The small Tuscan town of Impruneta will once again transform itself into a stage for one of Italy’s most vibrant harvest celebrations, the Festa dell’Uva, on Sunday 28 September. The event begins at 2:30 pm, at Impruneta’s main square, Piazza Buondelmonti, with a band concert, followed by a parade of floats on the theme of the grape harvest.
Now in its 99th year, this iconic Grape Festival began in 1926 as a simple contest between local farmers brandishing carts, decorated simply, to celebrate the annual grape harvest. These modest beginnings have evolved dramatically into lavish parades of allegorical floats, some carrying up to 300 participants, all dressed in elaborate costumes and performing extensive choreography.
At the heart of the event, Impruneta’s four rioni (neighbourhoods/ districts) compete fiercely for the title of best float. Each year, different and brand-new designs are entered into the competition. The designs centre around folklore, allegory, and the region’s wine-making traditions.
Contemporary themes are increasingly being tackled by the floats too, making the parade both a celebration of heritage and a commentary on modern life. This year’s floats highlight that blend of tradition and imagination.
Each neighbourhood will bring its own unique vision to the parade:
- Rione Pallò will explore the mythical origins of grapes, blending fantasy and legend through dance and costume.
- Rione Sante Marie contrasts chaos and order.
- Rione Delle Fornaci celebrates rural life, honouring memory, tradition, and deep roots.
- Rione Sant’Antonio offers a poetic meditation on modernity, reflecting on society’s evolution while keeping tradition close at hand.
The preparation phase throughout September, however, is a celebration in itself. Communities gather to work hard throughout the month, sewing costumes, painting props, and constructing the towering floats that will fill Piazza Buondelmonti on the big day. Neighbourhood dinners (which were once small, local fundraising opportunities) have become festive events attracting hundreds, residents and visitors alike.
The competition culminates in the awarding of an intricate terracotta trophy, crafted this year by artist Antonella Andrei. Her cup, fashioned to appear to be filled with grapes and supported by winged caryatids, is an homage to the festival’s roots. “The grape is female, the festival is female, and the caryatids are women: figures that represent the silent but essential work that sustains it all,” Andrei explains (translated).
For locals, the festival is both tradition and identity. For visitors, it’s a glimpse of Tuscany at its most theatrical. The Festa dell’Uva is more than a harvest celebration, it’s a living pageant of memory, artistry, and community spirit.
Tickets for the parade on Sunday 28 September are available online at https://www.ticketone.it/event/99a-festa-delluva-impruneta-piazza-buondelmonti-20527467/.
A parade rehearsal will take place in Piazza Buondelmonti on Saturday September 27 (from 7 – 11:30 pm), for which is admission is free.
Sunday 28th September programme breakdown:
- 2:30 pm performance by Impruneta’s ‘Giuseppe Verdi’ Philharmonic Band
- 2:50 pm greetings from the President of the Grape Festival, Filippo Venturi, and Mayor Riccardo Lazzerini
- 3 pm parade/performance by the four districts: Sant’Antonio, Sante Marie, Fornaci, and Pallò. Followed by announcement of the winning district, and placing of the flag on the City Hall balcony.
