A Day at the Oria Festival

I close my eyes and for just a moment I'm a member of King Arthur's Court. Outfitted in chain-mail with a cast iron (well aluminum anyway) helmet, shield and sword I'm ready to take on all comers. My costume and the 90+ degree heat pretty much guarantee instant weight loss. But I can deal with it cuz right now I am both participant and spectator at the annual Oria Festival. The Puglia Region's most famous renaissance fair.

Welcome to the Oria Festival!

Renaissance Fairs are pretty popular in the United States, but in Italy the art of medieval re-enactment has been occurring for the last 30 to 40 years in many towns across Italy. The most famous is the annual Oria Festival which takes place in and around the medieval town of the same name during the second week of August.

Most medieval Italian towns are made for this type of festival. And as you can imagine it doesn't take much to place yourself in an atmosphere that reeks of King Arthur's Court. More often than not all it takes is a stroll through the Centro Storico of any given town and you'll soon find yourself surrounded by the architecture of a bygone age. The small town of Oria - not far from the city of Brindisi - fits the bill perfectly for a Renaissance Fair. Thanks to the presence of a requisite castle (Castle Svevo), cobblestone streets and other assorted nooks and crannies, the only thing missing is the talent.

Once Upon a Time

The Oria festival is rooted in history: during the early 1200's, King Frederick II of Sveviabuilt and lived in the Oria Castle (hence the name Castle Svevo) and town grew around it. King Frederick soon began hosting an annual tournament between the teams representing his kingdom's four local areas (called rione' in Italian): Castello, Judea, Lama e Santo Basilio. Historically, King Frederick's tournament was a product of the times: jousting, flag twirling and feats of strength and agility were played out in the Castle's main square and gave the local something else to thing about besides taxes and poverty.

Fast-forward a millenia and the Oria Festival - which has been celebrated annually since 1967 - still showcases medieval games and pageantry as it did in times gone by. The medieval games share the spotlight with the Festival's Opening Day parade which used to wind its way through the town's cobblestone streets but has recently been moved to the town soccer stadium. No matter, dozens of volunteers are still needed (that would include me) to dress the part in an outfit of the times - be it chain mail or flowing robe.

During the last few years, popular television and film personalities have slipped into the role of King Frederick II and his Queen. This year it was Giulio Maria Berruti and Cosima Coppola in the coveted roles.

Let the Medieval Games Begin!

The parade is fun, but it's the medieval games that everyone really wants to see. (Fake) jousting plays to SRO crowds and the knights do a pretty convincing job of beating each other to a pulp without actually getting hurt. Sword fights follow.

The obstacle course, rope climb and relay race are other big events as are flag twirling and the drum corps.

It's all a great way to spend a day or two and actually participating makes it even more memorable.

Plan Ahead

If you find yourself in the Puglia Region during the month of August and want to attend the Oria Festival I recommend you drive to Oria and search for a Bed and Breakfast in the immediate area or snatch up a room in the town proper. Plan ahead or you won't find a room. If you want to participate you need to contact the event organizers here.

Damsels in distress and knights in shining armor still live in the annual Oria Festival. Check it out next time you're in town!