September is one of my favorite months in Italy.  It starts out as summer – hot and humid – and then slowly transforms itself into autumn. By late September the mornings and evenings are cool enough that sweaters and scarves make their first appearance of the season. The cooler weather is perfect for a passeggiata, the Italian tradition of an evening stroll, yet still pleasant enough for sitting outdoors at a cafe.  The AC (if one is lucky enough to have it) has been turned off and the windows are open, letting in cool breezes and the hint of fall that is in the air.

 In Lucca, September is a unique month. It even has a special name -  Settembre Lucchese.  It is a month of festivals, artisan markets, concerts, and celebrations. 

This year September kicked off with Murabilia, the annual fall garden show.  Murabilia has everything for the fall garden, from plants to yard art to terracotta pots.  For inside the home there are delicate orchids, fall gourds, and pretty linens.  Artisans demonstrate and sell their crafts and food stands offer local products – meats, cheese, breads, garlic, and flavored syrups.  

September also brings the Palio della Santa Croce. The Palio is has its roots in medieval times as members of the three contrade (districts) in the historic center of Lucca engage in a crossbow competition. The event starts with a procession of musicians, flag throwers, costumes, and the very medieval looking archers.  The procession weaves its way through Lucca, stopping to perform in some of the piazzas, eventually making their way to the area behind the Cathedral of San Martino where this year’s competition took place.

September’s most important event, The Luminaria of Santa Croce, takes place every year on the evening of September 13th.   The luminaria is in honor of Lucca’s most important ancient artifact, the wooden crucifix known as the Volto Santo (Holy Face). 

The legend of the Volto Santo is this: it was crafted by Nicodemus who fell asleep before carving the face.  When he awoke, he found that the face had been miraculously completed. The legend continues with a journey across the sea to the coast of Italy and then a trip by oxcart to Lucca more than 1000 years ago.  Both journeys are considered miracles as, according to the legend, the ship and the oxcart where unmanned and divinely guided to Lucca. The crucifix became a stop on the pilgrim’s route to Rome. It remains a venerated religious object to this day, drawing modern day pilgrims to Lucca. 

The crucifix usually rests in a small chapel within the Cathedral of San Martino where the figure of Christ is dressed in a gold vestments during the festival. This year was a bit different as the crucifix is undergoing restoration.  It has been moved from its small chapel to an area inside the cathedral where it is possible to watch the restoration in progress.   

During the luminaria procession religious and civic groups move through the candlelit streets of Lucca.  The Volto Santo is represented by a cloth image held aloft. Each year there is a large cross made of flowers. Participants hold candles and prayers are chanted along the route. It is a beautiful and moving event with both religious and cultural meaning.

Settembre Lucchese came to a close this year with the Festival of San Michele (St. Michael the Archangel).  A special mass was held in the Basilica of San Michele, one of Lucca’s historic churches.  A concert, on the evening of September 23rd, filled the church with music by the Polifonica Lucchese and the Boccherini Orchestra. The fullness of the music, along with beautiful voices in the setting of a historic church, combined to create a very special evening.

 September is an ideal time to visit Lucca. It is not too early to begin planning for a September 2024 visit !