Pisa has quite the calendar of incredible events and festivals that are steeped in local history and rich in Tuscan culture, which take place at various points throughout the year. One of the biggest of these events is the Luminara Festival, which takes place in June and is celebrated in honour of San Ranieri, the patron saint of the city. This sees the city get lit up magically by tens of thousands of candles upon nightfall and is a truly majestic thing to behold. The day after, however, there is another fascinating celebration: a historical regatta takes place on the same waters that were illuminated the night before, and the Arno plays host to an exciting boat race. To experience this exciting and colourful festival as a whole, just find a vacation rental in Pisa and plan a trip for the middle of June!
Dating back to 1688, the festival traces its origins to when the Grand Duke of Tuscany ordered that San Ranieri’s ashes be transferred from the simple urn that had thus far contained them to a more decorative and modern urn. As they were being moved from one urn to the other, a procession of pilgrims with candles walked alongside it as a mark of respect and the festival that continues to this day recreates these events in honour of their beloved patron saint.
Dating back to 1688, the festival traces its origins to when the Grand Duke of Tuscany ordered that San Ranieri’s ashes be transferred from the simple urn that had thus far contained them to a more decorative and modern urn. As they were being moved from one urn to the other, a procession of pilgrims with candles walked alongside it as a mark of respect and the festival that continues to this day recreates these events in honour of their beloved patron saint.
The 16th of June is when the “Luminara” takes place, seeing around 120,000 candles and oil lamps illuminate the city today, and on the 17th the Palio di San Ranieri, or San Ranieri Regatta, takes place in the late afternoon. Races on the river in Pisa date back to the 13th century but today’s celebrations were solidified in the 18th century and evoke the Battle of Lepanto from 1571, which saw the fleet of the Knights of the Order of Saint Stefano win a battle against the Ottomans and seize the banner at the top of their mast. This token of victory is still on display and inspired the model of the race that now takes place in Pisa each summer.
The regatta sees four teams represent the oldest four districts of Pisa – St Francesco, St Martino, St Maria and St Antonio – and compete in a race on the Arno. It is preceded by a colourful and lively historical costumed procession in the streets and the race itself begins at sunset. Starting from the Railway Bridge, the race involves 1,500 metres of rowing against the current of the river and ends at the Medici Palace near the Fortezza Bridge. The boats are inspired by the boats from the 16th century and accommodate eight rowers, a helmsman, and a climber.
It is the climber that is the key player and who must, upon reaching the finish line, climb one of the 4 ropes that leads to the top of a 10m tall flagpole on a floating barge and grab the prize, a light blue flag, in order to win the race. Second and third place grab the white and red flags, respectively, that are also mounted on the top and the last place climber gets the traditional consolation prize of a couple of geese! This harkens to the past when all of the prizes were livestock-based and when the geese were the least valuable among the prizes to be won. So, in addition to the excitement of the rowers powering down the river, there is then the second intense battle of the climbers competing to get to the flag first. It is all quite thrilling to watch!
The regatta is a unique and fascinating display of tradition and athleticism to observe and is definitely a must for any tourists that find themselves in Pisa or nearby in Tuscany around this time of year.
The regatta sees four teams represent the oldest four districts of Pisa – St Francesco, St Martino, St Maria and St Antonio – and compete in a race on the Arno. It is preceded by a colourful and lively historical costumed procession in the streets and the race itself begins at sunset. Starting from the Railway Bridge, the race involves 1,500 metres of rowing against the current of the river and ends at the Medici Palace near the Fortezza Bridge. The boats are inspired by the boats from the 16th century and accommodate eight rowers, a helmsman, and a climber.
It is the climber that is the key player and who must, upon reaching the finish line, climb one of the 4 ropes that leads to the top of a 10m tall flagpole on a floating barge and grab the prize, a light blue flag, in order to win the race. Second and third place grab the white and red flags, respectively, that are also mounted on the top and the last place climber gets the traditional consolation prize of a couple of geese! This harkens to the past when all of the prizes were livestock-based and when the geese were the least valuable among the prizes to be won. So, in addition to the excitement of the rowers powering down the river, there is then the second intense battle of the climbers competing to get to the flag first. It is all quite thrilling to watch!
The regatta is a unique and fascinating display of tradition and athleticism to observe and is definitely a must for any tourists that find themselves in Pisa or nearby in Tuscany around this time of year.
