Italicious

Wednesday 16 May 2012

“Joust of Saracino” in Arezzo 22-23 June 2012



Most people know the Palio in Siena as the most famous historical parade and contest in Tuscany, but less people know the “Joust of Saracino” is a chivalrous game originating in the medieval times and recalling the secular struggle of the occidental Christianity to hold back the Muslims. 

The joust is held in Arezzo in the beautiful Piazza Grande during the penultimate Saturday of June and the first Sunday in September. The joust is the evolution of a military exercise simulating a battle. A knight armed with a lance will face the Buratto King of India, having the appearance of the stereotyped enemy as he appeared to the occidental Christian: the Arab, the unfaithful, the Saracino; against him eight ”champions” from the four quarters that originally divided the city: the Porta Crucifera quarter, Porta S. Spirito quarter, the Porter del Foro quarter and the Porta S. Andrea quarter.

The Saracino holds a shield on his left arm with a sign which the others should try to hit with the lance and he will have to defend himself with a scourge in the right hand constructed with three leather balls each with the weight of 250 gram. When he’s hit, the Saracino turn around and try to hit the knight on the shoulder.
Historical Parade in Piazza Grande
The winning couple is the one who manage to collect the largest number of points hitting Saracino’s shield and the prize, "Lancia d'Oro" (the Golden Lance), goes to their quarter. If two quarters would gather the same points they will have to play again. Who’s going to win is uncertain up until the last minute and the game contains many turning points depending of the ability, the bravery and the luck of who’s involved in the joust in the Piazza Grande. The opening of the event take place in the morning with the reading of the announcement by Araldo followed by the multicoloured historic procession passing along the streets of the city and represented by 350 people dressed with fourteenth century clothing and 27 horses; the most important moment of the procession is the benediction of the participants on the stairs of the Dome by the bishop of Arezzo. The joust is opened by the flag-wavers, and then the procession enters accompanied by the applause of the public. Musicians from the “Gruppo Musici” will play on their drums and their instruments during the whole event. The musicians don’t use sheet music but play by ear and learn by heart memorizing the pieces and they are much appreciated not only in Italy but also abroad. 
(Courtesy of Toscana & Chianti News for the description of the event.

Noble Palace overlooking the main Square
Here, as in Siena, you can buy tickets to assist to the event in the square or outside the crowd in the noble buildings overlooking onto it. Wonderful apartments welcome tourists and travellers to have a magical view from above.

This allows this event to be attended by families or elderly people who do not like being in the crowd, without commodities for a few hours.
Moreover, each quarter is arranging historical dinners which takes places in the outings of the historical centre.
I highly recommend this event as a minor one, but yet very exciting and compelling. You'll be back in time and have the chance to visit one of the most beautiful towns in Tuscany. Arezzo, in fact, is very famous to locals for its antiques market, yet superior to the one in Lucca. Moreover, who can forget about the Prada outlet just outside town? 
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Thursday 3 May 2012

Back to Five Lands!

Cinque Terre are back!

Last week I was finally back to Cinque Terre to have a look at works in progress. The people here are making a great job, restoring Vernazza and Monterosso at high speed to be ready for the season. We first stopped in Monterosso, where you can still see how furious was the flood. Before taking our train to Riomaggiore, the first village, we had a wine tasting at Sassarini Winery. This is the biggest winery in Cinque Terre, producing a few different selections of native white, red and Sciacchetrà wines. The latter is very typical of the area and you will not find any other place in Italy where tasting it. It is a delicious, sugary wine made with white grapes dried for about 7 weeks and then pressed and kept in inox vask. 
This is a quite unusual process for sweet wines, such as Vin Santo, that are usually aged in wood casks. Dont' miss a shot  of Sciacchetrà in your next trip to Cinque Terre. True delight!
You can have a wine tasting along with some food at the Enoteca 5 Terre wine bar in Monterosso, close to the railway station.
After checking in Monterosso, we headed to Riomaggiore, the first of Cinque Terre, which seamt a bit packed up with tourists, because the Lover's way was closed for strong wind, which might be dangerous for rocks falling.
We had a delicious lunch at Dau Cila Restaurant, overlooking the tiny harbour of Riomaggiore, nested between the railway tunnel and the sea. All seafood was perfectly cooked and fresh, especially the typical anchovies. I learned from my friend Mirko, Frontier Wine tours, that American people do not like them becuase they use to have some big, salty fish which have nothing to do with delicate, small, tasty "Acciughe di Monterosso". Try them marinated or fried or simply with fresh tomato sauce and spaghetti. I definitely recommend this restaurant, not just for food, but also for the quaint position and nice inside setting made as if carved in the rock.
After lunch, we could not stop in Vernazza, as we were told that the Marine is yet closed or less accessible, but i was confirmed that most restaurants there are opening up again in late May. Here you cannot miss:
Belforte Restaurant, right by the sea inside an ancient tower;
Gianni Franzi, in the Marina

As you can see from clouds in the background, this was not the best day to visit the Cinque Terre, but colours and atmosphere was perfect as always. This is a magical place, which never lets you down.
I will soon be back with other friends to share the renovated villages of Vernazza and Monterosso, but also Riomaggiore, Manarola and Corniglia that deserve a visit and some authentic shots!