Gioco del Ponte 2018

Gioco del Ponte (the Game of the Bridge, the Battle of the Bridge or, in the Pisan dialect, Giòo der Ponte) is a historical festival that is held every year in Pisa, in the last Saturday of June, on the beautiful bridge Ponte di Mezzo.

The game, in which two teams are confronting – Mezzogiorno (representing the city districts south of the River Arno) and Tramontana (north of the Arno), consists, in the contemporary version, in the pushing of an iron cart along a specially mounted track on the Ponte di Mezzo, aiming to conquer the side of the bridge occupied by the enemy.

Before the battle takes place, a historical parade unfolds, consisting of 710 figurants, of which 41 on horseback, all in costumes of the 16th century. The parade winds along the four roads that run along the central stretch of the Arno River.

SHORT HISTORY

In ancient times, at the time of the Maritime Republic of Pisa, there was a game called Mazzascudo, in which the citizens of the city challenged themselves, divided into two factions. The challenge was held on the day of Sant’Antonio Abate, on January 17, and continued throughout the carnival period until the Lent.

Certainly, it was a violent game, fought with clubs and shields, in which initially single fighters would face, to end with a battle between the two factions, aimed at conquering a large space bounded by chains. This event was disputed in the current Piazza dei Cavalieri, which at the time was called Piazza degli Anziani. The game was forbidden by the Florentines in 1407, after the occupation of Pisa.

Over the centuries, the Game has been repeatedly revived and interrupted, undergoing progressive changes to the original formula. Later, the Florentines invented a dispute that was placed on the Ponte di Mezzo, with the clubs and shields being replaced by the Targone, a wooden board with the colors of the city squares. The last battle disputed after this system dates back to 6 February 1807, when the queen regent of Etruria, Maria Luisa, who was present at the event, suspended the game again.

After 120 years of absence, in the 20th century, the tradition was taken up by university students in 1927, during which an elaborate costume procession was initiated. Starting with 1935, the modern version of the game appeared, which was attended by Vittorio Emanuele III, together with the whole royal family.

A further pause was due to the Second World War, and the consequent demolition of the Ponte di Mezzo. After the post-war reconstruction, the game began again but it was again canceled in 1963. The interruption lasted until 1981, when the game was resumed.

GIOCO DEL PONTE 2018 – In 2018, the Battle of the Bridge will be held on Saturday, June 30, on the same Ponte di Mezzo.