Calici di Stelle (Wine Under the Stars) is one of the wine festivals that anchors the Tuscany calendar, drawing both local visitors and international wine travellers each year. It is held at Multiple wine towns across Tuscany (incl. Montepulciano) in Italy, in the heart of one of Italy's most distinctive wine areas. It is an annual event with an established local audience and a consistent place in the regional calendar.
Wine tastings under the stars on San Lorenzo night (night of shooting stars). National event across 300+ wine cities in Italy. Tuscany is a major participant. Calici di Stelle takes its name from the Night of San Lorenzo on 10 August, when the Perseid meteor shower peaks over Italy. Wineries and town councils across the region run open-air tastings under the night sky, often combined with local food, live music and astronomy programmes. The atmosphere is relaxed and family-friendly, with wines typically poured in the form of guided tasting flights through the participating area. The event is organised jointly by Movimento Turismo del Vino and Citta del Vino, with each participating town or winery setting its own programme within the broader nationwide framework. Many editions include amateur astronomers giving talks during the evening, adding a cultural dimension to the wine tasting itself. The event is organised by Movimento Turismo del Vino / Città del Vino, which sets the tone and direction of the programme each year.
Tuscany is one of the world's most-visited wine regions, with Sangiovese-based reds at its core: Chianti and Chianti Classico across the central hills, Brunello di Montalcino in the south, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano around its namesake hilltown, and the Super Tuscans that established Bolgheri as a Bordeaux-style outlier. The region's UNESCO-listed landscape of cypress avenues, hilltop villages and stone villas is closely tied to its wine festival calendar, with the major anteprima events of February and the late-summer harvest celebrations as key dates.
The 2026 edition is scheduled for 10 August 2026. Cost details are best confirmed directly with the organiser ahead of travel. Full programme, ticketing and updated information are published on the official site at cittadelvino.it. Visitors are advised to check directly with the organiser for the latest schedule, as Italian festival programmes are sometimes updated close to the event date.
Tuscany is reached via Florence, Pisa or Siena, all linked by high-speed train and major airports. A festival visit pairs naturally with classic Tuscan tourism — Florence's museums, the Uffizi, Siena's Piazza del Campo, San Gimignano's medieval skyline, and the cypress-lined roads of the Val d'Orcia. Tuscan cuisine pairs closely with the wines: bistecca alla fiorentina, ribollita, pici al ragu, pecorino di Pienza, and panforte. Spring and early autumn offer the best weather without high-summer crowds.
