The first weekend in September in Pienza is the Fiera del Cacio (Cheese Fair). This year was the 64th edition…an homage to the town’s principal product, Pecorino di Pienza.
Sunday morning culminates a week of activities. The opening event is the running of the sheep, a much smaller…and safer…version of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.
The afternoon festivities started with an exhibition by the town’s sbandieratori.
The short video at the right is best seen full screen
(We have written many times before about the history and development of the flag throwers.
For the development of the art, see:https://rbergson.org/sbandieratori-flag-wavers/
For an exhibition of several different sbandieratori teams, see: https://rbergson.org/563-years-later/)
The sbandieratori were followed by the headline event. Each Pienza contrada (neighborhood) sends a team of six cheese rollers. The competition, a combination of horseshoes and bocce, has each contestant roll a 1 kg wheel of cheese over a bumpy 500-year old pavement to see who can get the wheel of cheese closest to a bowling pin.
[see: https://rbergson.org/pienzas-own-palio/ for our post on last year’s event]
All of this led Carol and Roger to wonder, where do the Pientini learn these skills?
The answer is: they start ’em young.
Each contrada rercuits its own giovani (youngsters). Many practice for years before making the neighborhood varsity.
Some don’t do too badly in their rookie season, and some need a bit more practice.
(Again, this video is best seen expanded to full screen)
Gruppo Musici e Sbandieratori Pienza is a community organization that trains both the flag throwers and the drum corps whose rhythms support them.
The drummers start learning the ropes by the time they’re barely old enough to attend school.
Same with the young sbandietori…
(Remember, expand this video and the next to full screen)
…though it will take years more practice before they are as proficient as their elders.
In a world in which lots of the Pienza teens we see dream of escaping to life in a big city…especially New York…it’s refreshing to see so many of the children eagerly participating in the traditions that make life in this small town so special.
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