Like the historical pageant, the "Siege to the Villa" takes place every year in September.
However, unlike the former, that is held in Prato, the latter is held in the municipality of Poggio a Caiano, where Joanna of Austria stayed for some days on the eve of her wedding with Francesco I de` Medici.
And the "Siege to the Villa" refers to an episode that occurred during her stay in the town in the province of Prato, namely the gushing of wine from a fountain in the Medicean Villa Ambra.
The villa, which was designed by Giuliano da Sangallo in the late 15th century by order of Lorenzo the Magnificent, is one of the two Tuscan luxury villas that the Medicis possessed in the present province of Prato. The second one, Villa La Ferdinanda, is in Artimino and is also called the "villa of the hundred chimneys", due to the many chimney-pots that decorate its roof.
The members of the powerful family coming from Mugello loved spending the hottest months of the year at Villa Ambra. In the following centuries, the wonderful villa captivated also Maria Anna Bonaparte, one of Napoleon`s sisters, the famous violinist Niccolò Paganini, the king of Italy Victor Emmanuel II and many other celebrities.
Although Villa Ambra, thanks to the Renaissance dinner served in its gorgeous gardens, is the heart of the kermis in Poggio a Caiano, antique stalls, stands dedicated to ancient professions are scattered in the whole town and people wearing historical costumes stroll among natives and tourists.
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