Historical festivals at Lake Trasimeno

2019-07-13 18:04

Nimble Oarsmen and Savage Barbarians

Palio delle Barche at Passignano sul Trasimeno

Palio delle Barche, Passignano sul Trasimeno

July 21 to 28, 2019

The boat race goes back to a historic event in 1495:

It was the culmination of the feud between the Perugian noble families of the Oddi and the Baglioni. The Oddi had entrenched themselves in the castle of Passignano, but had to flee from an attack by the Baglioni by shouldering the boats stored in the castle and carrying them to the shore. From there they managed to escape across the lake.

The four municipalities of Passignano recall every year this event with an exciting boat race on the last Sunday of July.

Absolutely worth seeing!

Info at www.paliodellebarche.it

Festa dei Barbari Castel Rigone

July 31 to August 4, 2019

The Festa dei Barbari in Castel Rigone is a historic village festival, which goes back to the founding of Castel Rigone by the Ostrogoths (for Italians they are equal to "barbarians") in the 6th century AD. A commander of Totilas, a certain Arrigo (or Rigone), had built here a fortress for the purpose of the siege of Perugia.

Our dear neighbors from the village dress up as "barbarians" with flaxen hair and cow horn helmets in the style of "Wickie the Viking" and run barbarously roaring through the village, of course after enjoying plenty of mead from goat's hoses ....

This is not one more of these commercial "medieval" events. Everything is home-made, self-made and home-cooked, not always historically true, but who cares as long as each of the 500 inhabitants in the village participates, from the toddler to the old man!

In the evening you can have "barbarian" food (which tastes wonderful thanks to Italian cooking) at the small Piazza Monterone, accompanied by drumbeats and fire-eaters.

Here is a video of the entry of the "Barbarians".