Terni: «Cantamaggio suffered, but we never lost hope»

24 Apr 2024 11:53

In Terni everything is ready for the Terni Cantamaggio, now in its 128th edition, will raise the curtain on April 29th at 9.30pm at the Secci theater with the ‘Giuseppe Capiato’ Maggiaiole songs competition. The highlight of the event, like every year, will be the evening of April 30th with the parade of the 6 allegorical floats in competition and the seventh out of competition which will distribute the classic penne all’arrabbiata to everyone.

The allegorical floats

The 6 floats that will parade along Via Mazzini, Corso Tacito, Piazza della Repubblica and Piazza Europa will be San Giovanni with ‘L’u giardinu de maggiu’, Pallotta-Polymer-Sabbione with ‘Utopia maggiaiola’, Arrone with ‘Na primavera infinito’ , Montecastrilli with ‘Earth day is everyday’ with subtitle ‘If we kill them we will die too!’, Cesi with ‘Nature amica-Campagna amica’, Lu Riacciu with ’50 anni de ‘n’amore ‘nfinitu’. In this 128th edition the maggiaioli wanted to talk about the environment, feminicides, wars and other themes always linked to current events. At the end of the parade on April 30th the floats will remain on display until May 5th in Piazza Europa and Piazza della Repubblica, in the parking lot of Palazzo Pierfelici. In case of bad weather the April 30th parade will be postponed to May 4th. The title of the chariot of San Giovanni is ‘L’u giardinu de maggiu’. In the garden there are flowers, boys and girls, playing carefree and approaching the game of life. Like a slide, we go up to reach peaks that are sometimes bigger than us, and we go down, and when we finally find ourselves with our feet on the ground, we feel safe. ‘Maggiaiola Utopia’ is the title of the Pallotta-Polymer-Sabbione wagon designed by Giuseppina Libera. The chariot represents the dream of a person who is very worried about the world in which she is living. Wars, feminicides, everyday disappointments scare her and she dreams of something different for the future and hopes that by going to the moon she will be able to perceive a better world, with no more gunshots or violence against women, or bad things surrounding her. In Arrone the float designed by Daniele Aiani bears the title ‘An infinite spring’. Faced with the events that have occurred in recent years, the Maggiaiolo group of Arrone could not remain indifferent to the strong impression made in all those who still believe and fight for respect for the main values ​​of life. A direct consequence is the materialization of a spring allegory, in which the presences that animate the scene are nothing more than symbolic figures. The title of Montecastrilli’s float is ìEarth day is everyday’ with the subtitle ‘If we kill them we will die too!’. The project is by the Maceole theater group. Nature’s cries of pain are no longer newsworthy. Why should man care if he is the only creator of all the changes that are putting the survival of the entire planet at risk? Two of the most loved and well-liked insects in creation were chosen: bees and butterflies. The fifth float in the race is that of Cesi which is entitled ‘Friendly Nature – Friendly Countryside’ designed by Roberto Farinelli and Sandrina Bianconi. Wake up, May has arrived! With its traditions that we all respect. The air is warm and fragrant, the colors of the flowers are wonderful, spring welcomes us with a big hug. All nature has awakened with its fruits, children are playing happily, birds are chirping and celebrating. The wagon bears witness to this magic. And then there is the Lu Riacciu float which was designed by Alfonso Lauro and has the title ’50 years of ‘n’amore ‘nfinitu’. After fifty years of honored marital ‘service’, the two little donkeys of Lu Riu celebrate their golden wedding. The placid love between Giggetto and Rosetta is an inspiration for today’s young people who learn the art of mutual respect and dedication from the ‘donkeys’ of the time. Violence and certain devilries of progress do not touch them. Finally there is the seventh float not in the competition which is that of the pens of the Lu Riacciu group. A plate of penne and a glass of wine cannot be denied to anyone.

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The appeal of president Maurizio Castellani

Other events scheduled

The Cantamaggio events in Terni will continue on May 1st at 9pm in Piazza Europa with the award ceremony of the May floats. A musical show entitled ‘Easy pop – The history of the jukebox’ will follow at 9.30pm. On May 2nd the appointment is at 4pm in BCT with the ‘Alighiero Maurizio’ poetry competition in Italian dialect and language. The musical show ‘Cantamaggio of yesterday, today and tomorrow…’ will follow at 9pm in Piazza Europa with the Terni Cantamaggio orchestra, directed by Maestro Riccardo Ciaramellari. Friday 3 May at 9pm in Piazza Europa there will be a big party with the event ‘The fabulous years of the 60s-70s-80s-90s’ with a DJ set by Susy. On Saturday 4 May at 3.30 pm the protagonists will be the children of Terni’s nursery and primary schools with the parade of mini floats that will travel along Piazza Tacito, Corso Tacito, Piazza della Repubblica and Piazza Europa. It will follow at 9pm in Piazza Europa directly from the Rai 2 program the artists ‘From the street to the stage’ presents the singer Thomas Grazioso of Amici. Grand finale on Sunday 5 May at 3.30pm when Stefano de Majo will tell ‘The fairy tale of the world’ along the streets of the city. During the evening at 9pm Piazza Europa will be the setting for Cantamaggio Giovani which presents ‘Best DJ – Final Challenge’. Finally, on May 18th at 5.30 pm at the Ente Cantamaggio headquarters the draw for the ‘Cantamaggio Ternino 2024’ lottery tickets will be held. «Like every year we want to give the entire Terni community – explains the president of the Terni Cantamaggio Association, Maurizio Castellani – a week of events linked to tradition and more. With many difficulties this year too we managed to give life to the 128th edition. I was convinced that the money would arrive, but you can’t be anxious all the time because to organize a party like this you have to start 6-7 months in advance. I ask that as early as June we must know for sure whether we can plan the following year’s Cantamaggio, because we need time to do something beautiful that will spread nationwide.”

Cantamaggio: six floats in the competition. A week of events