The Pumpkin Festival in Foiano della Chiana is an opportunity to experience autumn in a Tuscan town near Cortona. Known locally as the Festa della Zucca, it brings seasonal decorations, market stalls and children’s activities into the historic centre.

During my visit this year, a walk through the festival also led me inside the headquarters of the Rustici, one of the four groups behind Foiano’s Carnival. What began as an autumn outing became a chance to discover the town’s history and the people who keep its traditions alive.

Foiano’s Pumpkin Festival at a Glance

• Location: Foiano della Chiana, in Tuscany’s Valdichiana, near Cortona.

• Local name: Festa della Zucca.

• What I found: pumpkin decorations, market stalls, music and creative activities for children.

• A highlight of my visit: exploring the Rustici’s collection of carnival photographs, trophies and models.

• Why visit: to discover local traditions alongside everyday life in a Tuscan town.

How Did Foiano’s Pumpkin Festival Begin?

The festival began with a group of friends growing giant pumpkins. Their enthusiasm developed into a competition, attracting growers from outside the town to have their pumpkins weighed. Some weighed hundreds of kilos.

Although the weighing competition was no longer part of the festival I visited this year, pumpkins remained at the heart of the celebrations.

They decorated shopfronts and streets, appeared in seasonal displays and filled the tables of children’s workshops. The original interest in growing pumpkins had become an occasion for the wider community to come together.

What Can You Experience at the Pumpkin Festival?

During my visit, Foiano’s historic centre was full of people browsing stalls, enjoying the entertainment and stopping to chat.

The festival offered several ways to join in:

• Pumpkin-decorating workshops, with children painting and creating around a shared table.

• Market stalls, giving visitors a reason to explore the streets and squares.

• Music and street entertainment, adding to the atmosphere.

• Seasonal displays, with pumpkins decorating corners of the town.

I particularly enjoyed watching the pumpkin-decorating workshop. Families gathered around the table, children concentrated on their creations, and people stopped to see what they were making. It was a simple scene that captured the spirit of the day.

Discovering the Rustici and Foiano’s Carnival Heritage

One of the most memorable parts of my visit was stepping inside the headquarters of the Rustici, one of the four competing groups that create the floats for Foiano’s Carnival.

The collection offered a closer look at the imagination, craftsmanship and shared effort behind the celebrations.

Inside, I found:

• Historic photographs, including images dating back to the 1930s.

• Trophies, with examples won in the 1960s.

• Scale models and designs, showing how ideas for carnival floats take shape.

• Papier-mâché figures, revealing the detail involved in the work.

Looking at these objects together, you begin to understand the place Carnival holds in Foiano’s identity. The photographs record generations of involvement, while the models reveal the work behind the spectacle.

Stories Connecting Foiano with Brazil and Siena

During the visit, I heard two anecdotes that showed how local creations can travel beyond the town.

A Carnival Creation’s Journey to Brazil

I was told that parts of a float made in Foiano had travelled to Brazil and been used in a carnival parade.

The thought stayed with me: something imagined and built here finding a second life thousands of miles away, as part of another community’s celebrations.

An Elephant Linking Foiano and Siena

The second story concerned a Sienese contrada, one of Siena’s historic neighbourhoods, which shares the Rustici’s elephant emblem.

According to the account shared during my visit, the contrada had requested the Rustici’s papier-mâché elephant for celebrations following a long-awaited victory.

These stories were part of the pleasure of visiting: hearing about the connections created through craftsmanship, shared symbols and local pride.

What Else Is There to Discover in Foiano della Chiana?

Foiano rewards a visit beyond its festival days. After leaving the Rustici, I continued through the centre, taking time to look around the streets and squares.

For visitors exploring the area around Cortona, the town offers:

• Artistic heritage, including works by the Della Robbia family and Luca Signorelli.

• Independent shops and artisan businesses, woven into the town’s daily life.

• Local bakers and food shops, offering opportunities to stop and browse.

• Historic streets and squares, best explored at an unhurried pace.

These are the details I enjoy sharing with people getting to know this part of Tuscany. A seasonal celebration may bring you to a town for the first time; a favourite shop, an interesting conversation or a place you want to explore further can give you a reason to return.

A Glimpse of Everyday Life Near Cortona

For anyone imagining a home in Tuscany, visiting nearby towns can help turn an idea of the region into something more familiar.

Exploring Foiano means discovering places you might return to throughout the year: a bakery, a square, a local celebration. It also means learning how much of a town’s character comes from the people who live and work there.

The Pumpkin Festival brought me back to Foiano. The visit to the Rustici gave me another reason to return.

Would you like to know more about living in Foiano della Chiana, Cortona or the surrounding countryside? Get in touch—I’d be happy to share local suggestions and help you explore the area.

Nicola