Medieval Ever Since, Medieval Forever: a Survey on the return of the Past in Present day Urban festivals in Italy (and Elsewhere)

A wave of celebrations of the Middle Ages has been expanding within and beyond Italian and European borders in the last four decades, and has been deeply involving the popular and traditional festival schedules as well as local memories. Starting from the end of the 60's, many Tuscany towns and villages have adopted the “medieval contexts” to enhance their grip on the public, giving origin to a wide range of festival and medieval reenactments. The essay follows four different cases in Tuscany, which blends of agon and mimicry conveniently represent the actual offer of neo-medieval events. The four Tuscan cases may boast a rich artistic, architectural or urban heritage, which apparently legitimate their claim to host a medieval reenactments. The appropriate scenery may also serve as the starting point for a reconsideration of local identity . The essay contends that the physical or geographical contiguity twith the “past”might be considered as a title of legitimation or an exclusive requirement for the claim to share the medieval heritage. Many, different and equally legitimate are the ways of making use of the past: from the living history to fairs and pageantries which may be attended almost everywhere in the world. The contemporary societies needs to enhance their texture and negotiate their identity: the past, anyone of their choice and beyond any philological biases, has reveled to be a open and available resource for the construction of meaningful local identities and contemporary social life