Quintana Joust in Foligno

Every year in June, this colorful horse joust of seventeenth-century origins, involving not only the competing riders but also hundreds of costumed participants, is faithfully reenacted to the delight of locals and tourists alike. The Joust was restored in 1946 after a long period of neglect and is inspired by a horseback contest from the 17th century that aimed to determine the order of precedence for a knight of honor: loyalty to the prince or to the lady of his heart. For the current edition, the town’s territory has been divided into ten districts whose names partly echo the original ones; specifically: Rione Ammanniti, Badia, Cassero, Contrastanga, Crocebianca, Giotti, La Mora, Morlupo, Pugili, and Spada. Ten knights, one for each district, compete by trying to spear a series of increasingly smaller rings with a lance while riding their horse at full gallop. The race takes place at the municipal stadium, always at night, and is highly spectacular, followed by a large crowd cheering on their favorite. On the preceding evening, a magnificent parade with 600 costumed participants marches through the town’s streets, filling them with colors, flags, trumpet calls, and evoking atmospheres of times past.