This is a magnificent Italian cultural event that helps its citizens to declare their attachment to their history and culture. This festival takes place in the beautiful medieval city of Ascoli. The Quintana di Ascoli Piceno takes the participants and the visitors back to the medieval ages. This actually is a re-enactment of some medieval cultural customs and events.

This Quintana has two editions, of which the second edition is a recent addition. The night edition takes place on the second Saturday of July. But this is a recent add-on celebration introduced since 1997 to the original Quintana, which is celebrated on the 1^st Sunday of August on the feast day of St. Emidio. He is considered to be the patron saint of the city of Marche. He was also the 1^st Bishop of the city. This is the day event.

The Quintana di Ascoli Piceno is the commemoration of the attack of the Saracens on the city in the 9^th century. That is why the main event of the tournament is striking at an effigy of a Saracen fixed in the tournament venue. The celebrations include the recreation of many medieval customs like ‘The reading of proclamation’ which is the reading of documents of the elders of Ascoli and ‘Offering of candles’ to the Bishop by the Sestieri, the city and ancient crafts guilds. So the festival is a long one which spreads through the better part of two weeks.

The reading of the proclamation is carried out along the streets of the city in the afternoon of 26^th July. This is actually the proclamation of the beginning of novena of St. Emidio. The reader of the proclamation will be accompanied by a magnificent procession which starts from the Piazza Arringo. This announces the beginning of the tournament on the 1^st Sunday of August also.

The offering of the candles takes place in the late afternoon on the previous day of the Tournament of Quintana. The grand procession preceding the ceremony is a real audio visual treat. The procession will be peopled by all the dignitaries of the city including the Mayor. All the nobles, heads of armies, their valets, representatives and the citizen of Sestieri walk in a procession, dressed in fabulous medieval costumes. There will be horse riders preceding each group. It is an impressive procession accompanied by bands and musicians. The prize banner also will be carried by valets. It is one of the many spectacular processions that are conducted in connection with the Quintana. 

When the procession reaches the entrance of the church yard of the Cathedral of St. Emidio, the cannons are shot and the Bishop comes out. After the salute of the musicians, all the concerned groups offer bunches of candles to the bishop. These are the candles which are to be burnt at the Tomb of St. Emido throughout the next year. The biggest candle is offered by the City of the citizens.

After the candle offering ceremony, lots will be drawn to determine the order of the riders in the competition. The games on the day of the Quintana di Ascoli Piceno involve the feats of the riders on horseback and other equestrian shows. The main event is the jousting. Six horse riders ride very fast to hit the target placed on the left arm of the effigy and escape the scourge on its right arm. If a rider is too slow, he will be beaten by the scourge on the back.

The target is divided into five concentric circles and different scores are allotted to each circle. The rider who gets the maximum points will win the Palio for his district.

The Quintana di Ascoli Piceno is given great importance by the citizens of Ascoli because it represents the by-gone days of their history and hence their roots. They take it as a social and cultural event of prime importance.

by Marina Chernyak