Festa della Beata Giovanna 2026 in Signa

From Sunday 5 April to Tuesday 7 April 2026, the traditional Festa della Beata Giovanna will be held in Signa. The historical re-enactment – one of the oldest in Tuscany – is scheduled for Easter Monday, but in reality the town begins its preparations with a series of ceremonies as early as Easter Sunday, involving neighbouring municipalities as well.

For the people of Signa, Easter Monday is not simply the day after Easter, but the ‘Beata’. The veneration of the Blessed Giovanna has roots that stretch back to time immemorial: according to some documentary sources, she was born in 1266 in Signa, where she distinguished herself through prayer, meditation and contemplation. Miraculous events occurred during her lifetime and after her death on 9 November 1307, giving rise to a strong devotion and cult, both in Signa and throughout Tuscany; various forms of popular veneration thus developed towards her which, in their essence, have survived to this day.

The Feast of Blessed Giovanna originated on Easter Monday in 1385, the year in which the first procession in her honour took place on the occasion of the transfer of her remains. The people of the surrounding area paid her great homage and, on the occasion of extraordinary events and disasters, sought her intercession. From then on, the custodian of all the traditions linked to Blessed Giovanna became the Venerable Company of the Most Holy Sacrament and the Holy Spirit, founded in 1348 as the Company of the Whites, which was already distinguished for its works of charity and worship.

Today, the solemn Historical Procession of Signa, featuring some 300 participants in 15th-century costume, is one of the most significant and deeply felt events for the people of Signa, and is the way in which we now commemorate our great fellow citizen. This procession, which re-enacts that first procession held in her honour in 1385, is itself an integral part of a religious procession. The Historical Procession, established in 1971 as a purely religious event, has gradually grown in importance, expanding and being enriched by related initiatives (such as the Palio degli Arcieri dei Popoli di Signa, held during the Medieval Festival at the Castle in September, which determines the order of precedence of the four Popoli in the procession) and has evolved into an event with meticulous direction and an equally well-crafted script.

The Historical Procession has grown alongside the town and has now become a major attraction. It has not, however, lost its strictly religious character, even though it has acquired a distinct historical dimension. It is perhaps this aspect that lends itself most to a festive gathering of all the inhabitants of Signa, who have always found their unity in the name of the Blessed Giovanna, one of the most important figures in our local history. Its roots, therefore, run deep in the history, religious faith and traditions of the people of Signa.