31 October – 4 November: ”IL CRASTATONE”
From 6 pm of Wednesday, October 31st thru Sunday, November 4th in Piancastagnaio there will be the 41st edition of the ‘CRASTATONE’, a traditional FESTIVAL OF THE CHESTNUT that takes place within the historical city center where various wine cellars will be opened to the public, there will be tastings of typical and specialty dishes all chestnut based and an open market all along the streets of the town, where the atmosphere is full of scents and joy. Popular songs, dancing in public squares, folk groups, music in motion, markets, exhibits and expos in the streets of the city center. Since 1967, every year during All Saints week (November 1st) in Piancastagnaio, inside the historical center, the ‘Crastatone’, the feast of the crastata (roasted chestnut) takes place. The first ‘Crastatone’ took place in Belvedere Square which was an initiative of a group of fellow townsman to celebrate the chestnut that in the old times represented the only source of maintenance for the habitants of Amiata. Since 1983 the organization of the feast has been submitted to districts, every district has organized the feast in its own city area.
The four contrade are:
Suburb (colors yellow-blue, coat of arms – the Horse) 
Castle (colors red-green, coat of arms – Castle) 
Choir (colors red-black, coat of arms – Eagle) 
Voltaia (colors white-black, coat of arms – Oak) 
From 6 pm of October 31st and for the duration of the Crastatone opening to the public of wine cellars in the districts with tastings of typical and speciality dishes based of chestnuts, grandmother’s “suggioli” (chestnuts boiled with or without the peel),”crastate” (roasted chestnuts), “brodolose” (first roasted then boiled chestnuts), “ castagnaccio” with pine nuts.
From 24th of December to 7th of January: “ MANGERS PIANESI“
Nativity scenes are prepared in all the churches in Piancastagnaio, in old and characteristic wine cellars and in suggestive corners of the historical town center, to the Fortress.
10 and 11 February: “ VENTRICINO FESTIVAL“
Feast of little wild strawberries of Piancastagnaio
In Piancastagnaio, the fest of little wild strawberries is celebrated every year, on the first Sunday of July. For this occasion gastronomic stands are prepared. A great opportunity for spending a day in the shade in Amiata, savouring the little strawberries prepared with lemon and whipped cream and purchasing some marmalade.
14 August: “ SARAGIOLO FLORAL CARPET“
On the 14th of August, from 7 in the morning til 8 in the evening the whole population gathers to create a carpet around 200 meters long that from the square of the parish church reaches the main road. This carpet is made up of sawdust painted with ecological colors and designed to represent religious scenes dedicated to the Madonna, seeing that the day after is the 15th of August, feast of the assumption. The day concludes with a procession at 9 pm.
There are other events organized by the four contrade like:
contrada Choir carries out the feast of the Cialdone: in this fest it is possible to taste various sweets typical of Piancastagnaio in particular ‘il Cialdone’ which is a fried dessert made with the spice anise and accompanied by the tasting of a good Siena wine
contrada Suburb invites instead the people to participate in the fest of the Procenello. This is the typical Italian snack and for this the people of piancastagnaio prepare buffets with a tons of snacks of all the types and flavors
contrada Castle effects the fest of the Beer. This is an occasion to meet people because piancastagnaio is a very small, but suggestive town.
17 and 18 August: “PALIO OF THE CONTRADE “
The representatives of the contrade, dressed up in costumes, partake in a procession held in the streets of the town the evening of August 17th and again in the afternoon of 18th before the competition that consists in the conquest of the ‘cloth’ that means Palio in slang.
‘Palio’ is not the only horse race; ‘Palio’, as it happens in each of the four contrade, is raced the whole year: the Race is nothing more than the peak of many sacrifices (naturally done with enthusiasm, pleasure and fun but also always exhausting), carried out over twelve months. And the victory of the Palio doesn’t only mean winning the “Cloth”, but it is also the triumph of a whole population, which within those three minutes isn’t only the challenge of four horses, but winning the Palio is the crowning of a dream hoped for months, even. . . at times for years.
