Maggio Musicale Fiorentino is an annual arts festival in Florence, including a notable
opera festival; it was founded in April 1933 by conductor
Vittorio Gui with the aim of presenting contemporary and forgotten
operas in visually dramatic productions. It was the first music festival in Italy. The first opera presented was
Verdi's early
Nabucco, his early operas then being rarely staged. It now takes place between late April, May and into June, typically with four operas.