How did the Districts originate?
The Districts emerged before the Archery Tournament. It was in 1961 that the local board EPAST (Ente Permanente Autonomo Sagra del Tordo) suggested to the people of the town the creation of the four Districts, with the aim of revitalising the festivities and encouraging more people to participate, enriching the Historical Procession with new characters in costume. The initiative was designed to involve as many people as possible to help ensure the success of the event.
With the birth of the Districts, the town was divided into territories.
Starting from Piazza del Popolo and ideally tracing a cross, Montalcino was divided into four parts. This division partly coincides with the ancient subdivision of the old town into “terzieri” and still defines the town’s urban identity today.
The distinctive colours of each District were chosen by drawing lots, pairing up red, yellow, blue and white. The coats of arms, on the other hand, were inspired by those carved in stone on a tower of the Fortress.
The first challenge between the Districts was dedicated to the “best representation in costume”, consisting of a standard bearer and two pages. A year later, in 1962, the Archery Contest was introduced to make the Sagra del Tordo even more exciting and to serve as an objective criterion for assigning victory.
So, the initial costumes were joined by those of the archers, also made by hand based on a single shared sketch, customised in the colours of each District.
Finally, in the 1980s, at the invitation of EPAST, the Districts were asked to completely renew their costumes, which were redesigned.
