For Maremmani, the first of May is one of the most beautiful days of the year.

Don’t believe me? When I first moved to the Maremma, my host dad dragged me through the streets of Manciano singing the ‘Canti di Maggio’ (Songs of May), despite the fact that I didn’t know any of the words and was firmly in the grips of a very nasty flu.

If that wasn’t bad enough, he made me wear the funniest costume. Let’s just say I looked like a 15th century peasant who had had a fight with a  garden of flowers… and the flowers won.

Jokes aside,  May Day or Calendimaggio is a truly Tuscan tradition.

In Florence, the entire month is celebrated with the exquisite Maggio Musicale Fiorentino – an annual arts festival where a series of contemporary and forgotten operatic performances are brought life in visually dramatic productions.

In the Maremma, we don’t have grand operas or huge theatres, so we celebrate Calendimaggio the old way, the pagan way.

There is this beautiful story of Dante Alighieri, Italy’s Shakespeare, attending his first May Day celebrations in 1274. While he was standing there admiring the flowers, the music and the dancing, Dante, who was only nine at the time, first glimpsed his beloved Beatrice. He was smitten for life.

For some reason whenever I try to describe Calendimaggio, I always end up telling this story. I think it’s because it sums up the significance of an event that would otherwise just seem like another beautiful, floral celebration to us non-Italians.

At the very heart of May Day is the imminent arrival of summer. The first hints of the glorious sun are shining down on Tuscany and its residents are waking up from their hibernation.

They are filled with such joy at the changing of the seasons that they embrace everything that makes life worth living – music, play, dance, food, entertainment and, of course, love.

In the next week all over the Maremma, towns and cities will be celebrating these things in their own special way.

In the Fiora Valley, where I live, we will crown a Regina di Maggio (Queen of May). It’s a position every girl dreams of because the queen leads the May Day songs and dances. She is the object of everyone’s affection and the very embodiment of the month we are celebrating.

Young boys and girls dressed up as brigands and young maidens will drape themselves in garlands of flowers and bright streamers.

They’re called maggerini and follow the queen and il majo, a boy carrying a floral branch that represents springs, from house to house playing the harmonica and singing the folklore songs in exchange for flowers, wine, eggs and other delicious treats.

In some corners of the Maremma, there might be two, three or four of these groups per town. They won’t just be made up of young boys and girls, but anyone who wants to sing. They’ll compete musically. The best group will usually have a poet who can make up songs and rhymes about the seasons on the spot. They always get the most treats.

The flowers the maggerini collect will adorn the houses of all those who are young and in love. The food and wine, on the other hand, is shared at the end of night at a huge party in the piazza. Songs of love, nature and the seasons are sung long into the night.

It’s a beautiful event to be a part of, and reading this post back, I don’t think I’ve even done it justice.

It’s hard to put into words a festival that is essentially a representation of life and love and summer. I feel a bit like a pretentious twat trying to do so, so you’ll just have to see it yourself. There is nothing touristy about Calendimaggio. You’ll be swept away.

You don’t have be in the Fiora Valley to be part of the festival. Wherever you are, there are sure to be celebrations in the coming days, so keep your eyes open for flowers and your ears peeled for music. 

The biggest festival is in Braccagni, north of Grosseto. 

Here’s a little video to give you an idea of what Calendimaggio is all about. These singers are from Follonica:

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