(Early) New Year Celebration in Tuscany

Tuscany keeps alive the long Medieval religious tradition celebrating the beginning of the year with the Annunciation Day, 25th March, nine months before the birth of Jesus Christ.Before the advent of the Gregorian calendar in 1582, the New Year was marked by March 25, instead of January 1st. Tuscany continued to celebrate this New Year's Day until 1749, when the Grand Duke of Lorraine Francesco II issued a decree which introduced the modern calendar. This year  the town of Carrara, famous all over the world for its white marble,  is included in the celebrations of the New Year's Eve thanks to the Italian Branch of the Dickens Fellowship. The branch, headquartered in the historical centre of Carrara, was given a grant by the  Council of Regione Toscana and celebrates the New's Year in Tuscany with a photo exibition "Florence, Tuscany and Charles Dickens" by Massimo Susini (25-30 March).

The official opening is on 25th March 5pm at Palazzo Binelli in Carrara. On Saturday 30th March at 5 pm, the Secretary of the Italian Branch of the Dickens Fellowship, Marzia Dati, will give a lecture: "Charles Dickens's visit in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany."