Pomp and Pagentry

The Giostra della Quintana is Foligno’s biggest event of the year. It is a two day event which culminates tomorrow night with the equestrian jousting tournament, where the 10 rioni (neighborhoods) compete for the honor of winning this year’s trophy. We won’t be going to that, but we were here for tonight’s event. Each neighborhood tavern hosts a banquet and everyone excitedly awaits the splendiforous corte (parade) as it winds its way through each neighborhood in town, returning to the central plazza for speeches and a blessing. Wow, such pomp and pagentry! We joined the banquet at the Badia neighborhood tavern. I had the forethought to make reservations on Wednesday, and still, the outside tables were already full, so we were one of the few dining inside. There was a 5-course Baroque menu, which took hours to serve and eat! By the time the primi course (pasta) was being served (10 pm) the parade was reaching our neighborhood. We jumped up and ran outside not wishing to miss the greatest show of the year! As we ran past the young girl holding our two bowls of pasta, we shouted, “Ritorniamo dopo la corte!” (We’ll return after the parade!). I managed to get a great front & center spot just as the parade arrived. Wow,Wow,Wow. Each neighborhood was represented in their “colors’ and ‘symbol’. Drummers, Trumpeters, Lords & Ladies, Horsemen & Horse women, Horses! There was so much to see and it was all so beautiful. Midway in the parade, Mike taps my shoulder, “the last train leaves in 15 minutes”. Yikes, 10:45 and the parade is in full force and we still have 3 courses to go for dinner. We throw caution to the wind and miss the train. Will we need to walk back 3 miles to Spello? And I’m wearing shoes meant for the opera not hiking home. Will we need to sleep in the train station? I’m wearing contact lenses and don’t have my toothbrush. Hotels are probably all booked, Uber isn’t a thing here and there is only one taxi. We were going with the flow…perhaps because the ‘appertivi’ has been flowing with spritz, whisky sour and prosecco… The parade finishes passing our ‘hood, and we went back inside to two bowls of cold pasta. The 11 year old server kindly grabbed our bowls, saying she’ll get them reheated. In the meantime the next course arrived. Then the pasta came back. The servers were very confused that we had our ‘secondi’ before our “primi’ and wanted to bring us another second course. No! It was getting close to midnight and worry was setting in. We decided to not wait for dessert, paid and left. The parade was still making it’s way around the crowded town. We hurried to get to the train station, dodging horse poop, crowds and the parade. As we approached the front of the station, a white taxi pulled up! A woman was already getting in the front seat. I stick my head in the still open door and ask the driver “Spello?” Hoping he could come back after this fare. Instead, he let’s us in the back seat. What luck! I think the woman was his wife or mother. He got us to our apartment in the next town and didn’t even hike the fare! The drama was well worth it…the parade was that awesome!