While the whole world welcomes the new year on January 1st, Florence preserves an ancient tradition, since the Middle Ages it celebrates its New Year on March 25th.

The origins of the Florentine New Year

Closely linked to Marian devotion, March 25th, the day of the Annunciation (the meeting between Mary and the Archangel Gabriel) was chosen by Florence as the first day of the new year, and remained in force for centuries, even after the Gregorian calendar had set the beginning of the year on January 1st.

For 168 years, Florence opposed the change, until Francesco II of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, decreed the official adoption of the Gregorian calendar in November 1750.

Even today, a plaque under the Loggia dei Lanzi commemorates this historic passage.

The connection with Pisa

Pisa also celebrates the Pisan New Year on March 25, with the peculiarity that the year is considered 365 days earlier than the traditional calendar.

The return of tradition

Since 2000, the Municipality of Florence has decided to commemorate this ancient tradition with a historical parade. On March 25, the Procession of the Florentine Republic starts from the Palagio of Guelph Part and passes through the historic center to the Basilica of Santissima Annunziata, a symbolic place of the Marian celebration, where the fresco of the Annunciation is located, considered miraculous. According to legend, a certain friar Bartolomeo, the painter in charge of the work, was unable to complete the face of the Madonna, and went to sleep. When he prepared to finish the painting in the morning, the face of the Madonna was complete. A miraculous hand had finished it for him.

Events in the city

The Florentine New Year is not just history and tradition, but also an opportunity to rediscover Florence with cultural initiatives and free guided tours. As part of the Florentine Week, the Florentine Civic Museums and MUS.E organize special events dedicated to the history of the city and its deep connection with this celebration.

An anniversary that unites past and present, keeping the heart of Florentineness alive.