text Martina Olivieri
The history of the Brindellone and where it can be found year-round
Everything you don't know about the big fire float featured in the Easter blowout
On March 25, on the occasion of the Florentine New Year, the room where the famous Easter Chariot, known as the Brindellone, is kept, is extraordinarily opened to the public, and between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., explanations will be given about its various parts and how it works. But what is the history of the Brindellone? Let's start from the origin.
Every year, on Easter Sunday, Florence comes alive with one of the most spectacular and ancient events in Florentine tradition: the Scoppio del Carro. The star of this celebration is the majestic Brindellone, an imposing fireworks float that carries with it a fascinating and centuries-old history.
The name Brindellone has a curious origin dating back to an ancient festival celebrated on June 24, the day of St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of Florence. During this celebration, a hay cart pulled a scruffily dressed man, a symbol of the hermit saint. This figure was called a brindellone, a term also used in the Florentine dialect to refer to a tall, ill-dressed person with a slouching gait.
scoppio-carroIn time, the name came to be associated with the chariots used in public celebrations, including the one featured in the Easter Chariot Burst. The origins of the Bursting of the Chariot date back to the First Crusade (1099), when the Florentine Pazzino de' Pazzi, after first climbing the walls of Jerusalem, received as a gift three splinters of the Holy Sepulcher. Back in Florence, these relics were kept and used to light the blessed fire on Holy Saturday, which was then distributed to the population to rekindle domestic hearths. Over time, the ceremony was moved to Easter Sunday and the idea of transporting the fire on a cart to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore was born, giving rise to the current tradition of the Scoppio del Carro.
The current Brindellone, built in 1765, is a real pyrotechnic tower 11.60 meters high, 3.40 meters long and weighing about 40 quintals. Its structure is decorated with the banners of the four historic districts of Florence (white, red, green and blue), which compete each year in the Florentine Historical Football.
The Brindellone is located at 48 Via Il Prato, where it is kept throughout the year (a few years ago he told us all the secrets of the Brindellone, its keeper, read the interview here). On Easter Day, it is transported to Piazza Duomo, drawn by two imposing oxen adorned with colorful flowers and escorted by a procession of about 150 figures in historical costume, including foot soldiers and flag-wavers.
BrindelloneThe most anticipated moment of the celebration is the Bursting of the Chariot, which occurs around 11:00 a.m. on Easter Sunday. From the high altar of the Duomo departs the Colombina, a fiery dove-shaped silhouette that flies along a wire until it triggers the 1,600 firecrackers of the Brindellone, creating a breathtaking fireworks display. According to tradition, if the flight of the Columbine is smooth and uneventful, Florence will have a prosperous and lucky year.
