Parrot Time Magazine

Let's time travel! Facciamo un salto nel passato – Ritorniamo al Medioevo - Travel with me to Arezzo and Back to the Medieval Ages.

Spectators and performers gathering in the Piazza Grande

Sometimes a trip to Italy is like stepping into the past. For me, that is part of the charm of the country. During my stays in Arezzo, a small Tuscan town situated along the train line between Florence and Rome, I have the impression of passing through a portal and slipping back to medieval times quite often when I take part in and witness the festival of the "Giostra del Saracino."

Over the last couple of years, I seem to be particularly drawn to Arezzo and have a particular fascination for the joust. Who knows why? Perhaps I lived here in a previous life. A romantic notion to be sure, but that's just me. I can't help but thrill to the sound of the drums and the sight of women in dressed in medieval costume and cavaliers charging across the piazza with lances at the ready, taking aim at the Saracen target, representing the King of the Indies.

Twice a year, in June and in September, the citizens of Arezzo dress up in medieval doublets, pantaloons and corsets to parade around the streets in preparation for a competition that dates back to the 1300s. In fact, Dante wrote of the joust in his Divine Comedy.

It is widely believed la Giostra Saraceno originated from the Crusades. The historical documentation tells us that the raids of the Saracens reached all the way up the boot, as far as Arezzo. Formerly the joust would have been a military training ground to prepare the Aretini for battle against the infidels.

Since its inception, over the course of time, the rules of Arezzo's competition have not changed much. The city is divided into four neighborhoods that represent Arezzo's ancient noble families.

Each neighborhood selects two jousters who train for the event throughout the year. Also, each district chooses from its ranks a vast assortment of footmen, musicians, valets, flag jugglers, knights and ladies to march in the parades in the days before the event to support the gallant knights.

The evening before the joust, each of Arezzo's four neighborhoods celebrates by holding a good luck dinner presided over by the neighborhood presidents and by the jousters themselves. It is a festive event with good food—a pizza or a barbeque, and there is dancing and singing in the streets. Everywhere you go you see a sea of colorful banners. Everyone, no matter to which neighborhood you belong, becomes a fan of this magical competition.

People from all over Italy come to Arezzo to watch the event and stands are erected around the Piazza Grande to accommodate the crowds. A week before the sizeable sloping square is filled with packed dirt and sand to form a stable path called a Lizza for the horses to traverse. The event is well documented by photographers and television crews from Arezzo TV and Teletruria TV, as much as any sporting event featured on ESPN in the States. It is a big deal, to be sure.

Yellow and black jouster in full mask

The day begins with the sounds of cannons firing to herald in the day and signal throughout the day the events leading up to the game itself. Citizens of Arezzo march through the town beating drums and each neighborhood and their horsemen process from one end to the other as flag throwers demonstrate their skills in the streets and musicians blare their horns.

Then each elegantly dressed jouster enters the Piazza Grande and takes his turn charging up the piazza to attack swiveling "Buratto" the Saracen dummy that represents the King of the Indies.

The object is to strike the score card held by the Saracen dummy squarely in the middle with the jouster's wooden lance. Depending on the skill and accuracy of each strike, the team earns a certain number of points. The task is made even more complicated by the rotating dummy that carries with it the flail. If a rider is too slow, he is in danger of being hit in the back by the whip.

Jouster striking the dummy's score card in the centre

In the end, the winner is declared, and the neighborhood to whom the jouster belongs claims the Golden Lance as its prize. Members of the winning team then parade through the streets of Arezzo, their destination being the Duomo where they give thanks to Our Lady of Consolation, the patron saint of the city for their victory.

Arezzo then settles back into its routine, each neighborhood vowing to return to win the next challenge. I too will be returning to Arezzo to partake in this year's Giostra event in September. I invite you to join me in Italy along with my partner Paola Testi – the director of Cultura Italiana to learn Italian in Italy. Aug 31 - Sept 11 (or extended stay option until Sept.15). For two weeks we live like locals and learn not only the language but discover more about the city, the art, cooking, the wine and Arezzo's history in a small group experience. For more information and to make a reservation on the www.StudentessaMatta.com website.

Melissa Muldoon is the author of "Dreaming Sophia" & "Waking Isabella." She is also an artist, designer, and creator of the Studentessa Matta Dual-language Blog (www.studentessamatta.com) and Youtube Channel (https://www.youtube.com//c/StudentessaMatta_MelissaMuldoon). Through her many projects as well as her programs to study in Italy Melissa promotes Italian language and culture. She has a B.A. in fine arts, art history, and European history and a master's in art history. She studied painting, language and art history in Florence.

Local spectators dressed in traditional medieval costumes	Blue and yellow jouster watching the events
Green and white team gathered	Spectators cheering in the plaza
Guest and local spectators watching the jousting lane	Jousters from the four neighbourhoods lined up
Melissa and friends cheering for the blue and yellow	A jouster hitting the score card
Melissa having drinks with a friend	Blue and yellow team revelers