Want To See Italian Villages Festivities? Try These Towns Near Rome
Date, 08.25.2009
by Cristiano Rubbi
Want To See Italian Villages Festivities? Try These Towns Near Rome
Simposio etrusco (Etruscan Symposium) - Ladispoli. Every year, on the night of August 10, a symposium is held at Ladispoli to reproduce an Etruscan environment in every detail. Ceremonies are held in accordance with Etruscan tradition and performers are dressed in Etruscan costume. Games and all forms of entertainment help to create an atmosphere that enables guests to relive situations dating back 2,500 years and over. The Etruscans were a population that inhabited central and northern Italy before Rome became the powerful city we are all familiar with. It is truly exciting, even thrilling, to somehow approach the Etruscans and to take a peek at their civilization.
Giostra di Sant'Agapito (Tournament of Sant'Agapito) - Palestrina. If you like to see medieval tournaments re-enacted in a blaze of joyful colours amid a cheering crowd of supporters encouraging the athletes competing for their ward, you cannot afford to miss the tournament that is held every year in August in Palestrina. It consists of a number of contests intended to test the skills of the participants, the winner among them being awarded a prize and his ward retaining the title for the year. The real purpose of this event, of course, is to keep old traditions alive, while allowing people to relax and enjoy themselves in a lively and uninhibited context.
Palio delle Contrade (Palio of the Wards) - Canale Monterano. Several centuries ago the life of towns and villages in Italy, as much as anywhere else in Europe, when not at war, used to be marked by tournaments in which brave knights would show their prowess at horse riding, duelling and archery. Things being somewhat different these days, those knights have been replaced ' at least in this town ' by young men grouped in teams of four, who compete with other teams in a race where they have to cart a heavy vat on their backs at full tilt. In addition, the contest is preceded by a fabulous procession which parades through the streets in splendid medieval costumes designed and sewn by the skilful hands of the older ladies of the town.
Festa dell'Assedio (Festivity of the Siege) - Bracciano. Not unnaturally, you will be surprised to learn that the people of Bracciano celebrate the anniversary of a siege, but they have their good reasons for doing so. Back in 1501, Cesare Borgia, a brother of the notorious Lucrezia Borgia, gave up his cardinal robe and moved with an army against Bracciano that at the time was under the control of another famous Roman family, the Orsini. He failed in his attempt to take the town after a siege and the festivity is intended to recall the various heroic feats of the natives of Bracciano. Since the town is located next to the lake by the same name, the competitions and other games take place on the lake, but, on dry land, there are plenty of opportunities to taste local delicacies.
Sagra delle Fettuccine al Tartufo (Festival of the fettuccine with Truffle) - Civitella Cesi (Blera). Have you ever tasted fettuccine? If you haven't, you should definitely try this type of pasta that is extremely popular in central Italy. Civitella Cesi, a town not too far away from Rome, holds a fettuccine festival in mid-August that is somewhat unique in the way it is arranged. All customers sit at the same table that is immeasurably long and stretches along the streets of the town. The 'fettuccine' is savoured with local truffle and the result is superb. In addition top-quality meat from nearby farms is served, together with other treats, to gourmets delight. Another highlight of the event is a historical procession, followed by a horse race - the latter being rather unique in its kind, since the horses race without their jockeys!
Corteo Storico di Montefiascone (Historical Procession of Montefiascone) - Montefiascone. Like many other Italian towns, Montefiascone has a history that dates further back than the Middle Ages. It is only too natural, then, that it should want to recall its origins by conducting a historical procession in July every year. Unlike many other towns, however, its procession refers to a very specific occurrence: the visit of a German bishop on his way to Rome in the year 1111. This clergyman, who was a great wine drinker, had sent a trusted servant ahead of him with instructions to write outside a wine shop the word 'EST' if he thought the wine there was good. When he arrived at Montefiascone, he found the local wine so good that he wrote 'EST, EST,EST'. The bishop was so delighted with the wine, that before his death he left all his properties to the Municipality of Montefiascone, on condition that they should pour a barrel of wine over his tomb every year. The historical procession numbers over 150 participants, all dressed in medieval costume. It provides a vivid picture of society as it was at the time, since the characters represented include, in addition to the bishop, feudal lords and their ladies, also archers, cavalrymen, craftsmen, tradesmen and other people taken from daily life.
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