Italy Panorama

La Festa dell’Ottava di Pasqua

The charming hilltop town of Ripatransone has wonderful views of the surrounding countryside and usually is a peaceful place with a few people going about their daily business.  But the first weekend after Easter turns Ripatransone into a rip-roaring town as they unfold their biggest celebration of the year, formally called La Festa dell’Ottava di Pasqua. The weekend culminates in Sunday night’s Cavallo di Fuoco, or “horse of fire”. In local dialect this event is called “lu Cavalla dë fuoca”. The origins of this Festa reach back more than 360 years, initiated to celebrate the Madonna di San Giovanni, the city’s patron saint.

A shower of sparks

The Cavallo di Fuoco is an event where photos do not capture the true atmosphere. The centro storico will be packed with people, and there are usually vendors selling everything from porchetta and panini to vinoand traditional ceramica.

Finding the best location for viewing the festivities is easy: this is a roaming event.  The wooden “horse” moves amongst the crowd and you will know the Cavallo is arriving when the crowd is in an uproar.

Il Cavallo

The actual Cavallo di Fuoco is a wooden horse on wheels that is covered with fireworks from head to tail, and is also rigged to shoot them skyward from an apparatus strapped onto its back. It has spinning wheels of pyrotechnics which generously spray the cheering, uninhibited crowd. Many hold their hands up in attempts to catch the flying sparks, saying it brings good luck.

Fireworks launch skyward

The Cavallo di Fuoco will make several passes along Corso Emanuele in front of the Duomo, at each end of the parade they will slowly turn the beast right in the midst of the crowd with fireworks streaming into the dark sky above the medieval core. After the finale you may smell of sulfur and smoke but you will thoroughly enjoy this unique experience.