La Quintana is a breathtaking medieval festival held in Ascoli Piceno on the first Sunday in August.
Over a thousand local residents dress up in sumptuous period costumes and proudly parade through the town streets, some on horseback, but most of them march on foot, accompanied by musicians, drummers, archers, flag tossers.
Simultaneously there are countless side shows, and food stalls fill the town lanes and little squares pervaded by a most festive atmosphere.
Amongst competitions of archers, the offering of candles to the town bishop, and other performances, la Quintana jousting tournament between the town’s various districts is undoubtedly the centrepiece of the festival.
The rounds of jousting of La Quintana are held on a racetrack-shaped course cut through with diagonal lines. Riders must hit a target fitted on a rotating dummy, commonly known as a Saracen by a heavy lance and they need to get past him before he swings round and clouts the rider with his ball on a chain while they get support by a cheering crowd wearing the colour of their team. |