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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 City of Florence “Fochi” every year more spectacular and increasingly admired by all those who, on the evening of June 24, pour out on the banks of the Arno or crowd the terraces to be flooded with so much auspicious light.
An ancient and indispensable tradition, but with high costs.
A burden once covered by the great Florentine families and later by extremely generous donations from local banks and today by Fondazione CR Firenze.
Do you want to support the Fochi but you don’t know how? Here’s how!
Ecco come!
Diventa protagonista del nostro progetto e aiutaci a mantenere la tradizione dei “Fochi” di Firenze.
Ogni anno
Vuoi assistere ai Fochi da una posizione privilegiata con posto a sedere sul Lungarno della Zecca Vecchia?
Ogni anno la Società di San Giovanni Battista offre ai propri Soci e a chi sostiene la tradizione dei Fochi un posto nell’area riservata sul Lungarno della Zecca Vecchia.
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Do you really care about the Fire and want to make us a liberal donation?
Bollettini o un bonifici postali
Intestati a: Società di San Giovanni Battista Odv
Conto Corrente Postale N° 13309505
IBAN: IT 12 D 07601 02800 000013309505
Causale: Fochi
Bonifici bancari
Intestato a: Società San Giovanni Battista Onlus
Banca IntesaSanpaolo
IBAN: IT 06 N 0306902887100000000 917
Causale: Fochi
Are you an entrepreneur? Do you have a company?
Hai la possibilità e la voglia di sostenere in modo importante questa importante tradizione della tua Città?
Contattaci subito! tel.+393343842716 o scrivi a info@sangiovannifirenze.it
HISTORY
St. John the Baptist became patron saint of the city of Florence in Christian times, supplanting the previous protector, the god Mars, whose statue adorned the access to the Ponte Vecchio until 1313 when it was dragged away by a flood and never found again.
Of that ancient pagan heritage, Florence has preserved the tradition of the fires that celebrated the summer solstice. From sunset on the 24th, in fact, the city was invaded by the “Fires of joy”.
The main ones were lit by burning bundles of brooms in Piazza Signoria, on the Loggia dell’Orcagna, while on the stands of Palazzo Vecchio and all around the square were lit large basins filled with tallow that fed a large wick. But the whole city was illuminated by fires and even more in the surrounding countryside that were dotted everywhere with large bonfires around which they celebrated until dawn.
Nel secolo XIV, l’introduzione della polvere da sparo trovò Firenze all’avanguardia nell’utilizzo pacifico di questa risorsa in feste di gioia e letizia, ma condannò all’estinzione in città la tradizione dei falò, che invece proseguì nel contado fin quasi ai giorni nostri.
La costruzione della “Girandola” principale divenne quasi un’arte, un’opera di ingegneria nella quale si cimentarono diversi artisti. Among others, Niccolò di Raffaello del Riccio, known as il Tribolo, an excellent woodworker, sculptor and architect who was born in Florence in 1500, stood out.
With the Medici the fireworks had a great development, in particular with Cosimo I who made some beautiful machines in various forms supported in the air with much artifice and full of worked fires that are commonly said to be pinwheels.
It seems that these pinwheels were built under the guidance of the architect Bernardo Buontalenti who showed in Florence the most wonderful worked fires that had ever been seen and among these the artificial pinwheels and for this reason he was from then on nicknamed “Bernardo delle Girandole”.
The Society of St. John has always organized the fireworks that are currently exploded from Piazzale Michelangelo.
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