Foiano della Chiana, where Carnival becomes art

Less than a 30-minute drive from our farmhouse you can visit Foiano della Chiana, a charming Tuscan village rich in history and culture.

The historic center, enclosed by two city walls, shows signs of Renaissance art. Worth visiting are the Church of the Holy Trinity, which houses a painting by Pomarancio, and the 15th-century Church of Santa Maria della Fraternita, which houses a glazed terracotta attributed to Luca and Andrea della Robbia. Outside the first circle of walls is the Collegiate Church of San Martino, which features, inside, a panel depicting the Coronation of the Virgin with Angels and Saints, a late work by Luca Signorelli, and a glazed terracotta, Madonna della Cintola, attributed to Andrea della Robbia. A few kilometers from the historic center, in the direction of Pozzo della Chiana, stands isolated the 16th-century Temple of Santo Stefano della Vittoria, erected by Cosimo I as a symbol of the victory over the Sienese at the Battle of Scannagallo.

The historic center of Foiano becomes in February and March the setting for one of the oldest Carnivals in Italy.

Although the Carnival of Foiano della Chiana is relatively recent (1930s) as it is known today, nevertheless its celebration as a pagan festival of the town is very ancient as well as its existence already in ancient times seems to be confirmed by a provision contained in the Statute of the Community of the year 1539 in which on the subject of festivities it identifies “the day of Carnovale with one in front and one afterwards...”, assigning as many as three days to the celebration.

Determining what was the “form” of the festivities is still not easy today: documents related to 1809 note that still at this time the Foiano carnival was not celebrated with special ceremonies but that in any case the period was felt to be festive given that Podesta Vulpillot issued an ordinance allowing the use of masks.

Today the Foiano della Chiana Carnival, the oldest in Italy now in its 486th edition with 2025, is considered among the most important events of its kind in Italy, both for its spectacular choreography and its historiographical tradition.

Four large competing floats, belonging to the yards of Azzurri, Bombolo, Nottambuli and Rustici, parade in front of a jury of nationally renowned art experts. Mastodontic floats made by real paper mache masters and mechanical engineers.

Their dimensions, which must strictly adhere to the regulations, reach up to a maximum of 17 meters in length, 10 meters in width and 13 meters in height.