The Greatest Show in the Lucchesia!

The Italian word “Palio” can be applied to many different events. The most common use of the word is in the “Palio of Siena”, the famous horse race which takes place in the central fantailed and sloping square of this city between the various contrade or districts (all seventeen of them) at different times.

The element of competition between a town’s districts enters into the majority of palii, of which there are at least fifty-four listed in Italy (seventeen in Tuscany alone.

The Palio di San Jacopo, Gallicano’s patron saint, always occurs on 25th July every year. This extraordinary event, where allegorical floats are preceded by fantastically costumed participants enacting complex choreographies, has been going since 1972 and, apart from a few instances when it was cancelled, has been growing from strength to strength. This year the Palio is, as usual, exceptionally fabulous and anyone who misses it truly misses a great deal.

I’ve written various posts on the Palio.

https://longoio2.wordpress.com/2014/07/20/we-are-such-stuff-as-dreams-are-made-of/

https://longoio2.wordpress.com/2016/07/28/superlative-spectacle-at-gallicanos-palio-di-san-jacopo/

Like other Italian palii there is a competition between various rioni to compete for the prize. Gallicano has three rioni today (there used to be four). They are Borgo Antico, Monticello and Bufali.

Each year a new theme is given to the three rioni. This year it was ‘La differenza’.

Rione Borgo Antico presented ‘Libera – mente’ . It’s based on modern art. See if you recognize the allusion to Keith Haring’s great mural at Pisa. (There’s also Magritte, Dali and Rauchenberg among others.

Rione Bufali presented ‘Moon – la differenza tra gli atomi crea universi’. Here there are references to 1984 – especially when the date is 2084 and a Mr Smith involved.

Rione Monticello presented ‘Dipingo il mio sogno’. The setting is an ever transforming originally Parisian street corner.

Here are some pictures and movies of the evening of the 21^st August: preparation and procession of allegorical floats at the 36th Palio di San Jacopo at Gallicano. It’s a marvel of imagination and choreography. Certainly for me it’s the most awesome festival of the Lucchesia!

What is so incredible is the wonderful creativity and imagination a small town like Gallicano in the middle of a remote valley can muster for its Palio. Everyone has a chance to contribute with their skills, no matter what age. For a whole year before the actual palio (and especially during the long winters) ideas are thrashed out, designs produced, costumes made. There’s sewing, cutting, pasting with every conceivable material available. Floats are meticulously built up and mechanized in a special warehouse dedicated to the palio. It’s a sort of mountain version of Viareggio but with a greater emphasis on spectacle and with universal world themes rather than sometimes heavy political satire.

The sheer love and resourcefulness put into the Gallicano palio is quite extraordinary and demonstrates fully the ability of Italians to get together, lay aside differences and produce something which I truly feel is of an international standard and equals some of the best shows of the world’s capital cities.

If you missed it on 21st August you must go to the second and final night today, July 25^th.

Who won? I’ll let you know after tonight!

Meanwhile here are some movie snippets from a great evening: