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Piazzette in Festa - The Town Festival This classic event rediscovers emotions and impressions that involve our typical dishes and music that stem from the oldest traditions of a Pistoian mountain that seems to live on only in our memories. This country festival offers forgotten flavours with the tasting of typical local cuisine: from the classic necci made from chestnut flour to the farinata di cavolo nero, all washed down with red wine and fresh water from the surrounding mountains. At dusk the streets of this medieval town are lit by torches. In 2005 the Consorzio del Vino Chianti Classico took part in the event, organising wine tastings presented by a sommelier. // Date: The Saturday after Ferragosto |
The Festival of the Fried potato This festival began in 1966 and has become the cult event that closes the summer season in Serra. On the last weekend in September a 21⁄2-metre wide frying pan is heated and filled with oil in Piazza del Gobbo. This pan is then used to fry hundreds of kilos of potatoes that are cut into slices and chip-shapes and which are then given out to the public for free. // Date: Last Sunday in September |
Birth of the Holy Virgin Mary The town is transformed on the evening before the Madonna’s festival. All the lights are turned off, apart from torches that are specially placed in the windows. A procession moves from the Church of St. Leonard towards the cemetery along the torch-lit path, and the participants in the procession all hold candles. In accordance with tradition, the Banner of Mary is carried by a virgin in honour of the Virgin Mary. // Date: 7th and 8th September |
St. Leonard, Patron Saint of Serra Originally the patron saint of prisoners, St. Leonard has become the patron saint of many different categories of the faithful: blacksmiths, chain makers, shackle makers, belt and clasp makers, women in childbirth, farmers, miners and even rogues. The spread of the worship of St. Leonard and the construction of churches dedicated to him all over Europe have enriched the iconography of this Saint in different ways, although he is mainly depicted in a white or dark habit, or looking like a young deacon in dalmatic, and is only rarely seen dressed as a Bishop. He is often shown carrying the chains or shackles of freed prisoners as well as a book, a cross and a flag. Amongst the episodes of this Saint’s life that are most frequently depicted are his baptism by St. Remigius, assistance given to Queen Clothilde during childbirth, and the foundation of Nobiliacum. // Date: 6th November |