PISTOIA – The celebrations in honor of the city’s patron saint, San Giacomo Maggiore, are ready to begin in Pistoia.
This evening (July 1st), starting at 7pm, the city will come alive with the opening paradeThe procession will start from Via Roma and will cross several city streets to arrive at the Melani Stadiumwhere the final will be held at 9.30 pm Football District Tournament (seniors category).
The parade route will include via Cavour, the Globo, via Buozzi, via Curtatone and Montanara, via Bozzi, piazza San Francesco, corso Gramsci, via dei Pappagalli, via dei Macelli and via dello Stadio. The parade will be divided into two sections: folkloristic and historicalThe folkloristic part will see the participation of the city’s sports clubs, while the historical section will involve figures from the City Committee and the four districts (Cervo Bianco, Grifone, Leon d’Oro and Drago), together with the historical groups of the province.
He will open the procession the municipal band of Pistoiafollowed by banner of the Municipality and by the city institutions. The participants, in medieval clothes, together with flag-wavers and drummers, will enliven the streets of the center. The Borgognoni Philharmonic will close the procession. Once at the stadium, spectators will be able to watch performances by athletes from some sports associations.
The councilor for tourism and Jacobean celebrations, Alessandro Sabellaunderlined the importance of the events linked to the Jacobean celebrations for the city, highlighting the growing interest on the part of tourists, especially Spanish and Dutch, for the historical re-enactments of Pistoia, defined by some as the Santiago of Italy.
The 2024 drape
The drape which will be delivered to the winning district of the Bear Carousel on July 25th it was created by the artist from Pistoia Anna Nigro. The work depicts San Jacopo pilgrim with a red cloak, a shell with a Latin cross and a hand on his heart, a symbol of love and protection towards Pistoia. The banner also includes the four knights of the districts involved in the Joust and the bear Micco, heraldic symbol of Pistoia.
Program of the celebrations
The celebrations will begin with the dressing of San Jacopo on 16 July, followed by the trials of the Giostra on 22 and 23 July. On July 24th, at 9pm, the procession will take place from Piazza San Francesco to the Cathedral of San Zeno. July 25that 9.30, is scheduled the procession of candles and the costume parade in the historic center. In the evening, at 9 pm, in Piazza del Duomo there will be the Bear Carouselpreceded by the costumed procession.
The tickets for the Giostra dell’Orso they cost 15 euros for seats and 10 euros for standing. They can be purchased by sending an email to [email protected] or directly at the desk in Piazza del Duomo until July 25. The ticket office will also be open during the Giostra rehearsals, on July 22 and 23, from 9 pm to midnight.
