In the city of Arezzo you can feel history, yet at the same time experience a modern and vibrant atmosphere. The “Giostra del Saracino” flawlessly combines these aspects. Young people and new technologies, which introduce innovation every day, are capable of blending tradition, history, present and future.
From 1931 to today, the “Saracino” has always been alive and has become a symbol of the city of Arezzo and its community. It has a unique charm that is felt when people attend the “corteo storico” along the streets of the city or the performance in Piazza Grande made by the “Musici” and “Sbandieratori”, you realize it is something extraordinary and impossible to recreate elsewhere. From its medieval roots to our days, its ductility stands out, the Giostra del Saracino has always been able to adapt and open to our world that is continually changing.
If we look into the hearts of the “aretini” and we focus on the emotional aspect, we can say that there are plenty of feelings involved such as joy, passion, love, pain and grief.
The Giostra is loved not only by its citizens but also from anyone who has witnessed an armoured man proudly wearing their heavy costume during the parade, or a knight of a noble lineage recalling the families that ruled Arezzo, the giostratore smiling at both applause and provocations.
The day the manifestation takes place in Piazza Grande is only the peak of a “centuries-old celebration” that is known by every corner of the city. Yet every day of the year, teenagers, children, adults and the elderly reunite in their “quartiere” to talk about the past, share experiences, and pass on stories.
While waiting for the Giostra, people work with devotion and dedication for their “quartiere”. Young people gather to organize events and have fun, but when they are called by the elders, they step in to help, working in groups where people cook and eat together, repairing historical costumes, organizing activities, and then the “scuderia” where, day after day, in heat or cold, on Christmas or Easter, there is always someone working silently to build the dream of victory.
Days are counted: “how many days are left?”
Fewer and fewer, until the sound of drum rolls and trumpets makes your heartbeat increase. Then comes the silence of the night after the “propiziatoria”, the pre-giostra dinner, when every “quartierista” is left alone with their thoughts, fears and dreams before the event awaited.
At dawn, the first mortar shell bursts. Anxiety takes over people as you hear the sound of drums roll passing by, realizing that soon there will be the start of something that could ruin or exalt your life for a long time. Hours and hours spent at the “quartiere”, between work and fun, passion and love for your roots, under the sticky heat that challenges everyone.
Every day of the year revolves around this intense love, that can destroy you or make you feel invincible, with the dream of touching the “Lancia d’oro”.
On one hand, The “Giostra” of June is marked by heat, emotions and the relentless wait to enter Piazza Grande after nine months of expectations. On the other hand, in September, it’s quite the opposite: there is still joy and lightheartedness, but summer is coming to an end, and so is the “anno giostresco”. Some feel the bitterness of a previous defeat and seek redemption, while others can enjoy the event feeling carefree after a victory, dreaming of a “cappotto”, or double win.
The square, for the giostratori, becomes a battlefield where they challenge the “Buratto”, while the emotions of the “quartieristi” change with every strike. The silence during each run is suffocating. Only when the score is announced does the crowd return to breathe again, until then, each person lives on the edge.
Strike after strike, trying to guess who will dominate the square, who will go ahead in the albo d’oro, while already thinking about the celebrations, and living the year better than the others, without pressure or judgement.
Rumbles of joy, tears: the Giostra is a mix of feelings that no one can actually explain. Everyone experiences it differently and that is its beauty. Each person keeps a personal memory that, positive or negative, remains imprinted in our minds and never goes away, at least until the next Giostra.
di Vittoria Nocentini
© Riproduzione riservata
