|
Background to Asolo
The old walled hill town of Asolo - often known as
the town of 'one hundred horizons' - was the consolation prize
given in 1489 to Queen Caterina Cornaro by Venice after
demanding her abdication from the throne of Cyprus. It could
have been worse - Asolo is one of the most enchanting spots
in Italy and the jewel of the Veneto region. It was
also a beloved retreat of poet Robert Browning and
explorer Freya Stark lived and was buried here. Visitors
to Asolo could be forgiven for thinking they had suddenly
found themselves transported far inland to Tuscany
as the rustic town, with a tiny population of 8,000, nestles
in beautiful rolling countryside.
What happens at the Palio
Asolo?
The third Sunday of September sees the six differing factions
of the town battling against one another in a bid to have
their girl crowned queen. The competing teams are Villa
Raspa, Ca' Giupponi, Villa D'asolo, Pagnano (two teams),
and Casella d'Asolo - with all members coming from
the same area. The competition commemorates the arrival of
Caterina Cornaro to the town on 11th October 1489,
when she claimed the city as her own; the race retraces the
route - 1,800 metres up to the top of the hill - she took
when the town was presented to her. Caterina, however, was
not a popular lady: she married the King of Cyprus and then
poisoned him, thus securing the strategic island for Venice.
At the festival, participants dress in Medieval costumes
and race brightly painted Roman-style chariots. It's
a serious competition with teams training for six months beforehand
and the rules are stringent: the night before the race, the
chariots are blessed by a priest and weighed (all must weigh
130 kilograms) before being locked up for the night. The wheel
of the chariot must be similar to a roman wheel and no one
can assist the teams during the race. Each team consists of
eight runners - two groups of four - who swap over halfway
along the route, pulling their female queen.
The winning queen is crowned in the town square at the finish:
gold medals are awarded to the winning team and silver medals
to all the other contestants, and festivities follow. The
race has been taking place since 1990 and the record completion
time is 8 minutes and 45 seconds.
|
