saint martin’s legend

Istituto Magistrale Statale "Marco Terenzio Varrone" Cassino


One day many years ago, winters were longer, colder and more harsh. There was even ice and snow in November.

Martin was a soldier, he was riding his horse and returning home on the 11th day of that month, a journey that would have taken him less than four days. While he was on his return journey he met a poor man in the street, a man so poor that he had nothing to cover and protect himself from the snow and the cold winter weather.


Martin saw the man, and taking the cloak from his shoulders, cut it in two using his sword and gave one half to the poor man. As if by magic, all around the snow melted, the earth became dry and the bright sun reappeared making the air warm like summer.

The morning after it started snowing again and Martin met another poor man shivering because of the cold, and he gave this poor man the other half of his cloak.

For the second time, the snow melted and the sun began to shine.

Trento Longaretti(Treviglio 1916 - )San Martino dona il mantello al povero(1975)

Martin did the same again on the third day, this time

giving his clothes to another man suffering from the cold.

Martin’s journey would have been finished at the end of that day and so he gave away the last clothes he had…


God replied once again with a miracle and for the fourth time, winter suddenly transformed into summer.

The warm weather lasted for only half a day more, just enough time for Martin to arrive safely home.

From that moment on, the month of November has three and a half days

of summer: St. Martin’s Summer.



In chapter 12 of the Promessi Sposi by Alessandro Manzoni, reasons are given for the famine across the region including bad harvests, too much waste and high taxes. The Chancellor Antonio Ferrer adopted a measure to lower the price of bread, a decision heavily criticised by Manzoni: because by lowering the price of bread, raw materials such as salt and flour became sparse and could not be bought. Therefore the price of bread increased and so the people protested and began to steal bread from the bakeries. This was the beginning of St. Martin’s food riots.

St. Martin’s Summer in Italian Literature


San MartinoLa nebbia agli irti collipiovigginando sale,e sotto il maestraleurla e biancheggia il mar;

ma per le vie del borgodal ribollir de' tiniva l'aspro odor dei vinil'anime a rallegrar.

Gira su' ceppi accesilo spiedo scoppiettando,sta il cacciator fischiandosu l'uscio a rimirar

tra le rossastre nubistormi d'uccelli neri,com'esuli pensieri,nel vespero migrar.

Giosuè Carducci

A Poem of St. Martin

San Martino The fog on the hills rises while it pours and under the mistral the sea screams and whitens;but through the streets of the village from the boiling vatsspreads the sour smell of wine to cheer the souls.On burning logs turns the crackling spit roast,the hunter whistling,is staring from the door, among the reddish clouds flocks of black birds like melancholy thoughtsmigrate in the twilight.


“On St. Martin’s day all wine will be ready”

“On St. Martin’s day you can have chestnuts and good wine”

“St. Martin’s summer goes on for three days and a little bit more ”

“On St. Martin’s day there will be snow on the thornbush”

“On St. Martin’s day all little poor men sow their seed”

“On St. Martin’s day everyone can drink good wine”

“On St. Martin’s day winter is close”

Proverbs and sayings of St. Martin’s legend

saint martin’s legend

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