A small tribune on which, in the end, only the mayor and the rector of the winning district will remain. In truth, something similar had already appeared in Piazza Grande last year even if, for its location, a portion of brickwork that had never been used for this purpose had been chosen. Now, after careful evaluation and specific studies, the renovated stage will rise in front of grandstand A (Chimet grandstand), the historic setting of this moment of celebration.
This is what was established by the provincial committee for public order and safety which met this morning, 12 June, within the prefecture of Arezzo to finalize the final details in view of 22 June, the day on which the the first Saracen Joust of 2024.
Over the last eight years, the chivalric challenge has undergone a series of adjustments and modifications dictated by the need to make it more usable and safe. Among these is the one concerning the delivery of the golden spear which, cyclically, has been at the center of more than one debate.
Delivery: chronology of moves and location changes
In the past the rectors received the trophy directly in the stands of grandstand A where they were joined by members of the district and cheering people. A method, at the time, judged by the Ghinelli administration to be inappropriate for the solemnity of the moment and, last but not least, unsafe for the safety of those present in the square. Thus, in 2017, the ceremony was moved to the terrace of one of the private homes overlooking Piazza Grande (Via Borgunto side). Here the mayor, before the end of the event, went to wait for the rector of the winning district who, on that balcony, received the trophy and then returned to the list together with his district officials. But even this method, although it was continued until 2022, never fully convinced. Last year there was a new change of location: the delivery took place on a stage located in correspondence with the “infamous column” a stone’s throw from the one used by the herald (on the Vasari loggia side). Sant’Andrea and Crucifera, respectively the winners of the June and September editions, “baptized” by hoisting the two conquered spears to the sky. But again, even this last provision was not considered valid enough. So, new move. After a process that began in recent months, the Giostra Council, chaired by Paolo Nocentini, first presented the project for the new stage to the neighborhood council and then, this morning, submitted it to the city and military authorities who gave their approval . We return to grandstand A where there will be a special stand from which, once the winner has been announced, the mayor will give the winner the trophy dedicated to Giorgio Vasari.
“Everyone stand still until the golden spear is in the hands of the victor”
“The prefect Maddalena De Luca – explain the organizers – has given the green light to the operation which sees the return of the delivery to Grandstand A after eight years, subject to the recommendation that spectators and extras remain in the seats assigned to them until the moment in which the Golden Lance will not be in the hands of the winning district. The access gates to Piazza Grande, the two sectors for the standing public and the exits of the stands will in fact be manned by security personnel and the police to ensure that no disturbances or invasions of the square occur until the delivery is completed”.
The tribune for the ceremony was designed by the architect Stefano Del Santo with the supervision of Enrico Lazzeri, director of the event. This morning in the prefecture, in addition to the prefect De Luca, the police commissioner Maria Luisa Di Lorenzo, the mayor Alessandro Ghinelli, the municipal councilor delegated to the Giostra Paolo Bertini, the commander of the Municipal Police Aldo Poponcini, the police, the safety manager appointed by the Municipality of Arezzo Pier Giorgio Secci, the 118 coordination and the disaster manager Luca Pancioni, the rectors of the four districts and the director coordinator Enrico Lazzeri.
