Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes

…or in this case, the target. Yesterday was the day of the  Palio della Balestra, crossbow competition, in Bagni di Lucca. The beautiful grounds of Villa Ada, above La Villa, make a perfect location for the colourful event. Who doesn’t love a chance to dress up and shoot arrows into the air?

When I arrived the competition was well underway.

 

There were some great faces in the crowd.

 

I particularly liked these trousers.

 

The quivers and arrows and other bits are little works of art.

 

There were some great shoes.

 

Not far from the competition, in Villa Web, there was a demonstration of chocolate making from days gone by. It was held in the lovely old kitchen in the villa.

 

We also got to taste the chocolate…always a good idea.

 

There was some very loud cannon fire.

 

What wasn’t in evidence was a large crowd watching this genuinely wonderful event, largely because it wasn’t promoted at all. In fact the canon could have been firing real canon balls and it would have been flat out hitting anyone. I found it very difficult to find out any information. I just happen to know one of the participants who told me it was definitely on this year.

The Bagni di Lucca comune tourism department really needs to do some serious promotion of this and other happenings. I am sure visitors to the area would love to watch events like this.

I attended last year as well and I thought it was fabulous enough to line up again. Click here to see last year.

There was a tug-of-war in Bagni di Lucca on the weekend as well. Click here to see the handsome fellows taking part.