SAN SEVERINO FESTIVAL

Hi guys, I’m Giacomo and I want to tell you about a nice festival that takes place  in June.

My town is  San Severino Marche, it is in the centre of the Province of Macerata. It  is in the nice valley of river Potenza. My town has a beautiful  countryside, historical testimonials, works of art, architectural treasures and a very relaxing atmosphere. I’m sure Edita remembers it!

Our  patron saints are San Severino and San Pacifico.

San Pacifico’s festival is on 24^th September and it has a religious character.

On the contrary, for San Severino’s festival,  on 8^th June,  there are also cultural and artistic shows and popular events. The most famous event is the Palio dei Castelli during which there is the Corsa delle Torri ( The Race of the Towers). The medieval games of San Severino Marche are among the most important historical commemorations in central Italy.

During the Palio and the Corsa delle Torri  more than 1300 players appear: nobility, commoners, musicians, archers, arbalesters and belligerents, with tools and weapons reconstructed by the Grifone della Scala Company.

They bring to life the historical parade, here the “ceri” (big candles) are offered to the  patron saint.

 The central event is the race where teams carry large models of castle towers representing their villages (Rocchetta, Colleluce, Serralta, Taccoli and Cesolo) and “Rioni” (town quarters: Settempeda, Castello, di Contro).

The team that gets the highest score in every game (tug-of-war, race of the Towers, medieval games, archery etc.) wins the Palio dei Castelli. The winners usually celebrate their victory all night long.

According to historical chronicles, San Severino’s first festival was held on 8^th June 1198 and it was a big  and important religious and civil festival.

Today the historical commemoration is brought to life by the “ Palio dei Castelli Association” which was born in 1991.

It is thanks to the passion and skills of its members that every year in the first week of June we can assist to the recreation of medieval evenings, games and shows  during which the historical centre is transformed into an enchanting medieval village.

On this day we usually meet friends in the morning at the traditional San Severino’s Fair, we have lunch together and then, in the afternoon we play some typical game, for example, tug of war. In the end, when the night comes, we reach our

Market  Square

, Piazza del Popolo, that is one of the most beautiful squares in Italy. Here the historical parade and the Race of the towers take place and we support our team. If our Rione wins the Palio we go on celebrating all the night and the day after.