WHAT TO DO

THE CLIMATE

In Poggio a Caiano, summers are hot with mostly clear days.
 

Winters are cold and partially cloudy. During the year, temperatures may range from 2°C to 35°C and they rarely go below -3°C or above 36°C.

The best time  to enjoy warm weather in Poggio a Caiano is from May to the end of October

LOCATION

With  10,193 inhabitants in an area of about 2.32 sq mt  Poggio a Caiano is one of the smallest municipalities in Tuscany and Italy; it was  established on July 14, 1962.
 

The territory is  the last offshoot of the Montalbano, extending towards the plain of Prato. It occupies some hilly areas  ( il "poggio" being one -hence the name of the town) as well as a small flat area on the right bank of the Ombrone river. It is located in a strategic position about 15 km from Florence.

LOCAL EVENTS

Festival delle Colline
Poggio a Caiano is home to one of the most important Italian contemporary music festivals. "Il Festival delle Colline", started in 1976 as "Giugno Poggese" and hosted  more “traditional” programmes. Later on, the Festival changed its name and,  from the 1990s onward focused on contemporary music.

The festival came to the attention of the international press when it showcased  some of the best examples of current musical research, with particular attention to the ethnic roots of Global Music and the concept of global culture. The way various languages  ​intertwine and complement each other in order to give an insight into the contemporary nature of the arts  makes   this event an  essential landmark  for insiders and novices alike.

Promoted by the Municipality of Poggio a Caiano, the festival’s forty-years old history has gained  the active support of several prominent institutions such as the Prato province, the Tuscan Region, the Center for the Contemporary Arts Luigi Pecci, the Municipality of Prato and other local councils.

The shows take place in some of the most prestigious locations  in the Prato province: from the modern Amphitheater of the Center for the Contemporary Arts Luigi Pecci to the splendid park of the Medici Villa of Poggio a Caiano, from Villa Novellucci of Cantagallo to the Museum Park " Quinto Martini "of Carmignano.

Assedio alla Villa
The Assedio alla Villa (Siege of the Villa) is an annual magnet where  music, food and fun mix with other  crafts   to let thousands of visitors into   an  intoxicating  Renaissance atmosphere.

The Assedio  is kept around the Villa and the Stables, which now house  multipurpose spaces and a museum entirely dedicated to the painter Ardengo Soffici.

The highlight of the Assedio  is  the  historical cortege, when  models parade in Renaissance clothes  sewn by the Gruppo Storico Poggese

After a suggestive "Renaissance dinner" in the splendid setting of the Medici Villa, there  follows the re-enactment of the journey that Princess Joan of Austria made from Innsbruck to Florence for her wedding to Prince Francesco de 'Medici. The vintage carriage, which ends

at Poggio a Caiano, includes stops in the major cities en-route.

This magnificent  event puts Poggio a Caiano  firmly  on the national map.