corsa dei baerberi in sicurezza

The ancient race of the Barberi horses in RONCIGLIONE  derives from the roman horse race initiated by Pope Paulus II in 1465 and, in that time, it was a prestigious game which took place on Shrove Tuesday. The protagonists of the race were, of course, the “Barberi” horses, a particular breed chosen for their strength and capacity of facing the route and the rivals, which ran with no jockey.

In RONCIGLIONE, over the years, the race has been later enriched with new details: among the others, the repeated ringing of the Campanone (large bell) in the municipal hall which assemblies the horse stables participating in the race. And, over the years, the work of the horse stables, which represent the different zones in town, has become more and more important, in order to create the correct relation with the horses, made of hard training and deep  passion.

Other significant feature, the march of the Hussars, the horse-mounted battalion composed by a courier, a captain, three rows of three men, a rear-rank man; the Hussars reaced the starting place in step and then galloped  along the same route as the Barberi race.

The route, still the same as in ancient times, started from Piazza della Pace or Monumento and, originally, it was called “a razzetta”, that is, with no starting box; then it went along Via Garibaldi, passing by Porta Romana and proceeding along Via Roma and Piazza Vittorio Emanuele  – called Piazza  della Nave – up to the del Gricio curve, leading to Corso Umberto I – called Montecavallo – and finished at number 101, covering about 850 metres.