The Isle of Skye Youth Pipe Band and Skye Highland Dancers are taking part in a remarkable celebration of Scottish culture in the heart of Tuscany.
Young pipers, drummers and dancers from Skye have travelled to Barga for its annual Scottish Festival, which is transforming the medieval hill town with music, tartan, Highland games and Scottish food and drink.
The three-day event, running until Sunday, celebrates more than a century of connections between Barga and Scotland.
The Skye performers are appearing throughout the weekend alongside the Doc’n Socks Pipe Band from British Columbia and the Royal Highland Company Pipes & Drums.
The youth pipe band is made up of school-age musicians from communities across Skye. Its aim is to ensure traditional piping and drumming skills are passed between generations and remain an important part of the island’s culture.
Members previously received a warm welcome in Barga and were invited to return following the success of their earlier appearances.
The group performed in Barga’s historic centre today and will return on Sunday morning to open the town’s Highland Games at Parco Kennedy.
At 1pm on Sunday, the band and dancers will lead a procession from the park towards the old town. A final concert involving the weekend’s musicians and dancers will be held at the Teatro dei Differenti at 7pm.
The sight and sound of a pipe band parading through the narrow streets may appear unexpected in rural Italy – but Barga is widely known as “the most Scottish town in Italy”.
From the late 19th century onwards, generations of people left Barga and the surrounding Serchio Valley to find work in Scotland.
Many settled in Glasgow, Paisley, Edinburgh, Dundee, Falkirk and towns across the west of Scotland. They became particularly associated with cafés, ice cream parlours and fish and chip shops.
Some remained in Scotland permanently, while others returned to Tuscany after earning enough money to build homes or establish businesses. Families frequently moved between the two countries, creating an enduring Scottish-Italian community.
That connection remains visible and audible in Barga today. Scottish accents are regularly heard during the summer as descendants return to visit relatives and family homes.
One of the best-known examples is Paolo Nutini. The Paisley singer’s paternal family came from Barga and ran Castelvecchi, the family fish and chip shop in Paisley.
Nutini has visited the Tuscan town throughout his life and was presented with Barga’s Golden St Christopher medal in 2007 in recognition of his contribution to the community.
The town also has links to violinist Nicola Benedetti, whose father’s family came from Barga.
Celebrated Scottish painter John Bellany developed a particularly close relationship with the town after visiting it. He later lived and worked there, while the brighter Tuscan landscape influenced the colours used in his paintings.
The town’s Scottish identity is also celebrated through its annual fish and chips festival and a commemorative tartan designed to represent the friendship between Barga and Glasgow.
This weekend’s festival began with a parade through the old town and performances by Scottish singer-songwriter Jill Jackson and Celtic harpist Anna Livia Walker.
Saturday’s programme includes a Scottish market, street food stalls, country dancing workshops and talks exploring subjects ranging from the founding of Celtic Football Club to Highland traditions.
Visitors can also see demonstrations of historic Scottish martial arts involving the broadsword, targe, dirk and Lochaber axe.
Jill Jackson will perform again on Saturday evening, alongside concerts by Oscar McLellan and Lionhead, before a ceilidh-style dance brings the day to a close.
Sunday’s Highland Games will be followed by shortbread-making classes, talks about Outlander, the West Highland Way, kilts and bagpipes, more music and Scottish dancing.
An exhibition featuring work by Scottish artists including Bryan Angus, Susie Hunt, Michael Weight, Mike Samson, Jane Richardson, Ewen McClure and Margaret Preston is also being staged during the festival.
Glasgow Lord Provost Jacqueline McLaren is among the Scottish representatives attending as Barga continues to strengthen its cultural relationship with the city.