1st May is Labour Day in Italy, known locally as the Festa dei Lavoratori. It is an annual public holiday celebrated all over the world that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers.

The celebration of Labour Day has its origins in the eight hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. On 21 April 1856 Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne, Australia, stopped work and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight hour day. Their direct action protest was a success, and they are noted as the first organized workers in the world to achieve an eight hour day with no loss of pay, which subsequently inspired the celebration of Labour Day and May Day. (source: Wikipedia).

Livorno's Patron Saint, Santa Giulia, is celebrated on the 22nd May every year. Schools and many businesses close for the day, although shops are usually open.

Santa Giulia is said to have lived in the 5th century, from 420 to 450 AD. According to an ancient document known as the Passio, Giulia was a rich noblewoman from the city of Carthage in North Africa. When the city fell into ruin, Giulia was taken as a slave by a Syrian merchant called Eusebio who travelled the world with her. During one of these journeys, Eusebio's ship was wrecked on the shores of Corsica where a despot by the name of Felix tried to persuade Giulia to denounce her Christian faith by making a sacrifice to his pagan gods. When she continued to refuse, he had her crucified.

This annual Sagra celebrates the broad bean, or baccello, grown locally and readily available at this time of year. The Sagra takes place in the Livorno district of Salviano, and is a good opportunity to browse around market stalls, buy fresh local vegetables, and have a good value meal at the Sagra restaurant.

Broad beans are traditionally eaten raw, accompanied by a mild fresh cheese known as Baccellone.