What is
The Boccabùgia is an impromptu poetry competition held every first Sunday in August each year in the town of Vergemoli, drawing a large audience from all over the region.
This poetry competition owes its name to Iacopo Vanni (1854-1911), known as the "Boccabùgia," because, probably, he had a "hollow mouth," that is, no teeth, or because he used to keep it "wide open" , as he spoke and responded easily using rhymes.
One still remembers two famous challenges between the "Boccabùgia" and the " Chioccoron" of Careggine that took place in Castelnuovo in the main square, where the two poets, from the top of their respective platforms, challenged each other to the last verse in contemporary rhymes.
Since then every year on the first Sunday in August, people of all kinds gather in Vergemoli to take part in this contest, where members of a special jury propose the themes to be dealt with, among which, the one on which the poets will have to compete is drawn by lot.
An 'hour and a half after the draw, the participants return and declaim to the audience the verses created just before, under the pania or in the shade of the woods, and at the end of the performance, the jury determines the winning poem.
The "Boccabùgia" then concludes with the awarding of prizes and the re-reading by the winning contestant of his or her composition, while partying continues in the village, with bands,mountain choirs,wine and cakes.
The 42nd contest held in August 2013 was presented by the well-known conductor Paolo Ruffini ( who had also presented the 2009 and 2010 editions) who was given honorary citizenship on the same day.