In Tuscany during the month of June, nature offers wonderful scenery, the long sunny days offer us bright colors of fragrant plants in full swing, summer is almost upon us and the late spring temperatures let us enjoy the warm Mediterranean climate without excesses. This is undoubtedly the best time to visit Tuscany and Pisa.
Obviously you cannot miss visiting the traditional monuments, however I would like to suggest you two events that will make you fully enjoy the Pisan traditions.
Pisa's Palio
On June 17, in honor of Saint Ranieri is played, as usual, the Palio di San Ranieri in Pisa, a historical event in the Pisano in June every year. During the evening four boats representing the colors of the oldest parts of the town - St. Mary, St. Francis, St. Martin and St. Anthony - A dispute over the waters of the Arno race, the legacy of prestigious tradition maritime republic of Pisa.
Palio di San Ranieri derives from the ancient tradition that Palios were courses in Pisa, since medieval times, to celebrate the Assumption.
The Luminara (The Candlelight)
This event takes place on the eve of the Patron Saint's feast day (June 16) and transforms the Lungarno into a phantasmagoric fairy-tale setting. The architectural details of the palaces , windows, cornices, balconies the parapets of the river and the bridges glow in the reflected light of over 70,000 lumini (small glass lamps burning oil or wax) while thousands of lighted candles float on the waters of the Arno. Sham architecture (machines) and a firework spectacle at the Cittadella Vecchia make this event, which dates back to 1688, even more fascinating.
In the beautiful Square of Miracles, in Pisa, there is one the best architerctural art’s masterpiece of entire Tuscany: the Santa Maria Assunta’s Dome, as it is called this amazing building started in year 1069 and concluded around the half of IV century.
The Dome is in the same beautiful location of the famous Pisa’s Tower protagonist of so many italian post cards: this cathedral is a real masterpiece worth of being admired and observed. An example is the beautiful San Ranieri’s Door, in bronze, which during Italian Middle Age has been the firts in its style.
The interior of Pisa’s Dome is very elegant, all in white and black marble with amazing and superb columns rich in decorations, absolutely worth of a visit!
After having visited the Dome you can easily complete, if you like, your visit of the beautiful Pisa: all the main monuments to see are in fact located just near the cathedral: already talked about the Tower, on which top you can go climbing up many and many steps, in the Square of Miracles there are also Pisa’s Baptistery, probably Tuscany’s most interesting after Florence’s one and the astonishing Monumental Cemetery.