Waiting for Lucrezia Borgia

A dive into the Renaissance in the Valle Siciliana

Waiting for Lucrezia Borgia is a historical re-enactment held in Castiglione della Valle, an ancient village in the municipality of Colledara, in the province of Teramo, in the heart of Abruzzo and within the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. The event stems from a desire to preserve and share one of the most fascinating legends of the Valle Siciliana (or Siliciana): the story of Lucrezia Borgia's stay in these lands.

The legend of Lucrezia Borgia and Alfonso d'Aragona

According to tradition, in 1499, Lucrezia Borgia and her second husband, Alfonso d'Aragona, Duke of Bisceglie, sought refuge in Castiglione della Valle — the ancient Castrum Leonis — to escape the ambitions of the Duke Valentino, Cesare Borgia, Lucrezia's brother. The village, linked to the Spanish Mendoza family and governed by the Counts of Pagliara, welcomed the couple and their court. It is said that Lucrezia loved to retreat in prayer to the Church of San Michele Arcangelo, a 12th-century jewel, to which she reportedly donated funds for a chapel dedicated to the Most Holy Sacrament. Scholar Ulderico Martelli documented this presence through 16th-century Latin manuscripts.

An event blending history, entertainment, and flavors

The re-enactment, conceived in the early 1990s by Dalmazio (Italo) Di Dalmazio and Rita Magazzeni, offers a journey that combines historical rigor with popular entertainment. The program alternates cultural moments — conferences, book presentations, and insights into the figure of Lucrezia and the history of the Aprutium region — with festive entertainment: processions in period costumes, musicians and jesters, falconry displays, storytellers, a medieval market with artisans, and, as the highlight, a lavish Renaissance banquet with a dinner show.

The village and its rebirth

Due to damage caused by seismic events that affected the old village and rendered the Church of San Michele Arcangelo unstable, the event has moved to the Visitor Center of the "Fiume Fiumetto" Nature Reserve in Castiglione della Valle, which now hosts the commemorative day. The initiative is promoted by the Pro Loco of Colledara together with the Emidio and Ermando Magazzeni Study Center, with the collaboration of local entities such as the GAL Gran Sasso Laga and local groups.

Participating in "Waiting for Lucrezia Borgia" means immersing yourself in a fragment of Abruzzese history, amidst the atmosphere of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, in one of the most evocative landscapes in the province of Teramo.