S. QUIRICO D'ORCIA

The festival re-enats the visit and brief permanence in the territory of San Quirico made by Federico 1o (mcnamed "il Barbarossa", Redbeard) in the year 1155.
The territory of San Quirico was at that time the boundry between the lands of Siena and the Papal State and it was here that Barbarossa decided to meet Pope Hadrian IV's ambassadors to receive the papal approval to be incoronated Emperor.

The solemn meeting was interrupted by a renouned monk named Arnaldo from Brescia who had been accused of heresy following his accusations against the Papal State and his temporal powers.
In order to obtain Pope Hadrian's blessing, Barbarossa offered in exchange the heretical monk's head.
The festival recalls this meeting and many bystanders dressed in exquisitly made historical costumes take part together with the members of the four main districts in San Quirico, being Borgo, Canneti, Castello and Prato.
The event envolves the whole day starting in the main square in the morning when the Consul reads the proclamation to the people announcing the important meeting, and gives the results of the draw which establishes the order of the partecipants in the longbow and flag tossing competitions which take place in the afternoon inside the historical Horti Leonini gardens as a welcome to the guests.

Following this declaration the four "contrade" districts celebrate with a flag waving and tossing exhibition.
At 4 pm the re-enaction of the meeting between Barbarossa and the Papal Ambassadors takes place in the sanstone churchyard of the 12th Century Romanesque "Collegiata" Church with a following of page boys, ladies and lords cavaliers on horseback and local gentry dressed in costumes.
The procession then finds its way to the upper part of the Horti Leonini for the long bow and flag tossing competitions.