March is mad and April follows along — the two spring months are unpredictable and treacherous, alternating warm sunshine with sudden frost and storms. Tuscan farmers used this to warn against trusting early spring warmth and planting too soon.
Spring in Tuscany is not the gentle awakening of northern European imagination. The Apennine hills that form the backbone of the region funnel cold tramontana winds from the north well into April, and a warm week in early March can be followed by a frost that destroys vines, olives, and early vegetable crops in a single night. Tuscan farmers learned over centuries to distrust the warmth, and the agricultural calendar of the region reflects this caution: traditional planting dates for the most sensitive crops — beans, tomatoes, tender herbs — were set for late April or even early May, after the last danger of frost (the gelatine di maggio) had passed. The phrase captures the Tuscan farmer's wary relationship with nature: he enjoyed the sunshine but kept his seeds in the granary a little longer. The paired personification of March and April as a pair of madmen — one leading the other into unpredictable behaviour — is a fine example of the Tuscan peasant tradition of giving human character to the seasons.
A seasonal proverb rooted in the Tuscan agricultural calendar, reflecting the region's real climatic danger of late spring frosts that could destroy entire crops in the hills and valleys of the Apennines.
A farmer near Siena warning his neighbour not to plant tomatoes yet
— Oggi fa caldo, mi metto a piantare i pomodori. — Aspetta. Marzo è pazzo e aprile gli tien dietro — arriva ancora il freddo.
— It is warm today, I am going to plant the tomatoes. — Wait. March is mad and April follows along — the cold will come again.
A Lucca grandmother advising her granddaughter who is planning a spring outdoor wedding
Hai scelto aprile? Marzo è pazzo e aprile gli tien dietro — metti un piano B per la pioggia.
You chose April? March is mad and April follows along — have a plan B for the rain.
Two farmers comparing the spring weather over a coffee in a bar
Che bella giornata oggi. — Sì, ma marzo è pazzo e aprile gli tien dietro. Non mi fido ancora.
What a beautiful day today. — Yes, but March is mad and April follows along. I do not trust it yet.
A man from Arezzo joking about the unpredictable behaviour of two siblings
Quei due fratelli? Marzo è pazzo e aprile gli tien dietro. Non sai mai cosa combinano.
Those two brothers? March is mad and April follows along. You never know what they are going to do.