Piazza del Duomo, area between cathedral and baptistery
The Scoppio del Carro ("Explosion of the Cart") 2025 | null
Every Easter Sunday, Florence celebrates this religious holiday in a very special way. The Scoppio del Carro is more than 350 years old. Built in 1622, a complex carriage, two or three stories high, is pulled by a pair of oxen decorated with garlands through the streets of Florence, accompanied by an escort of 150 soldiers, musicians, and people dressed in 15th-century costumes, moving from Porta al Prato to Piazza del Duomo. The carriage was loaded with fireworks, while a line extended from the high altar inside the cathedral, with a mechanical dove ("colombina") attached to it. Shortly afterwards, during the singing of "Gloria in excelsis Deo" during Easter Mass, the Florentine cardinal lit the fuse on the dove with the Easter flame. The dove then sped through the church, igniting the carriage outside. During all this, the bells of Giotto's campanile rang out. The complex fireworks display that followed lasted about 20 minutes. A successful display of this event guaranteed a good harvest, stable life for citizens and good business.
