The Sarapino

The Sarapino or Saracen with the Ape is the game that recalls the tradition of the classic Joust of the Saracen of Civitella in Val di Chiana, based on the reenactment of ancient events of arms. In this revival in a modern key, original and somewhat goliardic, the horse is replaced by the most popular motor vehicle in the countryside of our recent past: the ape (Italian word for bee).

The idea for the Joust dates back to the postwar period, when a group of Civitella residents decided to stage a unique version of this game of arms, on the cue of Arezzo's well-known Joust of the Saracen.

The Joust was held then in the same village square where it is revived today, and this curious meeting of the Middle Ages and modern mechanics is now named Sarapino, a combination of "Saracen" and "Ape".
The village of Civitella comes to the rendezvous divided into four districts - San Francesco, Porta Aretina, Porta Senese and La Torre - who each run three chariots with the task of defending their colors on the field against the buratto, for the conquest of the Retribuet, the prize that goes to the winner.

The program:

• June 1, 8:30 p.m.
  A week before the battle, the captains of the four districts summon the people of the village to a Propitiatory Dinner, known as the Vigil of Arms, a kind of gathering around the knights and figures in anticipation of the upcoming challenge. With the wish for victory, the districts toast and eat in the village square throughout the evening.
• June 15, from 6:15 p.m.
  The day of the Joust. The four village districts await the unveiling of the Retribuet and the drawing of the chariots that will decree the order of departure. The last mortar shell decrees the start of the joust (9 p.m.)
• June 16
  In the church of the village, the costumed figures of the winning district thank the Madonna with a Te Deum.