It is a traditional festival based on a medieval game and takes place twice a year: regularly on the 4th Sunday of May, and on 14 August.
Its origins date back to the XIV-XV centuries, when Massa Marittima was a Free and Independent City.
It is a crossbow competition among the three Terzieri (or medieval neighborhoods) of Massa Marittima: Cittanuova (literally New Town), Cittavecchia (Old Town) and Borgo. It takes place in Piazza Garibaldi, just in front of the Cathedral.
The festival consists of three different moments: it starts with a parade, with over 150 people concentrating into Piazza Garibaldi showing their medieval costumes; then the flag wavers begin their show and finally the crossbow game begins.
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Some notes on the 3 Terzieri:
Terziere di Cittanuova: colours white red striped in green, site former Church of San Pietro all’Orto. The territory of the Terziere stretches along Corso Armando Diaz and its numerous traverses. In the second half of the 12th century, the flourishing of the first community in Massa was intense and the attraction for those who aspired to work in mining, metal smelting and masonry was vast. From the slopes of Monteregio, the houses expanded to the plain adjacent to the castle, which had become the seat of the bishopric. The Bishop Conte had the mighty walls built and constructed the Church of San Pietro all’Orto, and the buildings grew and became more ornate. The Terziere of Cittanuova arose in a rational and rectilinear urban layout and on the top of the hill, the Torre del Candeliere (Candlestick Tower) was built, the symbol of the nascent Free Commune. The men of the Terziere defended municipal autonomy to the last blood, as their motto ‘Sangius Eius Libertatis Presidium’ testifies. Cittanuova can be designated as the terziere of miners: this is confirmed in the church of San Agostino, where there is the Chapel of Santa Lucia, the patron saint of silversmiths. The dwellings, almost all terraced and ground floor, are characterised by simple windows, small entrance doors and an almost total absence of external decorative elements. The highest ranking families include the Longanelli, the Scolari, the Manganelli and the Beccucci.
Terziere di Borgo: yellow-blue striped in red, site former Church of San Rocco. The territory of the Terziere winds through Via San Francesco, Via Norma Parenti and the alleys leading towards the Corso and the walls. In the Middle Ages, it represented the only connecting artery to Siena. The name ‘Borgo’ indicates its origin: it was in fact the peasant plebeians who, between the end of the 10th century and the beginning of the 11th century, found a home at the foot of Monteregio and, over time, while maintaining their work in the fields, shifted their activities towards arts and crafts: craftsmen’s workshops were opened and the ancient hovels were transformed into houses and palaces with towers of which, even today, there are still significant testimonies. As its motto ‘Virtute Ignea Certabimus’ expresses it, Borgo defended the fate of the city with ardent valour when it rebelled against Siena to regain its lost freedom; it was the last to surrender, so much so that it was put to the sword by the Sienese. The Terziere di Borgo was home to the noble Bandini family, from which descended Sallustio, inspirer of the reclamation and reclamation of the Maremma.
Terziere di Cittavecchia: black and white colours striped in yellow, headquarters Vicolo Albizzeschi. The territory of the Terziere comprises Piazza Garibaldi, Via della Libertà, Piazza Cavour, Via Albizzeschi and the adjacent streets. It was the first massetano nucleus that, together with Borgo, formed at the foot of the castle of Monteregio, home of the lords of the feud and later of the bishop. When the Church of San Cerbone was built between the 10th and 11th centuries, which became today’s Cathedral through subsequent enlargements, the houses of those who came up from the countryside attracted by work in the silver and copper mines sprang up and multiplied around it. Faced with the domination of the fiefdom, the ferment of freedom sprouted among these new citizens and the consciousness of the people was born. The Terziere from then on had the appellative of Cittavecchia, as the parent and vital pernio of Massa Marittima. During the glorious time of the Republic, the palaces of the Municipality, the Podestà and the Judge-Assessor were built, in which supreme decisions were made and justice administered, so much so that, perhaps for the first time in the history of western town planning, we find all the buildings necessary for the public life of a city united in the same square. Illustrious families belonged to this terziere, such as the Biserno della Gherardesca, the Segalari, the Pannocchieschi, the Butini, the Neri, the Todini and the Avveduti, whose lineage included Nuta Nera Avveduti, mother of San Bernardino.
Terziere di Cittavecchia: black and white colours striped in yellow, headquarters Vicolo Albizzeschi. The territory of the Terziere comprises Piazza Garibaldi, Via della Libertà, Piazza Cavour, Via Albizzeschi and the adjacent streets. It was the first massetano nucleus that, together with Borgo, formed at the foot of the castle of Monteregio, home of the lords of the feud and later of the bishop. When the Church of San Cerbone was built between the 10th and 11th centuries, which became today’s Cathedral through subsequent enlargements, the houses of those who came up from the countryside attracted by work in the silver and copper mines sprang up and multiplied around it. Faced with the domination of the fiefdom, the ferment of freedom sprouted among these new citizens and the consciousness of the people was born. The Terziere from then on had the appellative of Cittavecchia, as the parent and vital pernio of Massa Marittima. During the glorious time of the Republic, the palaces of the Municipality, the Podestà and the Judge-Assessor were built, in which supreme decisions were made and justice administered, so much so that, perhaps for the first time in the history of western town planning, we find all the buildings necessary for the public life of a city united in the same square. Illustrious families belonged to this terziere, such as the Biserno della Gherardesca, the Segalari, the Pannocchieschi, the Butini, the Neri, the Todini and the Avveduti, whose lineage included Nuta Nera Avveduti, mother of San Bernardino.
