Arezzo!

I went on my first day trip on Sunday to Arezzo with Laura and Sarah, the two other students from Missouri State. Arezzo is the capital of Tuscany and a short hour train ride from  Florence. This city is about 1/3 the size of Florence and a lot less touristy. This also meant that very few people spoke English, which was a little bit of a challenge. We were very excited for the Saracen Joust tournament that takes place twice a year. We got there around 9am and followed our map to Piazza Grande where the jousting takes place. After having a latte and chocolate croissant we began to wander the city. We were interrupted by a short parade of about 40 men playing trumpets wandering the streets. This was the first of many parades that day.

Continuing to wander the city we headed to the antique fair that is held of the first Sunday of every month. We followed the map, up and down the hills. This fair was huge! Picture the largest flea market you have been to and multiply it by 4. We enjoyed looking at all of the old jewelry and strange gadgets.

We also came across a one-man-band that was playing Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff". He as impressive, but this seemed a little out of place to me. We heard more trumpets and went on a search to find the parade. This parade was a little bit bigger, but we could hardly see it. The town was starting to fill up with more people and we realized just how big the festival is. For lunch we headed to a little restaurant that was in Laura's Tuscany book. The menu was in Italian (of course) and the servers did not speak English. Desperatly trying to translate the menu with an English-Italian dictionary, I decided on insalate, a salad. I wasn't that hungry since I just had breaskfast and figured I can't go wrong with a salad! We got bread as soon as we ordered. I dipped in in the best olive oil I ever had and ate almost the whole basket. Delicious.

After lunch, we headed back to Piazza Grande to see if more people were gathering around for the jousting to start. Quickly realizing that everyone had a flag to support their team/family, we went on the search to find a flag. We each chose the flag we liked best and tied it around our necks to support our team. We met some Americans that were also studying in Tuscany and they informed us that it didn't start until 5pm, but the parade was at 3:30. Another parade? Then they explained that we would need tickets to get back in. We went and got our tickets and sat on a curb by the street to wait for the parade.

As we waited, we spoke to a nice couple from Rome that explained to us the history of the jousting and the 4 families. Apparently my team, Porta del Foro, has the least amount of wins in the history of the tournament. Guess I'm rooting for the underdog! This parade was much larger and it was nice to have front row seats. There was more music, flag twirlers, people dressed as royalty, and the jousters were presented.

 Porta del Foro!

When the parade was over we tried to reenter but were told that we had to go all the way around to the other side for standing room. We hiked up and down the hills, as it started to rain, and figured out where to enter. What we didn't realize was that the standing room was clearly split into the families that you were cheering for. This didn't work out so well since we each bought different flags. We happened to be standing in Laura's section, so she was representing well. Sarah and I got some stares from the crowds. These crowds were CRAZY. They all had chants and were booing the other teams. I guess sportsmanship isn't very present here. It was very exciting to see everyone so involved, like an American Superbowl.

The gates opened and the parade started... again. The exact parade we had just seen came into the center of the Piazza. Four parades later, a flag performance was given. This was very impressive, but we were getting anxious for the jousting! Finally the jousters were announced and it all began. Each family has two jousters. They sprint across the center on horseback and attempt to hit the board that is held by a dummy. They get points from 1-5 depending on where it is hit. The first guy went, hit the board, and we waited. Finally the announcer presented the score: a five. Our section went wild. People were chanting, yelling, hugging, and a guy even cried. This is intense! We were so exhausted after a long day that we only stayed for a few. I tried to search online and cannot find who won. I guess we will never know, but I'm going to assume it was my family!