Feast of Saints Giusto and Clemente

The patronal feast of Castelnuovo Berardenga

Every year on June 5th, the municipality of Castelnuovo Berardenga, in the province of Siena, celebrates its patron saints, Giusto and Clemente. It is the most important event on the local calendar: an appointment that has marked the rhythm of village life for generations, bringing the community together around its Christian and civic roots.

The heart of the feast: the Propositura of Saints Giusto and Clemente

Celebrations revolve around the Propositura of Saints Giusto and Clemente, the town's main church overlooking Piazza Giacomo Matteotti. This elegant neoclassical building was designed and constructed by the Sienese architect Agostino Fantastici between 1843 and 1846 at the behest of Count Alessandro Lucarini Saracini. The facade features a portico with travertine columns and Ionic capitals supporting a pediment, while the interior boasts a Greek cross floor plan with barrel vaults.

Inside, the church houses works of great artistic value, including a Madonna and Child with Musician Angels painted by Giovanni di Paolo in 1426, considered one of the Sienese master's most important works, alongside a Madonna and Child by Andrea di Niccolò and other Baroque canvases.

A feast of devotion and community

As with many traditional Tuscan patronal feasts, the day of June 5th weaves together liturgical moments, with celebrations in honor of the patron saints, and more festive, popular gatherings—an opportunity for residents of the main town and the numerous surrounding hamlets to meet. It is a chance to rediscover the identity of a community that lives in close contact with its hills and the centuries-old history of the Berardenga region.

In the heart of the Sienese Chianti

Castelnuovo Berardenga is located in the southern part of Chianti, on the border between the hills of Chianti Classico and the landscape of the Crete Senesi, about twenty kilometers from Siena. The village preserves charming corners such as the Arch and its stone staircases, the 19th-century Villa Chigi Saracini with its Italian and English gardens, and the Landscape Museum. Experiencing the patronal feast is also a way to discover this authentic corner of Tuscany, a land of great wines and deeply rooted traditions.