Pick Sure and Place: Giostra del Saracino

There are so many things to talk about, but one of the most exciting events that has happened since my arrival in Arezzo was the Giostra del Saracino. Basically, it is the biggest event of the year in Arezzo. A joust is re-enacted at the beginning of each September in Arezzo. There are four teams, representing the four quarters of Arezzo. Since our Villa is located in one of these quarters, we were excited to see the festival and support our team, "Quartiere di Porta Crucifera".

Though the festival on Sunday included a parade of people dressed in Medieval costume, a group of flag throwers, and the joust itself, the event really started on Saturday night. We were told that we would never see Arezzo this lively on a weekend night, so we walked into the city to see what was going on. Sure enough there were hundreds of people crowding the streets so late as midnight!

The joust itself took place in Piazza Grande and there were huge crowds of people standing with their quarter. Everyone was wearing the colors of their team - it almost seemed like a Quidditch tournament from Harry Potter! It was loud, crowded, and tons of fun. I attached some pictures, and videos from the event can be seen on the side of the blog.