Torneo delle tredici casade

The Tournament of the Tredici Casade (Thirteen Houses) re-enacts the tournaments of the 1400s in a legendary atmosphere: held in honour of the thirteen noble families of Trieste, it sees the participation of the daughters of madonna Bora (Bora is the cold eastern wind sweeping through Trieste) and the legendary hero Tergesteo, from whom the city received its name.

The festival begins in the morning with a fascinating Medieval fair, bustling with craftsmen and merchants from Slovenia and wonderful street games organized by Friulian actors. The tournament takes place in the afternoon, when twelve knights - six representing Friuli and six representing Carniola (Slovenia) - join in single combat, armed with shields and broadswords. Combatants are eliminated one after another, until finally only one knight remains standing. But he is not the champion yet, because he has one more tournament to fight: he will have to confront the champion from the previous year, know as the Cavaliere della Buriana. This is the title bestowed upon the final champion, who now becomes the new guard of the legendary broadsword of the Community of Trieste.

Performances by flag-wavers, minstrels, dancers and jesters entertain the spectators in between the tournament combats. In the evening a sumptuous Medieval banquet is given, and the three daughters of madonna Bora choose their knights from among the thirteen knights, decorating them with the colours of their lineage.