The village of Grassina in the municipality of Bagno a Ripoli (just outside the city gates of Florence south of the Arno) has been holding an Easter procession since 1633, when Florence was hit by a terrible plague epidemic which miracolously spared the Bagno a Ripoli district. Interrupted for World War II, the procession was revived from 1950 until 1966, when a terrible flood hit Florence and its surroundings.

Seventeen years later, a group of volunteers organized a new and improved procession, which has been pulling larger and larger crowds eversince.

The event is made up of two different strands of action taking place at the same time. While a historic pageant of about 500 people in Roman costume parade through the streets of Grassina, 100 more actors give life to several scenes of the life and Passion of Christ impressively set against the backdrop of a nearby hill representing the Calvary, with an evocative soundtrack and special effects to highlight the dramatic events.

The Historic Pageant and reenactment of the Passion and Crucifixion of Christ take place at Grassina on Good Friday (April 9th this year) at 9.15pm; in case of bad weather the event is postponed to Easter Monday (April 12th). Tickets are available in advance from all Box Office network sales points or on the day of the show from the kiosks located at the entrance of the Grassina village.

In case you can't make it to Grassina on Good Friday, in the past few years the Grassina pageant has also been enacting Christ's entrance in Jerusalem at 5pm on Palm Sunday (April 4th) in Piazza della Signoria in the heart of Florence