St. Michael's Palio. Bastia Umbra between performances, dances and sports competitions
St. Michael's Palio. Bastia Umbra between performances, dances and sports competitions
by Fabio Massimo Penna
The Palio di San Michele is an event that took place for the first time in 1962 in Bastia Umbra and since then it has been an unmissable event for citizens and tourists. Dedicated to San Michele Arcangelo, patron saint of the city, the Palio transforms the main square into an outdoor stage on which the four urban districts Moncioveta, Portella, San Rocco and Sant'Angelo face off in three different challenges: parades, games and competitions . Great is the spectacular effect of the fashion shows with majestic mobile and fixed sets, theatrical and choreographic performances. The imposing stage machines become the backdrop against which men, women and children perform (acting, miming and dancing). With games, on the other hand, we move on to sports activities that find their culminating moment in the competition, a 4 x 400 meter relay. In the end, the Palio is handed over to the district that has distinguished itself in the various challenges. The event is also an opportunity to taste the delicious Umbrian specialties in the various taverns of the districts. The 51st edition of the Palio di San Michele takes place in Bastia Umbra from 19 to 29 September 2013. To find out more, you can contact the Ente Palio de San Michele at the telephone numbers 075.8011525 / 339.5750486 or go to the website www.paliodesanmichele.it .
Bastia Umbra, a municipality in the province of Perugia, is currently an important agricultural center as well as an important industrial and commercial center. Also noteworthy is the exhibition activity which has a fundamental moment with the “Umbriafiere” event. Bastia was probably a Roman insula as can also be seen from the archaeological remains found on the site. In the fifteenth century the city came under the dominion of the leader Braccio da Montone before passing under Malatesta Baglioni. In 1580 it was taken by Filippo Boncompagni, nephew of Pope Gregory XII. In the nineteenth century, after the invasion of Napoleon it passed to the Papal State and in 1861 it became part of the Kingdom of Italy.
Important from an artistic point of view is the church of St. Michael Archangel, in which is preserved the precious "Polittico di Sant'Angelo" (1499) by Nicolò Alunno. The art of the Pupil shows an extensive knowledge of the artistic experiences contemporary to him. The legacy of the Umbrian school of the 14th century, with its pathetic accents, and the Gothic instances integrate with the Renaissance novelties that came from Tuscany. Its beginnings in the Umbrian-Marchigian environment are affected by the refinements of the International Gothic of flowery taste but soon the essential reference point for the painter of Foligno becomes Beato Angelico, an influence declined with an end naturalism and a tendency to caricature exasperation. His figures stand out sharply in the paintings and show a dramatic accentuation that also refers to Donatello's work. Some stylistic harshness denotes Nordic influences. These cultural references are evident in the "Polittico di San Severino" (1468) of the Civic Art Gallery P. Tacchi Venturi of San Severino Marche, in which Jan Van Eyck's knowledge is demonstrated by the precise description of the details and gothic persistences from a dèmodé use of the gold background. The strong expressionistic charge of his style is evident in the "Crucifixion between Saints Francis and Bernardino" (1497) of the Municipal Art Gallery of Terni. Other works of the Pupil include the "Madonna with Jesus Child between St. John the Baptist and St. Sebastian" (1482) of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Cannara and the "Polittico di Montelparo" (1466) of the Vatican Art Gallery.