Umbria Jazz is the most important Italian jazz music festival founded in 1973 which takes place annually in Perugia, in July.

The August 23, 1973 was staged the first concert. Music in the natural theater of Villalago Piediluco very close to Terni. The program included the Aktuala, a group long gone (with the benefit of hindsight, it seems their world music) and the orchestra maistream of Thad Jones and Mel Lewis. The first edition included three nights, two in Perugia and Gubbio, but was eliminated by the rain. In Perugia, in the Piazza IV Novembre, made their debut Italian Weather Report, and did much to discuss the performance of free-esoteric Solar Arkestra Sun Ra. It was soon clear that this was a good idea, as testified to the great success, despite a rough promotion. In fact the gestation of the project was fast: from vision to concrete realization passed few months. Umbria Jazz was born in a cafe, now closed, the historic center of Perugia. For some time, Carlo Pagnotta, trader Perugia jazz fan and longtime frequenter of the biggest festivals in Europe, dreamed of a festival in his home. He spoke with two prominent members of the then newly formed Region of Umbria (both would later become presidents) who demonstrated to like the idea and involved their colleague to tourism. It was drawn up an artistic program of mass with the intervention of Alberto Alberti, then the principal manager of the Italian jazz musicians, and the proposal went in the bargain. Was approved.

The cities and squares of Umbria in the days of Umbria Jazz, crowd. In some cases even the musicians have had difficulty in reaching the place where they play.

The year of 1976 saw the stage George Coleman and Art Blakey. In this period in Umbria comes a lot of people and the public, highly politicized, tends to create problems of various kinds: in Italy are so-called “years of lead”.

Even the music was saved: they booed great artists such as Chet Baker, white and middle class. Equally on, of course, was the comparison between the local political forces and in cultural circles. To avoid any risk, the organizers called off the edition of 1977.

After much controversy, in 1978 he returned to reorganize the festival, with a formula that tries in vain to limit the influx of spectators every evening they went on stage two concerts in different cities.

The festival thus became unwieldy. Edition of 1978 no more followed until 1982. It served a pause for reflection.

The event was reborn in 1982 with many changes and regional authorities and tourism promotion did not enter more in management. Is introduced, for the first time, the entrance ticket for the concerts most important. In the early days there was reference to the structure of ARCI, an associative reality at the time very strong in Umbria. In 1985 the Association was born Umbria jazz, non-profit organization, which manages the brand “Umbria Jazz”, owned by the Region, which operates since then the festival in all its aspects (formula, artistic choices, organization, logistics, sponsorships).

Some years later, by the Region, was born the Umbria Jazz Foundation, which has the task of ensuring the financial resources of the public part. The current president of the Foundation is Renzo Arbore, while Carlo Pagnotta (one of the originators of the event) it is artistic director.

The second feature of the “new” UJ is the permanence: no longer a touring festival, but it is held only in Perugia. In truth, in the early years, it feels like the experience of the “decentralization”, with poor results: the festival takes place almost everything in Perugia, with some concerts but held in Terni, Narni, Orvieto, Foligno, Gubbio, Città di Castello and Assisi.

The recovery of the festival was held in a circus tent in the area of Pian di Massiano (near the stadium), well away from the historic center, a kind of confinement because the problems of the seventies had not been forgotten.

Since 2003, the concerts are held at the arena of Santa Giuliana, with names such as Ornette Coleman, Van Morrison, Bobby McFerrin, the Earth, Wind & Fire, James Brown and the Manhattan Transfer. Other concerts are held at the eighteenth-century Teatro del Pavone, the municipal theater Morley, at the thirteenth century church of San Francesco al Prato, Philippine oratory of Santa Cecilia, in the dining Podiani the National Gallery of Umbria, in the cathedral of Perugia (the choirs Gospel), in the Basilica of St. Peter and in the stadium Renato Curi

For the free concerts, using the Piazza IV Novembre and the Carducci gardens.

In the twenty years that part of the 1982 edition adds some digression in the territories of rock and blues and Brazilian song, with greater attention to the Italian jazz.

The artistic choices are divided into two strands: on the one hand the orthodox jazz and other black music (blues, gospel, soul, marching band, rhythm ‘n’ blues) with trespassing in various pop-rock, for a general public . In this context also to be seen performances by people like Elton John, Carlos Santana, James Brown, Donna Summer, Eric Clapton, Earth, Wind & Fire, Simply Red.

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Eurochocolate is an annual event dedicated to the culture of chocolate, which is divided into a series of events, the main of which is held in Perugia in October.

Created by architect Eugene Guarducci in 1993, the event is an event entirely dedicated to Italian and international chocolate tradition, attracting many tourists and chocolate manufacturers, craft and industry, who sell their products in the streets of the city in exhibition spaces equipped. During the event are arranged several events, shows (and comic) and cultural activities with animating paths tasting, performances]], happenings in the streets, squares and places of art and tradition of the historic city of Perugia.

Among the major events, the show of chocolate sculptures, where skilled sculptors working cubic blocks of chocolate of 1 m³ of volume, to obtain works that will remain on display for the duration of the event.

Through the special section Eurochocolate World, the show gives a voice to all countries world cocoa producers, which have Rocca Paolina in their habits, customs, traditions and typical products based on cocoa.

The event enjoys the patronage of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, support and patronage of the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), the leading global organization based in London cocoa producers, processors chocolate and final consumers. The event also is sponsored each year by major leading companies in various industrial sectors, as well as all the major companies making chocolate.

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The Festa dei Ceri is held in Gubbio, in the province of Perugia, on May 15 of each year. Tradition has it that it is a Catholic religious festival in honor of Saint Ubaldo Baldassini, bishop and patron saint of Gubbio, who died in 1160, and would be the result of the transformation of an original offer of wax that the medieval guilds eugubine donated to the patron. Hypothesis undocumented assert, however, that he would rise from the pre-Christian pagan rites, perhaps in a ceremony in honor of the goddess Ceres, linked to the awakening of spring.

The candles are three “artifacts” of wood crowned by statues of St. Ubaldo (patron saint of Gubbio), St. George and St. Anthony Abbot, grafted vertically on as many stretchers, in the shape of “H”, which allow the carrying on the shoulder ; their weight is about 300 KG is not only the weight that makes it difficult to transport them (which, in fact, takes place run), as the height, the speed, the roughness of the path, and so-called “mute”, changes “on the fly” between the carriers in the running.

Wearers of Ceri called ceraioli and each has a membership of only cero. This membership is the result of free choice or is linked to family traditions; traditionally, the candle of St. Ubaldo would be related corporations of masons and stonecutters, to that of San Giorgio that of traders, while that of St. Anthony the farmers, landowners, and students.

The uniform “ceraiolo” consists of a pair of white pants in cotton, a shirt of a different color depending on the taper of belonging (yellow for St. Ubaldo, blue for St. George and black for St. Anthony), a red sash tied at the waist mo ‘belt, a red handkerchief resting on the shoulders and pointed ahead. The Capodieci are three, one for each candle: making the lift (or inaugurate the race) and are responsible for the smooth running of the race of their candle.

With the name Capodieci are also called ceraioli that guide the candle during the race, being before, between the shafts, and supervising the change that you give the various “mute” of ceraioli (teams of eight people); then there are capocinque, that from the back of the stretcher help the Capodieci to keep in line the race of the candle and the corner if (they are called anchesterzaroli). The ceraioli carriers are divided into four points, leading the candle at the four ends of the stretcher, and as many strains, placed more internally

Traditionally, ceraioli are chosen among adult males of the families who live in Gubbio; on rare occasions (eg during war), women were admitted to the transport of the Candles.

For those who do not fall into this category, in the following weeks to 15 May, held two more races: that of Ceri Mezzani and Ceri Piccoli, in which the carriers are chosen among adolescents and children, respectively. On these occasions, of course, the candles are replaced by replicas in scale lighter.

The symbol of the three Ceri is also in stylized banner and flag officers of the Region of Umbria.

The Italian Post Office, in 1983, issued a stamp from 300 lire in tribute to Ceri of Gubbio.

It has a prologue to the first Sunday in May, when the candles are brought, in the horizontal position, down in the city from the basilica of St. Ubaldo, which houses all year. On this occasion the candles lead to “straddle” many children.

The festival itself takes place May 15 and has a fixed schedule every year.

Program of the festival:

At 5.30 in the morning a group of drummers through the streets of the city to give the alarm to the Captains and the Capodieci

At 6:00 the bell (the bell of the main Palazzo dei Consoli) sounds the alarm for the whole city.

At 7.00 ceraioli, drummers, Capodieci and captains meet at the cemetery to lay a wreath of flowers and honor the memory of deceased ceraioli.

At 8:30 am, at the church of San Francesco della Pace (called “Masons”), Mass is celebrated. As soon as the mass, a child draws from an urn (called “Bussolo”) the names of the captains who will lead the party two years later.

At 9:30 begins the “parade of saints”, ie the three statues that will crown the candles are carried in procession through the streets of the city, to the Palazzo dei Consoli, where there are already waiting for the candles. After the procession, the ceraioli find themselves in via Baldassini, under the arches of the Palazzo dei Consoli, to consume the traditional breakfast of stockfish ceraiola.

At 10.00 at Castle Gate are distributed of “posies” which ceraioli are pinned on the node tissue that surrounds the neck. From this place comes alive, the procession of all ceraioli that, through the streets of the historic center, will arrive in Piazza Grande.

It takes place at 12.00 in Piazza Grande the so-called “lift” of the candles. The Capodieci (standing above the crowd on the stretcher) are thrown forward to allow the candle a lever that will lift him from the ground, and throw in the crowd ceramic amphora called “jug”. The candles begin their race in honor of St. Ubaldo, making three complete turns on the square (except the last candle to St. Anthony who performs four laps) and then dispersed through the streets of the city, each with its own path. They are then left to be taken for the race which takes place in the afternoon.

At 18.00 o’clock starts the Corsa dei Ceri. The Ceri walk the city streets. After three stops, return to the top of Mount Ingino in the Basilica of St. Ubaldo. In particular, the last leg of the route takes place entirely uphill and is traveled in about nine minutes.

The order of departure and arrival is predetermined and can not be altered during the race: it is always the Cero of St. Ubaldo to come first in the basilica, followed by that of San Giorgio and finally to St. Anthony.

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The most important and most well known of the events of Bevagna, the Mercato delle Gaite, takes place in the last ten days of June.

The festival is inspired by the original division of the country into four gaite or neighborhoods which was based on the administration of the city in medieval times. Their name comes from the ancient churches: St. John (the present St. Michael the Archangel) Sancta Maria Filiorum Comitis, San Pietro, which is no news until the fifteenth century, and San Giorgio, now SS. Dominic and James.

The event aims ricistruire with maximum historical reality and richness of detail the daily life of the inhabitants of Bevagna in the period between 1250 and 1350. At the end of June so Bevagna makes a splash in his remote past The ancient medieval crafts shops open again the doors and take over the assets. The streets are crowded with bevanati in period costumes who relive the everyday life of their ancestors eating, working, playing just like them. The Mercato delle Gaite is the triumph of the ancient crafts. The art of Mattonari, processing and production of hemp, the traditional home of Bevagna made frame, pottery making and that of the blacksmith, processing wax, glass and the production of parchment paper, the minting of coins , are valuable opportunities to embark on a fascinating journey into the past and feel, together with all the inhabitants of the village, citizens of ancient Mevania.

The city, totally involved, recovers its traditions, its roots with a valuable historical accuracy that makes the reconstruction of the environment, of the streets, moments of everyday life, craft activities such as processing of the strings, wrought iron and wicker .

Every year, each gaita faithfully recreates environments and situations medieval with careful and precise reconstruction of shops, crafts and markets. Are used the most beautiful sights of the city to give rise to the activities on which it was based economy era. Here then, for example, the paper mill, the mill, the brand, the oven and different types of workshops: the glazier, the potter, the blacksmith, the dyer and many more.

Walking through the streets meet the market stalls that sell goods typical of the period: from fabrics to iron, from candles to groceries more varie.A complete the magnificent picture of the market there are the medieval taverns, one for each gaita, where you can taste the typical dishes of the Umbrian medieval. The traditional animosity Bevagna on again in the races that see opposite the four gaite, in strife and games that are true moments of celebration and gathering.

The spirit of competition at the base of the event is realized in the participation in four races: the competition of the market, the race of the trades, the culinary competition, the race of archery.

With a complex points system, awarded by experts in various fields especially called to judge the credibility of historical, the last day of the event it is decreed that the winner receives the prize.

The strong sense of belonging to their gaita makes racing very heated and stimulates continuous improvement of the proposals in the various sectors of gaite with obvious advantage of the overall quality of the event. Of remarkable quality and authenticity is the gastronomy, enriched by medieval recipes, offer during the week in the taverns.

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La Giostra della Quintana is a jousting tournament and a costumed historical event that takes place in Foligno. Generally, “the challenge” is held on Saturdays in June, with an edition night, and “revenge” on Sunday afternoon in September with an issue.

The carousel is to do a few laps of the ancient stadium of Foligno (Campo de li games) as quickly as possible, putting three times a ring hanging from a statue (the “Quintana”) and receive no penalty. The ring diameter decreases progressively in the three rounds of the competition (8cm, 6cm, 5cm). The jockeys running in historical costumes and seventeenth-century before the race (the day or the night before) held a parade in lavish historical costumes of the seventeenth century.

The name comes from the name of Quintana fifth way of the Roman camp, which took place in the training of soldiers, armed with spears, threw themselves against a puppet trying to thread the ring hanging from a hand puppet. Then go back to that time the origins of the tournament, but the first documented evidence of the conduct of Quintana as jousting tournament tied to a party, dates back to 1448. Since then, Foligno, Quintana was held every year without interruption until today, with the ‘except for a break of nearly a century until 1946, when it was restored in its present form. In 1613 the Priors inserted the context of celebrating the carnival Quintana, changing the conduct and spirit with the criteria that still exist today. The knights jousting are 10 representatives of as many districts of the city. Galloping on a horse, should stick with a spear a series of rings that gradually get smaller. The rings are hung at the right hand of a statue rotating solid walnut (seventeenth century) that the left holds a shield and depicts the god Mars. This race had, in the past, the role of honorary titles attributed to various riders. The ceremony of the race is surrounded by the historical parade with over 600 figures in rich clothes seventeenth century who, the night before the duel, passing through the streets of Foligno.

La Giostra della Quintana was restored in 1946 to idea of Emilio de Pasquale, originally from Andria and Foligno of adoption as Ettore Thesorieri, organizer of the 1613 edition and author of Stimulus Generoso Vertue that is repeated every year during the opening ceremony Giostra della Quintana with the help of some fellow Foligno, including Luke Barnocchi who edited the look spectacular, buying at their own expense costumes and bringing them from Firenze.Luca Barnocchi was also the first president of the Tournament of the Quintana.

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Every year the so-called Infiorate Spello fascinate many visitors and involve the entire population in their realization.

The characteristics streets of Spello intoxicate perfume and dress with a huge colorful rug, made for two and a half kilometers with paintings of sacred art made entirely from flower petals. Frame at night Flower Spello, during which prepare the flowers finish their special work for the town’s streets, the floral note, are different events as those with the music, the exhibition market and recipes herbal and flowers of gastronomic experts.

The floral display is the culmination of a preparatory work that lasts several months and sees the maximum commitment in the days before the Corpus Christi procession, in which prepare the flowers are mobilized along the slopes of Mount Subasio in search of colorful flowers and fragrant herbs .

The technical realization of the paintings are different from freehand drawing the dusting, metal mold to the shape of cardboard. Then we proceed to the deposition of the petals, directly on the road surface without any treatment. The various operations last all night and only around 9 in the morning you can enjoy the finished entirely: 60 carpets from 12 to 15 square meters with some up to 35 square meters. of magnitude to sacred subjects, with reference to the tradition of painting umbra seventeenth and eighteenth century.

After the passage of the procession is the experience of a high artistic commitment, a meeting cultural, religious and folklore that remains in the heart.

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The Palio of San Rufino is a historic event – folk held in Assisi on the last Sunday of August. It consists of a shooting competition with the crossbow different terzieri city (Dive Mariae, San Rufino and St. Francis) in which the winner is awarded the Palio, a coveted drape painted by an artist of national fame.

The origin of this event is attested in various documents. The oldest, dating from the fourteenth century, are today kept at the library of the City of Castle.

The challenge

The assignment of the Palio is through a shooting competition between teams terzieri city. The distance between the shooting bench and the target is 36 meters. The prize is awarded to the team (terziere) that achieves the highest sum of the scores obtained by individual archers. The archer who achieves the best score is given a silver leaf spring.

the party

The festival is traditionally held on the last weekend of August (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) with the following program:

Thursday: opening theme exhibition, theatrical and historical market of San Rufino

Friday: market town of San Rufino.

Saturday: Mass of investiture of new archers and banquet propitiatory.

Sunday: race crossbow with assignment of the Palio of San Rufino and silver leaf spring.

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Popular medieval re-enactment

Festa del Calendimaggio in Assisi (sometimes transcribed Kalendimaggio) is a festival which is held every first Thursday, Friday and Saturday after May 1 of each year, to celebrate spring.

Compete, to win the Palio, the two parties in which the city is divided, the Noble Upper Part and the Lower Part Magnificent, through conducting parades in medieval costumes (about the thirteenth century – mid-fifteenth), scenes recited and musical performances: to declare the winner Part is a jury, composed of internationally renowned experts, that is, a historian, a musicologist and a personality of the show.

The History of May Day

The celebration of May Day wants to resume and revive ancient pagan customs celebrating, in this period, the return of spring and then the renewal of the cycle of life, festivals and rituals used by the ancient Umbrian people.

Added to that is the tradition of the “songs of May”, compositions of poems dance and song, also attested in ancient chronicles and documents concerning the life of St. Francis (and are commemorative of his habits), but in the end medieval suffered probably the influence of Provence and the French: they were performed by brigades of young people who moved gaily in the various districts of the city, at the beginning, in fact, the month of May.

The third component of the festival dates back to the Middle Ages also, when Assisi, at the beginning of the fourteenth century, reached its maximum splendor and began the internal divisions, moreover, very present in the world of communal battles throughout Italy, including a “part of Above “and” part of Under “, belonging to the rival families and then the first of Brancaleone Nepis for the Upper Part of the Rivers and the” Lower Part. “

During these periods of civil strife, however, is always kept alive the tradition of celebrating the spring festival, which became known as May Day and during which, they used to elect a king’s feast. This tradition will continue for centuries, only to be revamped – but always respecting the tradition – in the twentieth century: in this new form completely original, it was celebrated for the first time in 1927 at the behest of the Podesta Assisi Arnaldo Fortini, when singers of different “chapels” towns gathered to sing serenades inspired costumes of yesteryear. The festival was suspended during World War II, but picked up again in 1947; in 1954, finally, on the initiative of some intellectuals the Assisi, assumed the structure that has remained unaltered. The town square is the center button of the event.

Conduct of the event

The festival takes place in the following way (the first of the afternoon, the second in the evening):

Thursday

Blessing of the banners and delivery of keys: ivessilli are blessed, for the Upper Part, at the Cathedral of San Rufino, and, for the Lower Part, at the Basilica of St. Francis; then the two parties march to the square of the City, where the Maestro de Campo receives the keys from the mayor, assuming the powers of the city; he is also returned the Palio, by the Party which has won the previous year.

Scenes Part: lescene (scenes of medieval life) are made by the Party which last year won the races of Madonna Spring; follow different events, such recitations in dialect or language of the time, shows, medieval music.

Friday

Election of Madonna Spring: ten young, five part, are candidates Madonna Spring, after a procession to the streets of the City; the Party which won the challenge of medieval games (tug of war, rides delletregge, ie slides, crossbow) can then elect among its five young: five archers, each corresponding to a girl, they compete to win their Madonna.
Scenes Part: lescene are made by the Party that the day before had not made.

Saturday

Part of marches and calls for challenge: the processions are composed of medieval stories accompanied by music and dance, the notice is a struggle with the words between the parties, acclaimed by partaioli.
Parades and evening performances of the choirs: the light of torches and flashlights Parties return to the square with the procession of the evening, after which begins the performance of the choirs, which perform three songs of defiance, after which the jury retires and processes the verdict.

Assignment of the Palio

After a wait that can last hours, the Master of the Field assigns the Palio with the following formula:

“People of the Ascended, we Maestro de Campo, taking advantage of the full power conferitici, hearing the opinion of the elected board of judges to whom we have entrusted the task to tell which of the two parties has reached most praise in contention for the chivalrous salute to the nascent Spring while we express our unreserved gratitude to the Parties for the high moral and civic test expressed in this contest, worthy of the noblest traditions of our city, we assign the Palio de Calendimaggio Part de … »

Finally the air waving his handkerchief the color of the winning side (blue for the Upper Part, red for de Sotto). Part winner receives therefore the Palio, and it will take care until the following year.

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