Ten Days in the Middle Ages … That’s why you can’t miss the Gaite Market in Bevagna
As always, we are about to experience an exciting summer in Perugia. Between the countdown to world events like Umbria Jazz and the success of important art exhibitions, it is good to broaden the tourist horizons, highlighting very interesting things to see even near Perugia. There are so many attractions within easy reach that it is always difficult to choose which one to recommend first. The summer period often coincides with the putting in dinner of extraordinary medieval re-enactments in Umbria. The best time to visit the fortified and enchanting villages is in the months of May and June. That’s why you should be ready to discover these places even during the Gaite Market in Bevagna 2019.
On the occasion of what is a real Medieval Festival in Bevagna, the streets of the village are populated by the “noise” of ancient shops. Ten days in which each time is like going back a thousand years, recalling the importance that Bevagna had between 1250 and 1350. The whole community participates in the most awaited event, in a festive entertainment between games, taverns, banquets and shops. The aim is to immerse yourself completely in the daily life of that time, respecting the organization of the ancient medieval city divided precisely into neighborhoods called Gaite:
- Saint John
- Sancta Maria Filorum Comitis
- Saint Peter
- Saint George
In order to obtain a meticulous reconstruction, a group of scholars has examined the 16th century Statute of the Municipality of Bevagna since 1983. This is why the Gaite Market in Bevagna 2019 will still take place based on reliable information on the life of the time. All this has allowed us to know what the Gaite are and to give the public one of the most beautiful medieval re-enactments in Italy.
What to see in Umbria from 20th to 30th June with the Gaite Market in Bevagna 2019
For ten days, at the end of June, Bevagna takes a dip in a remote past. The ancient shops of medieval crafts reopen their doors and resume their activities. The streets are populated with “bevanati” that live in everyday clothes of their ancestors eating, working, playing just like them. Admiring this charming village in Umbria, every tourist will therefore be able to find a great variety of gastronomic objects and products:
- fabrics
- leather objects
- wicker and ropes
- paper
- wrought iron
- copper
- handmade candles
- cheese
- fish
- freshly baked bread and buns.
In the Gaite Market of Bevagna each “gaita” has been able to give its market an autonomous and, in some ways, characterizing physiognomy. Each of them is also animated by the competitive spirit with which it gives life to the four races typical of medieval festivals.
- Market competition
- Race of trades
- Gastronomic competition
- Archery sports competition.
A complex system of points, assigned by expert professors in the different fields called to judge the historical relevance of the reconstructions, decrees the receiving winner as a gift of the Palio della Vittoria. The competition of ancient crafts is particularly fascinating. Walking among the only paths of Bevagana it is thus possible to meet a painter and the art laboratory, the zecchiere and the coinage, the blacksmith and the bell-ringer, the ars cartaria or even the glassmaker.
The strong spirit of belonging to each “gaita” makes competitions compelling and all to be lived, while raising the quality level of medieval re-enactment. The Gaite Market in Bevagna is today one of the most important historical events in Umbria and is part of the Regional Association of Historical Events.
