The Palio of Districts of Trento
The Palio of Districts of Trento (in Italian: Il palio delle Contrade di Trento) is a celebration in remembrance of the Battle of Calliano (1487) and takes place every year in September in the city of Trento, the capital of Trentino in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, a region of Northern Italy. Historical origin The Palio is celebrated to remember the victory of the medieval Battle of Calliano, which ensued on the 10th August 1487 between the forces of the Republic of Venice and the combined forces of the Prince-Bishopric of Trento and of the County of Tirol in the hands of Sigismund of Habsburg, Archduke of Austria and ruler of Tirol from 1446 to 1490. The forces of Trento and Tirol managed to defeat the soldiers of the Republic of Venice, under the command of Roberto Sanseverino d'Aragona (who died in the conflict) in the municipality of Pomarolo, near Calliano and Rovereto and 15 kilometres far from Trento. Program The Palio of Districts of Trento consists in three days of festivity in the month of September, during which the eight districts (in Italian: contrade) of Trento engage in archery competitions. The tree-day festival is introduced by Il Corteggio (in English: The Court) and L'investitura dell'arciere (in English: The Investiture of the Archer) and ends with the delivery of La Feretra Imperiale to the archer of the winning District. The Court This event precedes the start of the celebrations and is a procession, in which around 500 people parade along the streets of the city centre, wearing medieval clothing representing the eight districts of Trento. The Investiture of the Archer The Investiture of the Archer occurs the day before the start of the Palio. In this occasion, each participating archer has to swear publicly in Piazza Duomo to be loyal to their own district. In turn, the archers receive the title of archer, their chosen battle name, the Tallero Stretto (official coin of the Palio) and three arrows to be used in the archery competitions. This ceremony is officiated by a city official (usually the Mayor of Trento) and by the Prior of the Districts. Archery competitions The archers of the different districts face both ability and velocity trials from 15 meters. The final trial is contended by the three archers, who have achieved the highest scores in the first two trials. The Imperial Feretra The archer who wins the final trial obtains the Feretra Imperiale, the Palio, which is bestowed upon him by the Mayor of Trento. Additional events In the course of the festival, there are usually additional events, such as: Medieval Arts and Professions special Fair: a fair where medieval professions and skills are shown by local artisans and artists, who wear medieval clothing for the occasion. Photographic Contest for Amateurs: a contest on a different topic for each edition of the Palio. Districts The districts involved in the Palio are eight: Contrada Larga: it encloses Via Belenzani, Via delle Orne, Galleria Tirrena and Piazza Duomo. Originally, it was characterised