The Fire of St. John

The Fire of St. John

The “Fochi”, the fireworks display with which Florence celebrates its patron saint, has been held since the twelfth century, organized in ancient times by the Art of Calimala. Since 1796 it is the Society of St. John the Baptist Odv to organize for the...
The procession of gifts and the offering of candles

The procession of gifts and the offering of candles

In ancient times, all men over fifteen years had to bring a candle to the Baptistery and for the occasion they lavishly decorated houses, palaces, warehouses.At the time also Piazza del Duomo, between the church of Santa Reparata and the Baptistery, was covered with a...
The Crosses of St. John

The Crosses of St. John

In harmony with a centuries-old tradition that has made the moment of homage to the Signoria – and later to the Grand Dukes – and to the Cardinal of the city one of the salient phases of the feast of the Patron Saint, since 2004 the Society of St. John the Baptist has...
The coronation of the Marzocco

The coronation of the Marzocco

If St. John the Baptist has been the religious symbol par excellence for centuries, one of the most important pagan symbols for Florence is the Marzocco, a lion erected and represented for decades in sculpture, painting and reality as a symbol of popular power. The...
The Palio rowing

The Palio rowing

In the Florence of Dante Alighieri, in Grand Ducal Florence, in Florence Capital of Italy and in the still provincial Florence of the early twentieth century, how was the feast of the Patron Saint lived and felt? Rereading the old documents in the archive of the...
The Procession of the Gonfalons

The Procession of the Gonfalons

On the occasion of the Festa della Toscana, which wants to be a tribute to all those who recognize themselves in the values of peace, justice and freedom, the Society of St. John the Baptist, in collaboration with the Tuscany Region, the Municipality of Florence and...