Great day in Arezzo.

Oh wow and oh wow.  Extra special day today at the Joust of the Saracens in Arezzo.  It all started off with the town crier announcing the Challenge and the bands and the players marching out of the Town Hall at around 11. All these events are accompanied by the firing of a canon as well as the church bells ringing loud and long.  

The historical parade marched down through the town.  At about 2 at each of the gates of the town the various quarteres held their blessing of their cavaliers and their horses and then marched up to the cathedral where on the steps of the cathedral came lords and ladies, drummers and buglers, crossbow men and knights on foot and horseback and the priests in their red gowns and black.  Here they had the archbishop's blessing of the horses and cavaliers. It was quite a sight and one that cannot easily be captured by a camera.

This photo just doesn't capture it at all.  It was fabulous.  While the grand parade processed to

Brought the town we went the Il Piazza Grande as we had booked seats in the square to watch the joust.  We had the best seats!!!!!  All the supporters of the quarters were there, chanting and singing.  It was a very competitive atmosphere.  The grand parade entered with the accompanying bands 

And then of course the wonderful colourful flag throwers.

After a perfect day a storm brewed but never eventuates into much and then the joust began.  The horses would gallop up the dirt strip and hit the Saracen with his lance. If they missed, dropped their lance, fell off they got no points. Each quarter had two joists and depending on where they hit the board they got points.  The blue and yellows won on the last joust with a perfect five - right in the centre of the board.

The team and supporters went nuts and were awarded the Lance d'Oro - the Golden Lance and with true Italian passion chanted and roared for quite a while afterwards.  

What a day.