Tournament of the Medieval Cities

The Tournament of the Medieval Cities in Ciriè

The Tournament of the Medieval Cities is the major historical re-enactment of Ciriè, located in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont. For a full weekend in June, the historic center transforms into a window into the 14th century: streets, squares, and palaces relive the atmosphere of the Middle Ages thanks to roughly 500 volunteer performers from the city's six districts, joined by 19 guest historical delegations from across Piedmont and the Aosta Valley.

The Theme: Margaret of Savoy and 1305

The event is dedicated to Margaret of Savoy, a noblewoman who, after being widowed by the Marquis of Monferrato, John I, chose Ciriè as her residence in 1305, governing the castellanies of Ciriè, Caselle, and Lanzo. The costumes, scenes, and characters of the tournament revolve around this historical episode, blending entertainment, historical research, and local promotion.

The Program

On Saturday evening, the heart of the festival is the historical pageant: a grand parade featuring noble and commoner costumes, artistic performances, musicians, flag-wavers, and sword duels that winds through the city center, starting from Villa Remmert.

On Sunday, the program runs from morning until evening:

• Medieval Village (9:00 AM to 6:00 PM) along Via Vittorio Emanuele II, featuring a reconstruction of 14th-century daily life: the musicians' camp, the court of games, and rural life with grain threshing and a traditional medieval tavern;
• Ten experimental archaeology stations dedicated to ancient crafts (scriptorium with paper and manuscript copying, medieval medicine, tailoring, embroidery, woodworking);
• The Marchioness's Game, an interactive activity designed to engage the public in visiting all the educational stations;
• Historical Pageant of the Districts (3:00 PM) starting from Palazzo D'Oria;
• Equestrian Joust (4:30 PM) on Corso Martiri della Libertà, the highlight of the event, where knights compete in a tournament inspired by medieval traditions.

An event that tells the story of the territory

Organized by the La Spada nella Rocca Association under the patronage of the City of Ciriè, the Piedmont Region, and the Metropolitan City of Turin, the Tournament is much more than a simple costume festival: it is a cooperation project between communities that unites city districts and numerous municipalities of Piedmont and the Aosta Valley, ranging from historical re-enactment to tourism and cultural promotion.