Finally, after a one-year-break, in Tuscany will take a place a new, 33rd, edition of Mecantia Festival – in Certaldo (35 km from Florence) that usually comes here every July.

Mercantia is one of the most important Italian street theatre festivals. It takes place every year during around one week in the second half of July in Certaldo.
The beautiful medieval town, which is a birthplace of Giovanni Boccaccio, hosts hundreds of artists who give different performances – dance, visual arts, street band shows, parades.

For four evenings, the squares and streets of the medieval town are brought to life by singer-storytellers who tell tales to the youngest visitors, tightrope walkers and trapeze artists who defy the forces of gravity, clown and marionette shows, acrobats who perform to jazz music, itinerant bands who dance through every corner of the town, dancers, trampoline performers and artists who “play with fire” – literally. In every corner of the medieval town, including the historic buildings, you’ll find different kind of performances.

Mercantia is an ‘other’ place, located high above from the normal everyday events. Around you will see crowds of fans taking photos and videos, excited children in front of the fire-eater, girls intent on dancing following the band and couples who stop to watch exceptional acrobats! Difficult to choose between this world and the real one, right?