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During the Middle Age and the first part of the Renaissance, several towns of Italy used to organize crossbow-shooting challanges to aim at practising the urban defence.
The crossbow-shooting in Sansepolcro can be certifiable since 1594 but it was surely practised also before this date.
Even Piero della Francesca owned one of the 160 municipal crossbows.
The prize for the winner was a “pallium”, a fabric to sew a new
suit.
After the XVI century, the advent of firearms caused the disapperance of these competitions.
Sansepolcro and Gubbio mantained the tradition of competing in May and September to honour their patron Saints.
Cosimo de Medici, visiting Sansepolcro, attended at the croosbow-shooting and tried himself the shooting, while in modern time even King Umberto I was honorary President of our crossbow-men
During the centuries the challenges stopped only occasionally, for “wars or
famines”, carring on their traditional charm till nowadays.
Since 1951 on the second Sunday of September, the evocative Piazza Torre di Berta holds the historical competition of the “ Palio”, during which the crossbow-men of Sansepolcro challenge those from Gubbio
In the morning, as an ancient custom suggests, the Herald reads the callenge proclamation against the rivals; in the afternoon , after the crossbows blessing, the crossbow-men come into the square after the Flag-waving
demonstrations
For both these displays, medieval costumes are worn, inspired by the paintings of Piero della Francesca.
The challenge between the towns of Gubbio and Sansepolcro has very ancient origin: in a document dated 1619, the crossbow-men of Sansepolcro invite those from Gubbio to take part in the Saint Egidio Palio on the first day of September, as a surely previous tradition. |
