Ottava Medievale di Sant’Egidio

Feast of ancient tradition, solemnized by Pope Boniface IX in 1396 with the granting of the same indulgences as the Porziuncola of Assisi, it was celebrated with great public commitment codified in the municipal statutes. Particularly solemn was the procession in which all the city magistrates and the sixteen guilds of the arts took part. Great attraction was exerted by the horse races in the ring, for which the statutes of 1359 provided for a special place, the equinum, and the participation of any citizen of Orta. There were also archery and crossbow tournaments, foot races and boat regattas on the Tiber called “Ludi Tiberini” or “Le Calate” because a large crowd from the city descended along the banks of the river to support its champions . During the eight days, the festival was accompanied by a large fair of goods in the city and of livestock across the river called the Campanelli fair, banned as far as Perugia and Norcia.