Spelonga (Marche): A Beautiful Party

Every three years the wonderful town of Spelonga in the le Marche region hosts a town wide celebration known as la Festa Bella (the Beautiful Party) for the entire month of August. The silhouette of a ship is recreated in the town piazza where a Turkish flag waves high up on the ship’s mast in memory of the Turkish defeat in 1571. The celebration starts with a long series of bell tolls calling all the men to the town center. Once complete, 100s of lumberjacks are gathered and prepare for a three-day journey into the woods in search for a tree trunk to make the mast out of. The women say their goodbyes with a large feast before sending them off, much like it must’ve been like in 1571 before the war.

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Photo credit: event website