Celebrations for San Lodovico

From Friday, August 15 to Tuesday, August 19, within the medieval setting of the village of Serravalle Pistoiese will hold festivities celebrating the patron saint of San Lodovico. This historic festival is in honor of the saint who, according to legend, saved the village from the siege of Lucca in 1306 by appearing on the castle’s battlements shrouded in a luminous cloud.

According to an ancient tradition, dating back to the 14ᵗʰ century, a man and a child passed through Serravalle Pistoiese one day. They stopped by the castle to ask for alms, and as they were graciously received and generously housed, the child promised that he would remember the town’s hospitality. The child was actually none other than Louis of Anjou (later Saint Louis of Toulouse), son of Charles II of Naples and heir to the throne, yet would instead become a bishop and eventually a saint. According to legend, he kept this promise by saving Serravalle from pillage many years later.

Some of the scheduled events include:

• Friday, August 15 
  Combriccola del Blasco in concert
• Saturday, August 16
  Una Freccia per il Meyer
  A charity event organized by the Palio di San Lodovico Archery Group
  Next Wave Band in concert
• August 17 and 18
  Palio di San Lodovico
• Tuesday, August 19
  Historical pageant and fireworks
  Historical pageant
  Performance by the Banda Giuseppe Verdi in Piazza Santo Stefano
  Live music with the Banda dello Zenzero in Piazza Vittoria
  Also scheduled are guided tours and an evening climb to the Barbarossa Tower to watch the fireworks display