The Prize of the Contradas

Last night we went to a town festival called Il Palio della Contrade (The Prize of the Contradas). The town we live in (Montecchio Precalcino) is adjacent to two other small towns (Lera and Preara). Each town is partitioned to make teams called Contrada. Because we leave near the river Astico, our team is called Astegoti and our team color is red. Each team sends players to compete in events in the Parco di Villa Cita (Park of Cita Villa). They had a watermelon eating contest, a dunk tank, crazy relays on stilts, waterballoon tossing, etc. Each team earns points for competing, and the team with the most points wins. This festival was only created 7 years ago, but it has really grown into a huge event. They run this thing for 3 nights!! The first 2 nights, only half the teams participate each night. I went on Thursday night after Cyn and I had walked to our local gelateria for ice cream. Cyn just wanted to go home because it was so hot and humid, but I was intrepid and sallied forth without her.
Unfortunately I wasn't exactly sure where the Villa Cita was. We asked the Gelateria Guy and after a few minutes of conversation in Italian I set off... and managed to immediately get lost. So I asked a lady sitting in her front yard, and she got me a little further down the road. And finally I asked a couple on the street walking their dog, and luckily they were headed to the Palio, so I just followed them on the winding, uphill road to the Villa. After all that, team Astegoti wasn't even playing on that night (they had played on Wednesday night). At least I could check it out.
I had shown up kind of late to the Palio at 9:30; about an hour before it ended for the night. I was just standing there enjoying the festivities near the orange team, el Roccolo. The current game was some kind of scavenger hunt, and each team's captain was standing out in the middle of the field in their team's ring. The referee was on the PA system announcing all of the types of people the teams had to find: un persone con cappelli rosso (a person with red hair) etc. The list had about 20 different types of people. Then the whistle blew and the team captains dashed off into the crowd to start bringing people that matched the descriptions back to their ring. El Roccolo had already collected about 5 people in their ring when I realized the team captain was standing on my right... and talking to ME!! I had no idea what he was saying, so I quickly shook my head and said "Non Capisco" (I don't understand). So he said it again and flexed his muscles. I think one of the types of people he needed was supposed to be strong, and apparently I fit the bill. I again shook my head No No No, but he said it one more time and that's when all of his El Roccolo teammates agreed with his assessment and they jumped me! After that it didn't matter how many "non capiscos" or "non parlo italianos" I said, I was going into that ring. My last chance was to grab the red shirt I was wearing and yell out "Astegoti, Astegoti" in an effort to stay loyal to my team. It was to no avail and I was dragged down the hill and put into El Roccolo's scavenger hunt ring. It was thrilling and embarassing and confusing all at the same time. While I was standing there trying to figure out what to do next I really wished I could speak Italian. There was a young teenage girl talking to her friend in the ring I was in, and she kept grabbing her breasts!! I don't know what kind of "persone" she was supposed to be but apparently it has something to do with her breasts! I need a translator!!

Saturday night's games were more of the same, but this time Cynthia decided to tag along, and thankfully I was not forced to participate. Unfortunately we forgot our camera, so no pics. It was a lot cooler since we had a HAIL storm earlier in the day, and there's nothing like a little ice to cool things off in the middle of summer. Crazy Italian weather. This time all of the teams competed together and the festivities ran well after midnight. In the end Astegoti won!! This was the seventh year that they had the event, and the first time Astegoti won. At the end of the awards ceremony there was a really nice fireworks show.

Next year I hope my Italian is good enough that I can understand all of the events (and perhaps decipher why that girl kept grabbing her rack). And the ultimate goal is to make the team!!
Wanna know more? Check out their website at www.paliocontrade.it oh yeah, and learn Italian...