Battle of the Bridge sees Strong Men of Pisa in Action on Night of June 27

It is not just the French who kick off the summer season with a bunch of festivities, so do Italians.

June is a busy month in Pisa with Giugno Pisano (Pisan June).

Tradition will be on show in the evening of June 27 with the Battle of the Bridge (Gioco del Ponte) on the Ponte di Mezzo.

Here's what's on the program according to TuscanyPass (picture below from their site):

"This year the battle will run by night: at 8 pm the historical pageant, at 9.30 pm the race.

The Battle consists of two distinct moments: the historical pageant along the Arno river (a huge military parade with over 700 participants) and the Battle on
the Ponte di Mezzo, during which the two opposing teams give proof of
their physical strenght in a strongly competitive atmosphere.

The Mezzogiorno (Midday or South) and Tramontana (North)
sides march separately but at the same time anticlockwise along the
four streets running along the Arno river close to the Ponte di Mezzo.
There is also a third parade composed by the Judges, that is 81 more
partecipants.

Victory goes to the team that conquers the Bridge
by pushing a cart and all the opponents to the opposite end of the
sliding rail."

Giugno Pisano also offers culinary delights with Degustando Pisa which runs until June 30.

Restaurants such as Osteria dei Cavalieri (The Knights Tavern, pictured below) offer Local Cuisine with Prix Fixe Lunch and Dinner.

The Degustando Pisa site shares that "Tuscan cuisine is very simple and generally use local products,
avoiding spices and expensive or refined products. That's why you could
find oil instead of lard, not so much salt, and plenty of soups made by
bread and vegetables."

Here are some of the most popular dishes according to them:

Makes me want to hop on the next plane to Pisa.

Thanks to Gloria of At Home in Tuscany for putting this festive month on my radar.

Related: Telescope and Paintbrush, Science and Art in Age of Galileo, Palazzo Blu, Pisa