May 2026: what to do in the Florentine area

A thrilling flag-throwing competition, Pinocchio and Medieval Festivals: May in Florence and the surrounding area is a month full of energy, events, and wonderful days!

Local May traditions

May in Florence begins on the 1st with the historic Trofeo Marzocco, the thrilling flag-throwing competition that each year brings back the atmosphere of medieval chivalric contests. At 2:30 pm, the Historical Parade of the Florentine Republic accompanies the teams through the city streets to Piazza della Signoria. Here, at 3 pm, historic flag-throwing groups compete, accompanied by performances from the “Musici,” whose music adds depth to the graceful choreography of the flags. Still in the “piazza del Comune,” on May 23 the Ceremony of the Fioritatakes place; on this day, homage is paid to the memory of Fra' Girolamo Savonarola, hanged and burned on the same day in 1498 in Piazza della Signoria together with two fellow friars. Their ashes, as a sign of damnatio memoriae, were thrown into the Arno River from Ponte Vecchio. For this reason, after the floral tribute ceremony, the procession continues to Ponte Vecchio, from where petals are scattered into the Arno River.

Major events of May 2026

1. Exhibitions and Cultural Events
    

From May 7, the panoramic Villa Bardini hosts the exhibition “Florence ’50 ’60 ’70,” retracing Florentine history through images from the Locchi Archive. Until May 17, the exhibition “From Dream to Sign” by Roberto Innocenti remains open at the Castello dell’Acciaiolo and the Scandicci Municipal Library (hop on the tram and go!): satire, reality, and imagination are the strengths of the renowned illustrator. A new site-specific installation has also opened in the courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi, created by the artist SUPERFLEX; titled “There Are Other Fish In The Sea” it can be visited free of charge until August 2.

Medieval enthusiasts (and beyond) should take note: on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17, the “Medieval Days at the Stibbert Museum” take place, marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Giovanni delle Bande Nere; the large park transforms into a true medieval village (advance booking required on the museum’s official website). On the last weekend of May and the first of June, the entire village of Malmantile (a hamlet of Lastra a Signa) travels back in time with the 31st edition of its Medieval Festival, the most famous in the Florentine area.

Staying just outside the city, the prestigious European University Institute celebrates its 50th anniversary on the hill of San Domenico in Fiesole with a program and distinguished guests of the highest level during the weekend of May 7–9, concluding with the traditional Open Day of the Historical Archives of the European Union at Villa Salviati. Following the success of previous editions, guided visits to the Gardens of the Fiesole Villas reopen to the public in May (limited places, reservation required!).
On May 23 and 24, Buongiorno Ceramica! returns, the national event promoting the artistic and artisanal value of ceramics; Impruneta, Montelupo Fiorentino, Borgo San Lorenzo, and Sesto Fiorentino are four municipalities in the Metropolitan City of Florence taking part with special openings of kilns, museums, and workshops.
Finally, for theatre lovers, two performances are featured in the historic Pergola Theatre program (both in German with English surtitles): CHANGES by Maja Zade, directed by Thomas Ostermeier (May 8–9), a comedy about the difficulty of changing the world and the effort required not to lose oneself in the process; and THE STEER, written and directed by Milo Rau (May 23–24), in which Ursina Lardi, Silver Lion at the 2025 Venice Theatre Biennale, plays a war photojournalist traveling the world in search of stories of horror.

2. The Music of May

Have you ever heard of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino? It is the month when Florence’s music season begins, starting with classical music, and this year, exceptionally, it will host maestro Ludovico Einaudi live during the only Italian stop (May 20–21) of his European tour.
Even earlier, on May 1, the Ippodromo del Visarno hosts “VIVO – Creative Labor Day,” a day dedicated to music, street food, and a market entirely organized by Tenax, the historic Florentine nightclub active since the 1980s. On the same day, the 11th edition of the Baroque Festival Florence begins, offering an immersive journey into 17th- and 18th-century music through a rich program of concerts in some of the city’s most fascinating historic and artistic venues.

3. Activities for Families and Excursions

The new exhibition at the Museum of San Marco, “The Unveiled Library: the Fantastic Bestiary,” can spark children’s curiosity, exploring the world of zoomorphic decoration with fantastic, hybrid, and real creatures carrying symbolic meanings, including the dragon depicted alongside the saint who defeats it or as a free expression of imagination and decorative pleasure.
Continuing the exploration outside the city: the May Fair in Dicomano (May 8–10) offers shows, music, food, a livestock exhibition, workshops for children, and an educational farm. The 45th Infiorata of Scarperia, a highlight of spring in the Mugello area, sees the town’s streets filled with floral artworks of various sizes; this year’s theme is “Collodi and the Adventures of Pinocchio.” Finally, on May 28, the 57th edition of Toscanello d’Oro begins in Pontassieve, the traditional food and wine festival that fills this village south of Florence with tastings, performances, and activities for children and families.

The May itinerary – Pinocchio

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Carlo Lorenzini, known as Collodi, the father of Pinocchio. Not everyone knows that Collodi was Florentine: born and died in Florence, among artisan workshops, it was here that he created the world’s most famous puppet, whose “adventures” are inspired by places across this region. Thanks to this itinerary in the footsteps of Pinocchio and Collodi, you can discover the locations that transformed a piece of wood into a universal icon.