Rione San Michele
THE HISTORY
The Rione San Michele was born on 6 July 1981 at the behest of a group of friends passionate about history and the Middle Ages, who, facing the skepticism of many people from Pescia, set out to create a new reality, a new association that could bring together all those who shared the same passion and interest.
The birth of the Rione San Michele was quite laborious: after the first moment of scepticism, the citizens living in the area of the parish of San Michele (southwestern part of the territory municipality), also stimulated by the fact that the promoters of the initiative had made agreements with the inhabitants of the peripheral area (hotels), declared themselves in favor of supporting the creation of the Association.
Once the project had been approved by the citizens, the founders of the district, consulting various historical sources regarding our territory, undertook the search for the coat of arms and colors to assign to this new nascent association. One of the most important sources found was the Statute of Pescia of 1339.
The publication revealed that the territory affected by the research had a green dragon on a golden yellow background as its coat of arms. The result obtained was considered satisfactory by the founders also because, in religious iconography, the figure of Saint Michael was depicted with a dragon at his feet.
Some volunteers, the most active, immediately got to work: texts were consulted, museums and churches visited to find all the material for the creation of historical costumes, many of which are still worn today.The work accomplished was more difficult than expected because, for the historical period represented, the Middle Ages from the second half of the 1300s to the first half of the 1400s, there was not very detailed documentation. Despite the difficulties in finding historical documents, all the material that allowed us to start working on the creation of costumes for the procession.
And the company started. With a letter dated 14 August 1981, the Rione San Michele communicated to the Tourist Initiatives Committee, which managed the organization of the city Palio before the foundation of the Lega dei Rioni Città di Pescia, its decision to participate in the historical procession for the September Palio with five figures and with its archers belonging to the Compagnia Arcieri di Città di Pescia.
The formation of the San Michele district as we know it today took many decades to be completed with multiple representations. In fact, at first we see the participation of the district in the historical procession only with its archers, some figures and a small group of drummers.
In 1997, the group of swordsmen was added, known by the battle name "Foco et Fiamme" which with its shows and fights immediately fascinated spectators inside and outside the city walls.
In the year 2000, the flag-waving group was born, and subsequently the clarions with their ringing melodies joined the group to accompany the drum beats.
Over the years, the San Michele district has not been content to participate and show itself only in the city Palio, which still takes place on the first Sunday of September. Our district has in fact participated in multiple historical re-enactments both in Tuscany and outside the regional territory; he participated in numerous F.I.Sb competitions and championships. (Italian Federation of Flag-Wavers) with its musicians and flag-wavers
from 2007 to today; he participated in numerous Sagitta circuit competitions with his archers.
The San Michele district, born from the idea and projects of a few, today boasts a historic procession made up of around 160 participants, accompanied by other members who take care of the creation and development of other collateral events that the district organizes throughout the year.
THE SAN MICHELE RIONE TODAY
Over the years, the San Michele district has become a meeting and social point for our community. The activities range in fact from the training of the groups of archers, flag-wavers, musicians and swordsmen who prepare for the Palio during the year, the procession and the shows connected to the most important event of the year, to representations of our colors for events in cities close to us; but these are not the only ones that keep us busy over the months.
In fact, we also organize culinary events that our community has appreciated for many years now, from lunches and dinners in association with the Parish, to collaborations with the San Michele Conservatory and, finally, the event that has distinguished us for more than forty years: the Chestnut Festival, which takes place every year between the last Sunday of October and the following Sundays of November.
The San Michele district, currently made up of many young people, continues to always have an eye towards the future and generational change. If already before Covid, sociality was at the center of our interests, after the pandemic we found the need for sharing, presence and attachment to our colors even more.
In fact, our young people have expressed the need to meet even beyond the classic commitments that keep us busy during the year: they have thus organized other events and appointments open to all people from Pescia, from Burraco tournaments during the summer, to aperitifs under the stars, from pizza parties and karaoke to the Fat Festival, another opportunity to show the skill of our chefs and the conviviality that best represents us.
AWARDS & SUCCESSES
From the moment of its birth, the Rione San Michele has participated in all the city Palios held, bringing home 8 victories. These are the archery challenges held in 1985, 1988, 1991, 1993, 2002, 2008, 2018 and 2019.
There were also numerous victories that the RIONE obtained for the competition "The beauty and elegance of women in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance", a Pescia competition in which a jury is called to judge the beauty, manufacturing and correspondence of the dress represented by each lady which must have a historical reference in a painting or fresco of medieval origin. The editions for which our district, representing the city of Pescia, won were those of 2025, 2019, 2011.
In the " Palla al Paniere" tournament, held until 2024 on the Sunday before the Palio, Rione San Michele won the following editions: 2007, 2008, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019.
The yellow-green district has also obtained important recognition outside the city walls by participating in archery competitions on the Sagitta circuit, in F.I.Sb tournaments and championships, participating with musicians and flag-wavers until it reached the Tenzone Argentea category.
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