Marostica
Encyclopedia
Marostica is a town and comune
in the province of Vicenza
, Veneto
, northern Italy
. It is mostly famous for its living chess event and for the local cherry
variety.
) language and recalls the hills (mar/maros) and the several streams of water (rost) coming down from the adjacent mountains and the verb "to have" in Venetic language (ga). Hence the name means "that has mountains and hills". Several Venetic findings have been discovered, dating back to the first millennium B.C. When the Adriatic Veneti federated with the Romans, they slowly abandoned their alphabet (Venetic) to use the Latin one.
The spoken language evolved and merged with the Gallo-Iberian
branch of Romance languages
to form the modern-day Venetian Language (of which there are a number of branches, including Padovano, Veneziano, Veronese, Feltrino, and so on). The spoken language remained Venetian which is forbidden and discriminated since the Italian invasion of Venetian lands in 1867. The Venetian Language
is widely used throughout the region.
Between the 11th and 13th centuries, the locality was greatly influenced by several members of the important medieval family from the Veneto, known as the Ezzelini :it:Ezzelini. They were finally defeated in 1260. Marostega was a Venetian city until the Italian invasion which caused a diaspora and cultural ethnocide of the population of the area, who was forced to look for fortune in Brasil and many other places in the world.
Marostega is famous all over the world for the human chess game it carries out every other year, with personages living in the city public square. Starting in the second week of September, it is a theatrical play dating back to in 1923and officially registered after second world war by comedy player Vucetich.
is played. After the First World War, members of the local chess club began playing chess in the main square and decided to play a game of chess using people as the gamepieces. After the Second World War, the comedy writer Vucetich Mirko authored a play in which
"Two noblemen, Renaldo D'Anganaro and Vieri da Vallanora, fell in love with the beautiful Lionora, daughter of the local lord, Taddeo Parisio. As was the custom at that time, they challenged each other to a duel to win the hand of Lionora. The Lord of Marostega, not wanting to make an enemy of either suitor or lose them in a duel, forbade the encounter. Instead he decreed that the two rivals would play a chess game, and the winner would have the hand of Lionora. The loser of the chess game would also join the family, through marrying her younger sister, Oldrada. During the play the game takes place on the square in front of the Lower Castle with supporters carrying the noble ensigns of Whites and Blacks, in the presence of the Lord, his noble daughter, the Lords of Angarano and Vallonara, the court and the entire town population. The Lord also decides the challenge would be honoured by an exhibition of armed men, foot-soldiers and knights, with fireworks and dances and music".
Needless to say, this literary account has nothing to do with factual history and the chess square in the city was built after the Second World War and after the writing of Vucetich's play.
This fictional story is now re-enacted in the main square of Marostega every second Friday, Saturday and Sunday of September of "even" years. The orders are still given to the cast today in the local Language (Venetian) of the "Most Serene Republic of Venice
".
, Brazil
Tendō
, Japan
Mignano Monte Lungo
, Italy
Montigny-le-Bretonneux
, France
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the province of Vicenza
Province of Vicenza
The Province of Vicenza is a province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Its capital city is Vicenza.The province has an area of 2,723 km², and a total population of 840,000 . There are 121 comuni in the province...
, Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
, northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It is mostly famous for its living chess event and for the local cherry
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
variety.
History
The name of the city can be traced back to the Venetic (Adriatic VenetiAdriatic Veneti
The Veneti were an ancient people who inhabited north-eastern Italy, in an area corresponding to the modern-day region of the Veneto....
) language and recalls the hills (mar/maros) and the several streams of water (rost) coming down from the adjacent mountains and the verb "to have" in Venetic language (ga). Hence the name means "that has mountains and hills". Several Venetic findings have been discovered, dating back to the first millennium B.C. When the Adriatic Veneti federated with the Romans, they slowly abandoned their alphabet (Venetic) to use the Latin one.
The spoken language evolved and merged with the Gallo-Iberian
Gallo-Iberian
- Gallo-Italic languages :* Gallo-Italic group ** Piedmontese** Ligurian** Lombard*** Western Lombard*** Eastern Lombard** Emiliano-Romagnolo*** Emiliano*** Romagnolo**Gallo-Italic of Sicily...
branch of Romance languages
Romance languages
The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
to form the modern-day Venetian Language (of which there are a number of branches, including Padovano, Veneziano, Veronese, Feltrino, and so on). The spoken language remained Venetian which is forbidden and discriminated since the Italian invasion of Venetian lands in 1867. The Venetian Language
Venetian language
Venetian or Venetan is a Romance language spoken as a native language by over two million people, mostly in the Veneto region of Italy, where of five million inhabitants almost all can understand it. It is sometimes spoken and often well understood outside Veneto, in Trentino, Friuli, Venezia...
is widely used throughout the region.
Between the 11th and 13th centuries, the locality was greatly influenced by several members of the important medieval family from the Veneto, known as the Ezzelini :it:Ezzelini. They were finally defeated in 1260. Marostega was a Venetian city until the Italian invasion which caused a diaspora and cultural ethnocide of the population of the area, who was forced to look for fortune in Brasil and many other places in the world.
Marostega is famous all over the world for the human chess game it carries out every other year, with personages living in the city public square. Starting in the second week of September, it is a theatrical play dating back to in 1923and officially registered after second world war by comedy player Vucetich.
Culture
Every even year, in September, a game of chess using live piecesHuman chess
Human chess is a variant of chess, often played at a Renaissance fair, where people each take on the role of a chess piece. Human chess is typically played on an outdoor field, with the squares of the board marked out on the grass. Many Human Combat Chess Matches are choreographed stage shows that...
is played. After the First World War, members of the local chess club began playing chess in the main square and decided to play a game of chess using people as the gamepieces. After the Second World War, the comedy writer Vucetich Mirko authored a play in which
"Two noblemen, Renaldo D'Anganaro and Vieri da Vallanora, fell in love with the beautiful Lionora, daughter of the local lord, Taddeo Parisio. As was the custom at that time, they challenged each other to a duel to win the hand of Lionora. The Lord of Marostega, not wanting to make an enemy of either suitor or lose them in a duel, forbade the encounter. Instead he decreed that the two rivals would play a chess game, and the winner would have the hand of Lionora. The loser of the chess game would also join the family, through marrying her younger sister, Oldrada. During the play the game takes place on the square in front of the Lower Castle with supporters carrying the noble ensigns of Whites and Blacks, in the presence of the Lord, his noble daughter, the Lords of Angarano and Vallonara, the court and the entire town population. The Lord also decides the challenge would be honoured by an exhibition of armed men, foot-soldiers and knights, with fireworks and dances and music".
Needless to say, this literary account has nothing to do with factual history and the chess square in the city was built after the Second World War and after the writing of Vucetich's play.
This fictional story is now re-enacted in the main square of Marostega every second Friday, Saturday and Sunday of September of "even" years. The orders are still given to the cast today in the local Language (Venetian) of the "Most Serene Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
".
Twin towns
São Bernardo do CampoSão Bernardo do Campo
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, Brazil
Brazil
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Tendō
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, Japan
Japan
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Mignano Monte Lungo
Mignano Monte Lungo
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, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Montigny-le-Bretonneux
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, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Famous people from Marostica
- Giovanni BattaglinGiovanni BattaglinGiovanni Battaglin is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1981 Giro d'Italia. He also won the 1981 Vuelta a España.-Early years:...
, cyclist, Giro d'ItaliaGiro d'ItaliaThe Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
and Vuelta a EspañaVuelta a EspañaThe Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
winner - Tatiana GuderzoTatiana GuderzoTatiana Guderzo is an Italian professional cyclist. She won the world road race championship on 26 September 2009 at Mendrisio, Switzerland.-Palmarès:20022004...
, cyclist, Italian and World Champion