The Procession of the “Paniere” basket flowers | Santa Maria a Monte

The Procession of the Paniere (Baskets Procession) in Santa Maria a Monte, represents the traditional religious festival in honor of the patron saint Blessed Diana Giuntini. It takes place every year on Easter Monday. This year, the event doubles with events also scheduled for Tuesday, April 22.

What are the “paniere”

The paniere are flower baskets that, offered as gifts by the districts, are carried on the heads of ladies accompanied by knights. The flowers recall the miracle of the Blessed: the transformation of the bread, which Diana carried in her apron, into roses and flowers. The event commemorates the transfer of the body of the Blessed Diana, Patron Saint of Santa Maria a Monte.

The Procession

The Procession of the Paniere begins at 6:00 pm in Via Costa near the ancient church of San Dalmazio, at the foot of the hill, and reaches the Collegiate Church of San Giovanni Apostolo ed Evangelista. In 1327, the year in which the castle and the parish church were destroyed by the Florentines, the body of the Blessed was instead transferred to the church of San Dalmazio. When the castle was rebuilt, the body was finally moved to the current Collegiate Church.

Open museums and guided tours

The historic centre will come alive from 3.00 pm with a packed programme including art and photography exhibitions, street performances, music, and activities for children featuring wooden toys, stilt walkers, soap bubbles and puppet shows.
Among the events are dramatised guided tours of the ‘underground city’, which will take visitors on a journey of discovery through the hidden spaces and the oldest history of the village.
Throughout the day, it will also be possible to visit the main museums in the historic centre: the
La Rocca Archaeological Area with the Civic Museum dedicated to the Blessed Diana, the Casa Carducci Museum – where the poet’s family lived between 1856 and 1858 – and the Clock Tower, an ancient defensive structure of the medieval castle