Epiphany: the Cavalcade of the Magi returns to Florence
Florence - To celebrate the Epiphany, on Saturday 6 January, the Opera of Santa Maria del Fiore is organizing the Cavalcade of the Magi in Florence. The event is now in its 22nd edition in modern times, and is based on a 15th century Florentine tradition, when a secular group named after the Three Holy Kings, which included most members of the Medici family, used to organize a magnificent pageant: the "Feast of the Magi". Since 1997, the 700th anniversary of the building of the Cathedral, the Opera of Santa Maria del Fiore, has been restoring this ancient tradition, and it organizes a yearly pageant headed by the Magi on horse, parading in the town center with sumptuous silk costumes inspired by the clothing in the fresco by Benozzo Gozzoli. The event is supported by the Archdioceses and the Capitolo del Duomo, the City of Florence and most neighboring cities. Departing at 2.00 p.m. from Piazza Pitti, the pageant will parade along the main roads of the center (via Guicciardini, Ponte Vecchio, via Por S. Maria, Via Lambertesca, Loggiato degli Uffici, Piazza della Signoria, Via Calzaiuoli), reaching piazza Duomo at 3 p.m. Here, from 2.30 p.m., the Piccolo Coro Melograno choir will entertain the public with Christmas carols.