The Castle of Wonders and the Carnival of the Sons of Bocco
Castilion Fibocchi is a town in the Valdarno area, within the province of Arezzo, located on the Strada dei Setteponti road near the Pratomagno mountain. Castiglion Fibocchi houses the “Castle of the Sons of Bocco” which was built in the Middle Ages by the Counts of the Guidi family and later passed on to the sons of Ottaviano Pazzi, known as “Bocco,” the namesake of the castle. Everything in this village tells a piece of the long history of this family. The Porta Fredda or “Cold Door” which today leads to the historic center was originally the door of the castle. The Municipal Building was home to the lords of the time and the Church of Saints Peter and Ilario was once the chapel of the castle. Today this church is the parish church.
The whole village retains many traces of the family. The streets of the historic center and town squares come to life each year with the festival called “The Carnival of the Sons of the Bocco.”
It’s more than just a simple carnival, it’s played out like an enchanting fairy tale, full of Baroque costumes and Venetian style masks. This ancient festival has been exciting the town and attracting curious people from all over the world for almost one thousand years. It’s a costume party as big as the town itself, complete with dames, harlequins and most importantly, King Bocco.
