Il Palio, a.k.a. San Severino's Medieval Festival

What is an ancient medieval town without archery tournaments, castle races and dinners of wild boar meat?

For two weeks in June, San Severino celebrates its medieval heritage with events and activities that showcase its long history. For newcomers like me, it is extremely interesting and somewhat bizarre; for people whose families have been here for 500 years, it's just normal. (Kind of like those religious processions with priests, statues and half the town following - I, the ignorant American pagan, am fascinated by the humans' behavior. To residents here, it's just a parade. Ah, well.)

The centerpiece of the Palio (ancient tournament) is a race around the town square. Each neighborhood has a team. Each team of four must carry the equivalent of a litter while racing, but instead of bearing a member of the royal family, the platform holds a large model of a castle tower with the name and colors of the team. Children race once around the square; for adults, the race is two laps, with relay hand-offs at intervals. The entire town gathers around to cheer, and the last competition goes well beyond midnight, with incarnations of the Smeducci family (the last royal rulers) on stage to award the prizes. Fireworks follow, launching from just below our window - amazing.

Throughout the weeks of the festival, there are many events to commemorate the town's history. Within hidden courtyards and on the grounds of the Castello, numerous archery tournaments are held. Competitors shoot at statues of boars and rabbits, or hit moving targets on wheels with traditional bows and arrows. They hold cross-bow events as well, and the archers are seriously trained, many competing on international levels.

There are also mock sword fights, which can get pretty testy. On the final eve, a team of costumed players enacted a chess game with swords and shields - Very exciting. Wandering around during all these events are the equivalent of minstrels, authentically costumed and showing off typical games of the time.

Many restaurants are open late, and serve special traditional fare. One evening we hiked to the Castello where an open courtyard had been set up as a medieval dining hall. It was beautiful as darkness fell, illuminated by flickering torches and huge pots of burning candle wicks. After dinner, costumed performers demonstrated ancient games with burning batons, twirling and throwing them in the center of the stone courtyard at night - A magical sight.

This little town retains a very lively core, unlike many small towns in the U.S. The center (piazza) is an important gathering place and still holds many important functions - snack bars, pasta/pastry/meat stores, farmacies, clothing boutiques. And festivals like these are truly meaningful and continue to bring everyone together. I can only hope that, despite the growing presence of shopping centers nearby, someone has seen the sad phenomenon of Wall Mart in the States and learned from it here.

The beauty of knowing your neighbors and participating in events that involve so many of them cannot be underestimated. Walking through the town and knowing the plumber or the curtain-maker or the dance studio manager is charming. (ok, being able to fly to Paris for a weekend isn't so bad either.) I hope this does not change drastically in my time here - And I hope I continue to appreciate it for a long time.

Ciao for now -