No Scotland, no festa - Italian town celebrates Caledonian connections

A small Italian town has attracted thousands of visitors to a three-day celebration of its long-standing links to Scotland.

Barga in Tuscany held its annual Scottish weekend from Friday until Sunday.

Pipe bands took to the streets, dancers performed and a Highland games was held as part of the festivities.

Barga has been described as the most Scottish town in Italy due to the number of emigrants who headed to Scotland at the beginning of the 20th Century and between the two world wars but retained links with Tuscany.

Italian migrants started coming to Scotland in significant numbers from the late 1800s onwards to escape poverty and a lack of economic opportunity.

Most of the early arrivals came from Tuscany and, in particular, the Barga area with many of them ending up in Glasgow before moving out to towns and villages along the west coast.

Many initially made a living from selling fish and chips or ice cream and some ended up able to retire in their homeland or buy property there.

As travel became more straightforward between the two countries, the summer influx of Scottish-Italians reinforced the bond between Barga and Scotland.

Organisers reported a record attendance at this year's event in the town, which also stages an annual fish and chips festival.

The local football stadium is named after Johnny Moscardini - the only Scottish-born player to represent the Italian men's national team.

"An explosion of Scotland on the hills of northern Tuscany," reported the town's newspaper, the Giornale di Barga.

"There is a real invasion of visitors for the festival dedicated to Scotland and the links between Barga and Scotland."

It estimated that between 5,000 and 6,000 attended, a new record for the celebration.

"We have never seen so many people and it appears it was widely enjoyed as well," the Giornale added.

Among the attractions were dancing, music and traditional Highland games.

A number of restaurants also got in on the act by adding Scottish ingredients to their menus as part of the celebrations.

Now planning has already started for the event's return next year.