Though one must admit the tourist attraction in Tuscany that these events draw - the origins of the modern day re enactments in Tuscany are more closely tied to local pride then anything else. Tuscan cat calls, cheers, chants and a wild display of colour in favour of their local Tuscan champion, they parade into the grand square and proceed to re enact a game of strength and skill, one can almost hear the calls and yells of the public...well almost is an understatement. The Italians take these competitions as serious as they do their soccer matches!
Perhaps one of the more famous - but not the only one for sure - is the re-enactment takes place in the famous square in Siena, Tuscany. Held twice during the year in Siena, once in May and the second in July, you will find a one of a kind horse race. The entire square in Siena is covered in sand and the route is well marked. Make a note on your Tuscan calendar of the main phases of the Palio, there are four days of celebration.
It's important to know that only ten of seventeen contrade run each time and that their participation is decided by a draw, which takes place at least twenty days prior to each Palio. The contrade is the way Siena has divided its town up into competing factions. Each with their own flag, colors and church - where most of them take the horse itself in for the blessing.
At the end of the Parade, a burst of canon fire announces the jockey's exit from the Entrone. Each jockey is given a whip made of ox tendon with which he may incite the horse and block his opponents during the race. They then draw close to the starting point, where two hemp ropes have been stretched across to allow the jockeys to line up between them. The entrance order is decided by luck: in fact, there is a special bottle-type mechanism, with a neck-piece grafted into an oval container, once the bottle is turned over, the balls randomly line up along the neck-piece, in this way deciding on the order of the start. This procedure is carried out three times so that the starter is able to use the two reserve starts if the first one is not possible.
Nine contrade are called to line up between the ropes according to the order of the draw, while the tenth take a run-up (only when he decides on the right moment) in the way deciding the moment of the start. At that point, the starter lowers the front rope and opens the race.
If the start is invalid, a cracker is let off to stop the horses which will then have to return to the starting point. The horses have to circle the track three times, for around 1000 metres and the first one to finish is the glorious victor, approved by the three winning's judges.
Even a horse, without its jockey, can carry its contrada to victory.
Arezzo has a famous historic pagent twice a year once in June on the second to last Saturday which coincides with San Donato the patrone saint of Arezzo and the first Sunday of September - an antique jousting match from the Medieval times and played all the way up until XVIII secolo, it was brought back in 1931.
Divided into the town "doors" or porta, the medieval entrances into the walled city of Arezzo,, Tuscany - Arezzo has four different colorful teams that compete: Porta Crocifera, Porta del Foro, Porta Sant'Andrea and Porta del Borgo, today known as Porta Santo Spirito.
The target in this Tuscan demonstration is Buratto. In his left hand is the shield with a bulls eye, and the depending champion mus hit the target with his lance while on his horse.
But as if that was not enough, the Buratto has a spring mechinasm which as soon as the jouster touches the shield with his flagello pops into motion and the left arm - which is extended swings around with three balls made of leather, weighing in at about 250 gr. each on a 1 meter long rope.
If the rider is not fast enough, the saracino will give up a PUSH!
The day opens with a corteo storico or a historic parade throughout the antique city streets with 350 persons in costums from the 1300's (princes, knights, princesses, ladies in waiting, drummers, flag throwers and more) and over 25 dressed horses.
Games are held in the Piazza Grande, which has been completely set-up with stands, the jousting area and the target, an automated figure with a sheild that the competing parties need to hit to earn points and win the cup.
For more info or tickets please contact:
There are so many events to note, but another spectacular reenactment is in Pistoia, the Giostra dell'Orso. Stopped during the war, the city began in the late 1940's to recreate this fabulous event. On July 25, celebrates St. James, Pistoia's patron saint. During the staged event, three knights from each section of the city fight a "bear" (actually a target shaped like a bear that they strike, on horseback). The winner is the knight who struck the bears left foot - or as close as possible.
This particular event is a creation of two different events in Pistoia's history one was a horse race in honor of Sant’Jacopo and the other was a mention in the 1660's of a jousting match with a bear. Bears are not non in this area ...now, however it seems that they were abundant in the time period when the held the event in the late medieval times.)
Please check out the site for more beautiful photos of this event:
http://www.giovannirinaldi.it/page/tradition/pistoiaorso/
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