the delicious cuisine of the Maremma.
September:
- “Festeggiamenti per la Madonna delle Grazie” (Festivities for the Madonna of Grace): an interesting local event celebrating Our Lady.
October:
- “Festival del Cinema e dalla Cultura ebraica”: (Festival of Jewish Cinema and Culture): the principal event of the year for Pitigliano, a town with an incredible Jewish past left by the community that lived there and the magnificent monuments they built, this festival presents films, shows and books that celebrate the Jewish culture and history.
December:
- “Festa per il Capodanno” (New Year’s Festival): held on the 31st in the town centre.
Must see events:
“Torciata di San Giuseppe” (Torch of St. Giuseppe): possibly the most popular festival held in the splendid ancient village of Pitigliano, this event takes place in honour of St. Joseph and celebrates the end of the cold winter and arrival of the warm and cheerful spring.
During the festival a feast is prepared along the streets of the town with many food stands offering traditional Maremman dishes, typical products, the excellent wine: Bianco di Pitigliano DOC and rice fritters, a symbol of this wonderful celebration.
The festival for St. Joseph, remembers and recreates elements of Nordic cultures and the Etruscans through the main event of burning a puppet.
This unique and remarkable event involves a bonfire, where a puppet symbolizing the end of winter and the cold is burnt to welcome the warm spring days, a certainly profound act that signifies the death and rebirth of nature and the earth.
The real festivities begin in the evening, when a procession travels down the main street of Via Cave.
This procession is made up of torchbearers, hooded men carrying lit torches and the protagonists of the festival, followed by the statue of St. Joseph.
In the main square there awaits a puppet made of dry reeds and wood, symbolizing winter, the torchbearers then set fire to the puppet, ringing in the end of winter with a large bonfire.
“Festival del Cinema e della Cultura Ebraica” (Festival of Jewish Cinema and Culture): a nationally recognized cultural event, this festival was founded in 1997 with the collaboration of “Piccola Gerusalemme” (Little Jerusalem), a cultural association of Pitigliano born with the aim of preserving and maintaining the Jewish culture and traditions of the town.
During the festivals there are films that tell of the Jewish culture through life stories and reflections.
The festival is an excellent showcase of international cinema and offers a fascinating and unique insight onto the Jewish culture.
The event was originally created as a major exhibition of film art but is also a chance for visitors to come in contact with different cultures, traditions and histories.
Extremely unique and interesting this festival provides important lessons on the diverse world we live in and is significant food for thought.
In this sense, the location of the festival is extremely important and significant. Pitigliano is internationally renowned as being one of the few villages to have accepted a Jewish community during the 15th century.
The Jewish managed to integrate well with the citizens, as indicated by the many buildings that still stand today, including the ancient Synagogue, Il Forno delle Azzime (the Oven of Azzimee) and the Jewish Cemetery.