Norcia Umbria (in english) by Umbria OnLine

Norcia - Historical Parade: March 23rd and August 27th

Corteo storico

With the arrival of spring, Norcia celebrates its patron saint in the ancient ceremony of offering of "ceri" and "palleii" to St Benedict, from the town's surrounding castles and from the city's guaite, or the areas into which it is still divided.

Made up of over 100 participants in Medieval costume, the historical parade represents the ancient Norcia magistrature and features members from each single "guaita" (city area) and "castello" (surrounding village), as recorded in the Norcia statutes printed in Perugia in 1526.

In the afternoon the guaite compete in an ancient crossbow contest in the main town square. The celebrations end with a solemn procession through the streets bearing the reliquary of St Benedict, patron saint of Europe.