Giostra della Quintana - Foligno
Giostra della Quintana is a jousting tournament that takes place 2 times per year in Foligno. The Challenge happens in June and the Rematch occurs in September. The tournament is an historical commemoration of a Joust that was completed in 1613. It was originally held between 5 noble families. Its deeper past goes back to Roman times as “quintana” refers to the fifth road where soldiers trained in lance fighting. The Quintana was revived in 1946 after a 100-year break! Today there are 10 Rione (neighborhoods) that compete in the joust.
As an American who came to Foligno knowing nothing about this festival, I have to tell you that it is one of the most wonderful experiences you can have in Italy. Two weeks before the tournament happens, the city explodes with thousands of people coming each night to eat at one or more of the the ten taverne (taverns) that serve traditional Umbrian dishes. Each tavern raises money for their Rione or neighborhood from the proceeds of the taverns to sponsor the Caviliere (Knight) and horse. The volunteers (young and old) who work in the taverns are all dressed in traditional costumes.
Tavern Food - Traditional Umbrian dishes
Il Corteo - The Historical Baroque Parade
The evening before the tournament, there is a procession called the Corteo in which all the neighborhoods showcase their drum teams, their Courtiers and other members of the Rione. The costumes worn by the participants are in the Baroque style and must adhere to strict historic motifs and designs. Below are pictures and a video that will give you an idea of how seriously the Folignate take this festival.
The Competition
During the competition, each of the 10 Knights rides on horseback on a challenging track, shaped like a figure 8. A statue representing the god Mars with his right arm outstretched stands a the intersection of the two diagonals of the course . A ring is hung from his hand and the knights must capture it using a metal lance. The tournament is divided into three rounds, with rings that get progressively smaller in size. The winner of the tournament is the Knight who ends the race with the fastest time and without any penalties.
It’s truly hard to describe the atmosphere of this event. It begins with a number of presentations, a parade of the Courtiers, the drum teams and then the Knights on horseback. Once the Quintana starts each Knight, in turn runs the track and as he and the horse approach Mars there is complete silence. All you can hear is the sound of the horse’s hooves striking the surface of the course, and then “ping” you can hear the lance make contact with the ring, and then the crowd explodes! The Knights and horses are truly impressive. There’s a lot that can go wrong: they can miss the ring, they can drop the ring, they can knock down one of the directional poles that line the track. Or, they or their horses aren’t having a good day and their time is terrible. By the way, when you look at the picture you can see that the track is not small, and the Knights go around the figure 8 three times per round to capture 3 rings. In recent years, Knights are being clocked between 51 and 53 SECONDS!
