Put One Evening At Dinner at the Gaite di Bevagna ... and For One Day I Will Be A Woman of the Middl

How many times have I said to myself “this year I want to go to the Gaite di Bevagna ”, and then for one thing or another I always had to postpone. 

But this time no! We leave for Bevagna with Francesco, Selena, Simone and with the hope of not finding too much confusion and queuing to eat inside the various taverns, renowned for good food and good wine.

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But what are the gate? They are none other than the districts in which the city of Bevagna, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy on the outskirts of Perugia, was formerly divided: Gaita San Pietro, San Giovanni, Santa Maria and San Giorgio.

For ten days, from 14 June to 24 June, authentic medieval atmospheres envelop the town in everyday life and its inhabitants eat, work and play as in the past.

Once in Bevagna, a friend of ours is waiting for us and suggests we have dinner at the Gaita San Pietro . 

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And it is here that my friends and I meet Mauro , Bevanate DOC , who between one dish and another (the bread dumplings with sausage cream, duck and wild boar are not to be missed!) .

this festival, how much commitment and dedication are behind it and the "strong" competition between the 4 gaite. 

The challenge is played in 4 races: market competition trades competition (three for each gaita), gastronomic and sports competition with archery.

With a complex system of points awarded by experts and professionals, the winner is decided on the last day.

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Only an hour has passed, and we are already very fond of St. Peter's! And it is for this reason, and perhaps as a result of a few glasses of wine too many, that we cannot refuse the proposal that Mauro is about to make us: 

wear period clothes and take part in the market on Sunday morning! Forget it! We will be there!

The Market of the Gaite 2012 Market of the Gaite 2012 in Bevagna Market of the Gaite 2012 in Bevagna

Sunday morning appointment at 9 at the Gaita! Mauro is still asleep and so we take the opportunity to have breakfast when a dead pheasant, ready to appear too, passes in front of me, so early in the morning… 

luckily I'm still on an empty stomach!:-)

A short time passes, and the city begins to be populated with tourists and not only . Everyone is at work and someone is already in medieval costume!

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Market of the Gaite 2012 in Bevagna

Market of the Gaite 2012 in Bevagna

Let's go and collect our dress from Roberta, the costume designer, in "our" gaita which in the meantime is no longer the same. 

Mauro, in fact, had told us how this Saint Peter was the only one of the gaite to set up the scenography on this occasion, unlike the others which, on the other hand, have many fixed structures and take advantage of many indoor spaces. 

And we also understand why they spend so much money on wood!

We are truly in another era.

Market of the Gaite 2012 in Bevagna Market of the Gaite 2012 in Bevagna Market of the Gaite 2012 in Bevagna

The square and the streets are being transformed into a real medieval market to stage moments of daily life of the inhabitants of the town in the period between 1250 and 1350 . 

In the stalls arrive: fresh fruit, vegetables, vegetables, spices, meats, game, fresh fish, horses, donkeys, goats, hens, tasty sweets ... 

but also fabrics, leather works while the shops of ancient crafts resume their activities.

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Market of the Gaite 2012 in Bevagna

Market of the Gaite 2012 in Bevagna

Ready for our entry on the scene, we decide to go and see the trades. The reenactment is perfect. 

La Spezzeria with its distillery, herbalist and Cereria laboratory where we witnessed the making of candles with beeswax called " duplero " (and with surprise, discover, by dipping a finger in the wax at about 80 °, how the first patch! :-) ); the Tintoria and finally the Scriptorium . 

Here Francesco, a passionate historian, was happy to show us all the steps for the creation of parchment codes according to the techniques of that time.

Market of the Gaite 2012 in Bevagna Market of the Gaite 2012 in Bevagna Market of the Gaite 2012 in Bevagna

In the meantime there are many tourists who stop us to take a picture of the clothes…

it is a pity, however, that we did not meet the photographer Steve Mc Curry , right there that morning, engaged in the creation of the book dedicated to Umbria.

The director gives us the directions for the dress rehearsal , the one open to the public. The climate is still relaxed. You review the lines, rehearse the scenes and let the audience enjoy the show. 

In the meantime, I become an ENPA (National Animal Protection Authority) official and I decide to free, involuntarily, a dove from its cage, with the dress that gets caught in the cage. 

But I swear I didn't want to!

Market of the Gaite 2012 in Bevagna Market of the Gaite 2012 in Bevagna Market of the Gaite 2012 in Bevagna

We skip the visit to the other "our" competing gaites because it is time for lunch. :-)

After lunch the tension begins to build. The last details are arranged (even the strollers are transformed and adapted and the manholes in the streets covered with lute carpets to hide them!). 

Nothing should be left to chance. The jury of experts is very careful that traditions, customs and habits of the time are re-proposed with strict observance.