Umbria’s Festival del Medioevo 2024: "Centuries of Light”
If you find yourself in Umbria this September, you must take a trip to Gubbio in the province of Perugia, known as the ‘city of stone’, where the Festival del Medioevo is due to take place.
The Festival of the Middle Ages has become a tradition in Gubbio, started by Federico Fioravanti, now celebrating its tenth annual festival. Taking place between the 25th and the 29th of September this year, the festival theme will be ‘Centuries of Light’, with previous themes including ‘The Birth of Europe’, ‘Women’, ‘The Other Side of History’ and ‘Families and Power’.
’Centuries of Light’ has been selected as the 2024’s theme to dispel the common prejudices surrounding the Middle Ages, as a dark and obscure period in the history books. The festival wishes to address this, this year showcasing the discoveries and innovation of the Middle Ages by ‘shedding light’ on an era often referred to as the ‘Dark Ages’.
The medieval city once charmed writer Hermann Hesse, as he wrote: “You think you are dreaming or that you are facing a theatrical scene. And we must continually persuade ourselves that everything is there, still and fixed in stone. [A place where one can] feel with one’s senses the past as present, the distant as near, the beautiful as eternal”.
The Medieval Festival is a special event that helps to educate the local community and next generation, by placing a lens on the past to better understand the present age.
What to expect
Made up of a series of enriching and significant events, the five-day festival hosts exhibitions, markets, shows, re-enactments and educational activities across the entire ‘city of stone’. The Medieval Book Fair is the perfect place to start for literature on the period, spanning ten centuries, and covering Italian and global medieval history. Moving to the Scriptoria event, you will be treated to the specialist craft of miniaturists and calligraphers who will share the secrets of medieval art with you.
There will also be a designated space within the festival to honour the representation of the medieval age in pop culture: a period reimagined in the new languages of politics, film, TV and through innovations in architecture, fashion and society.
Among many events is the Tolkien session, dedicated to the works of British writer J. R. R. Tolkien, as well as a day built around the School of Reenactors, including performances by thousands of actors dressed in historical clothing, and the Middle Ages for Kids - activity days for children.
Attracting medievalists, writers, scientists and art historians in Italy and from all over the world—the Festival del Medioevo is not one to miss! Will we be seeing you in September?
For more information and how to book your trip, visit www.festivaldelmedioevo.it, or the Facebook page: @FestivalDelMedioevo.