Every year in the evening of the second last Saturday of June and the afternoon of the first Sunday of September, the town of Arezzo in Tuscany holds an event called la Giostra del Saracino, or simply il Saracino, or The Joust of the Saracen in English.
Born in Medieval times as a military training exercise, it is now a great festival in the city which brings together tradition, history, food, music and costumes.
Stay in a nearby luxury villa with a pool and enjoy this exciting festival, full of events for the whole family!
Born in Medieval times as a military training exercise, it is now a great festival in the city which brings together tradition, history, food, music and costumes.
Stay in a nearby luxury villa with a pool and enjoy this exciting festival, full of events for the whole family!
The name references the Crusades and pits the competitors as Christian knights fighting a 'Saracen'-shaped dummy holding a whip. Taking place in the Piazza Grande, the contest sees 8 knights from the four quarters of Arezzo compete to claim the Golden Lance. These quarters are Porta Crucifera (green and red), Porta del Foro (yellow and crimson), Porta Sant'Andrea (white and green) and Porta Santo Spirito (yellow and blue).
The winning team is the pair that have the most points collectively at the end of the charges. Lots are drawn the week before the event to determine the order the knights compete in.
The points are obtained by charging the dummy with a lance and hitting different parts of the dummy's shield worth varying amounts. If a knight is disarmed by the dummy, they lose all of their points. If the whip hits them, they lose two. However, if their lance should break from charging the dummy hard enough, their points are doubled. At the end of the charges, if there is a tie, additional charges are added until a winner is decided. The secondary rules make the contest much more interesting and hard to predict its outcome. It is, as a result, a tense and exciting event to bear witness to.
The winning team is the pair that have the most points collectively at the end of the charges. Lots are drawn the week before the event to determine the order the knights compete in.
The points are obtained by charging the dummy with a lance and hitting different parts of the dummy's shield worth varying amounts. If a knight is disarmed by the dummy, they lose all of their points. If the whip hits them, they lose two. However, if their lance should break from charging the dummy hard enough, their points are doubled. At the end of the charges, if there is a tie, additional charges are added until a winner is decided. The secondary rules make the contest much more interesting and hard to predict its outcome. It is, as a result, a tense and exciting event to bear witness to.
However, there is more to the festival than the competition itself. There is lots to see and do. In the morning, before the event, a herald makes the proclamation of the joust challenge.
Then there is a parade in which hundreds of characters in costume and soldiers, musicians, valets, flag jugglers, knights, jousters and horses participate and move through the streets of Arezzo. At the Duomo, the men-at-arms are blessed in a ceremony by the bishop. All day there is a constant celebration with music, street performers, market and food stalls.
This is a bustling event with lots to do for all the family that any visitors to Tuscany this summer should try and make it to!
Then there is a parade in which hundreds of characters in costume and soldiers, musicians, valets, flag jugglers, knights, jousters and horses participate and move through the streets of Arezzo. At the Duomo, the men-at-arms are blessed in a ceremony by the bishop. All day there is a constant celebration with music, street performers, market and food stalls.
This is a bustling event with lots to do for all the family that any visitors to Tuscany this summer should try and make it to!
Photo credits
picture 1: Archivio Istituzione Giostra del Saracino / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 2: Archivio Istituzione Giostra del Saracino / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 3: Archivio Istituzione Giostra del Saracino / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 1: Archivio Istituzione Giostra del Saracino / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 2: Archivio Istituzione Giostra del Saracino / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 3: Archivio Istituzione Giostra del Saracino / CC BY-SA 3.0;
