During this year’s festa they have added something new since our last trip in 2011 – a palio. You may be familiar with the famous palio in Siena where jockeys from each region of the town race horses around their unique seashell-shaped piazza. In Torre Orsina they will race falcons.
There are 4 regions in Torre Orsina:
Il Buchi – meaning “The Holes”. This is the oldest part of the town where small doorways are cut into the rock walls that wind through its darkened alleys. This is where Danielle Abbati and her family live, as well as Orsalina, Luigina II, and Giuseppe Carlini, to name a few.
Il Borgo – meaning “The Village”. This is the main street of the town that links the piazza of the church to the piazza of the bar. This solid line of attached homes are beautifully maintained. This is where Maria Giulia has her second home (my grandfather’s house) and where Michele’s family has their second home. Celestino and Mara also live on Il Borgo with Lucia and Maurizio.
San Sebastiano – named for the saint who was martyred with arrows. This is the name of one of the streets off of the piazza of the church. This is where Luigina, Virgilio, and Elda live. At the end of San Sebastiano is the home of Paolo’s other grandparents.
Il Colle – meaning “The Hills”. This section includes most of the rest of Torre Orsina as the town expends upward into the hills behind the church. Some of these homes are attached, but there are also many larger detached homes with large acreage for farming olives, grapes, or livestock. This is where Maurizio and Fabiana live with their family.
After displaying the various falcons, eagles, and owls to the townspeople that afternoon, the palio began in the evening after much pageantry. Four falcons were used and children from each region of town drew lots to see which bird would race under their banner. There were 2 sets of races. In the first, each falcon would race 3 legs from one of the bird handlers to the next. All four times were recorded. In the next race the birds were paired off and flew side-by-side along the length of the piazza with the winner being the falcon that landed first. After many calculations the top 2 regions faced off in a tie-breaker and Il Colle emerged as the winner and was presented with the Golden Rose.
Il Buchi – meaning “The Holes”. This is the oldest part of the town where small doorways are cut into the rock walls that wind through its darkened alleys. This is where Danielle Abbati and her family live, as well as Orsalina, Luigina II, and Giuseppe Carlini, to name a few.
Il Borgo – meaning “The Village”. This is the main street of the town that links the piazza of the church to the piazza of the bar. This solid line of attached homes are beautifully maintained. This is where Maria Giulia has her second home (my grandfather’s house) and where Michele’s family has their second home. Celestino and Mara also live on Il Borgo with Lucia and Maurizio.
San Sebastiano – named for the saint who was martyred with arrows. This is the name of one of the streets off of the piazza of the church. This is where Luigina, Virgilio, and Elda live. At the end of San Sebastiano is the home of Paolo’s other grandparents.
Il Colle – meaning “The Hills”. This section includes most of the rest of Torre Orsina as the town expends upward into the hills behind the church. Some of these homes are attached, but there are also many larger detached homes with large acreage for farming olives, grapes, or livestock. This is where Maurizio and Fabiana live with their family.
After displaying the various falcons, eagles, and owls to the townspeople that afternoon, the palio began in the evening after much pageantry. Four falcons were used and children from each region of town drew lots to see which bird would race under their banner. There were 2 sets of races. In the first, each falcon would race 3 legs from one of the bird handlers to the next. All four times were recorded. In the next race the birds were paired off and flew side-by-side along the length of the piazza with the winner being the falcon that landed first. After many calculations the top 2 regions faced off in a tie-breaker and Il Colle emerged as the winner and was presented with the Golden Rose.