So They Joust Here. Pretty Cool.

How cool is this? The first weekend we're here the entire city is celebrating the Giosta del Saracino (Joust of the Saracins). The past few days there have been street parties, feasts, and small parades leading up to one big parade and the Joust this afternoon. Unfortunately, my camera battery died halfway through the day so I didn't get to photograph the actual joust. However, I did get some sweet photos of the parade and pre-parade activities.

We got wind that the different groups in the parade would be gathering at the Piazza san Dominico, a small square at the north end of town, before marching in one big procession to the Duomo for a blessing. Fewer crowds, so lots more photo opportunities! There are a lot, but stick it out till the end if you've got time :)

The city is divided into quarters and each one has a team of knights that will compete in the joust. Here is one of the flag bearers of the green and white team, leading the way as the green team arrives at the square.

Yellow team! It kind of looks like the knight is riding a centaur. However the kid on the left is actually in the foreground and he is carrying the knight's helmet. Yes, that's a helmet.

Woah. 10 points for wardrobe...

We ended up in the cheering section for the "GialloRossoGialloRosso!" (Yellow and Red) team. Too bad they did pretty poorly. I heard later that we should have been rooting for the Red & Green team because the Accademia is actually in that quarter. Plus they won. Clearly a good sign.

I decided that the one costume i want is this guy's. Helment, tunic, sleeves, scepter.

Plus he has some badass boots.

So serious while marching.

The musicians and the flag carriers arrive...

And play a little tune...

Then everyone takes a little break before lining up for the full parade. Just some spears and shields, no big deal.

HORSE!

As my cohort Jared put it, "BAMBINI ON A HORSE!" Just so you know, there are many many Italian children that fall in the same adorableness category as the kid in Life is Beautiful. And they all have the exact same tiny Italian voice.

Time to get all of the different groups together to start the full parade. Keep 'em in line, Drummer! Raise that lance, Knight!

Archer!

"Royalty!"

This is a big clan of flag presenters. They did a sweet performance at the Joust that involved spinning and tossing flags, doing acrobatics/flips/etc between flags, and some other cool stuff. Definitely the italian (and masculine) version of Color Guard.

The Royals enter!

Here are the Knights!

After Parading, they all line up on the steps of the Duomo for the Blessing of the Horses. You can't see the whole group but you can get an idea for how massive this was.

(not sure why this is underlined...)

If I can get a hold of some joust photos from my cohorts, I'll post them later. For now, here are a few to make you smile:

And once the parade has passed, the police just get to chill like it's nothing.
Hey, everyone needs a break some time.

Likewise, even squires need some water.

Even queens need some wardrobe assistance...

and even kids have trouble with tights.