Montemurlo Historical Parade
It commemorates the famous battle among Florentine exiles, led by Baccio Valori and Filippo Strozzi – respectively owners of Villa del Barone and Villa Strozzi - and the troops of Cosimo I de 'Medici. The battle took place on the 2nd of August 1537. The exiles, led by Strozzi, were barricaded inside the village and the Fortress, but nothing could do against the army of Cosimo I, formed by 10,000 soldiers. The battle had an echo in the surrounding plain and in the neighboring villages, which were scared about a probable attack by Cosimo's army.
After the battle of Montemurlo occurred the unification and pacification of Tuscany under the Medici family. Therefore, rather than a moment of war, the Parade intends to celebrate an event that opened the way for the peace of this village and of all Tuscany. The parade takes place on the last Sunday of June; other collateral events take place in the previous week.