Europe

“La Festa Dei Lavoratori”

The First of May is an All Day Long Party in Rome

April 20th, 2016
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The first of May in Italy is well-known as “La festa dei lavoratori” or “Festa del Lavoro”, and it takes place everywhere in Italy all day long. The explanation for this free day is about the celebration of workers’ achievement of better social and economic conditions at work, and it represents the promotion and respect of workers’ rights. The main activities going on in the sweet peninsula are in the form of processions, country festivals, concerts parades, which run from Milan, Turin, and Florence, to Rome, Naples and the islands.

In particular, if you go to Rome on the first of May, you may not find open restaurants or shops, but certainly you will find museums and tourists attraction open and often free or at a low price. The main event though, is the Rome’s Concerto del Primo Maggio (1ST of May’s concert), also known as Concertone (Big concert), which takes place in Piazza San Giovanni. The organizers are the Italian Trade Unions and normally there are 500.000 people participating every year. It starts at 3 p.m. and goes until midnight, but you can find people dancing and singing already early in the morning. Many Italian and international singers and players will perform in Piazza San Giovanni, among which there is Max Gazzè, Bandabardò, Skunk Anansie, the Asian Dub Foundation and many more.

In addition, several sites will be open in Rome on May 1st to visit, such as the Colosseum, the National Roman Museum, the Borghese Gallery, the Vatican Museums (Sistine Chapel included), and all the churches. In order to be sure, it is possible to check on the internet websites if the places are open or not.

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References


Cultural Diplomacy News
Paola Pluchino, CD News