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| TAGGIA
- LIGURIA, ITALY |
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'Up
In Smoke - A Pyronarchic Party' |
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Furgari
Festival - Taggia, Italy |
February
2006 |
History / Travel / Adventure |
Reports (2-5 min) / Features (6 -
12 min) / Documentary (1x 26 min or 1 x 45 min) |
| Rushes,
reports & features available immediately. Programme length available
Fall 2006 |
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The Medieval town of
Taggia in Italy hosts the most amazing, and dangerous fireworks festival in the world each
February. In most of the town's myriad squares, giant bonfires are lit to commemorate the
defeat of a Saracen invasion hundreds of years ago. Local inhabitants warded off the
invaders who wished to loot the rich settlement by lighting fires and creating 'strange
lights' using home-made fireworks. The festival also celebrates the
defense of the town by Genoese troops over neighbouring Savoian
invaders in the Middle Ages. Savoy were seeking a 'highway' to the
coast. |
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| In Italy, tradition takes precedence over
the rule of law. Technically banned, local authorities turn a
blind eye. The festival is a pyromaniacs dream. In an anarchic atmosphere of pulsating rock &
techno music and ethnic rhythms, children are encouraged to chase visitors through the
squares and streets with hand-held roman candles pointed at their feet.
This is also a traditional dating ritual! |
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Even more incredibly, adults let off large
hand-held fireworks which shoot sparks up to 50 feet into the air. On average 1 in 5 of
these fireworks explode, smothering the brave or fool-hardy holder in smoke and flame. |
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Taggia is a picturesque medieval
town in
the Province of Imperia, close to the resort town of San Remo and Italy's border with the
French Riviera. |
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Taggia is situated 3 kms inland
from the coast, climbing up the slopes from a river valley. The fairly wide mouth of the
river, and its situation rising up from the valley, made it a relatively easy target for
Saracen raiders that used to sack the coastal towns along Italy's Ligurian coast. |
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The thriving local olive industry
and textiles made Taggia a wealthy town with magnificent palaces
and churches with fine art and murals. |
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Taggia has splendid Baroque and
Rococo churches and majestic squares connected by a maze of small streets with
high arches. These streets are typical of Liguria's towns and villages and are known as
'Carrugi'. |
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Here is one of the younger
participants who says that holding one of the home-made bamboo fireworks and letting it
off gives a great adrenaline rush. |
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Here is one of the home-made
fire-works or 'bambu' as they are called, being unpacked ready for firing up. |
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Ideally, the person letting off
the firework should be dressed in protective hat, mask, jacket and gloves. The 'bambu'
should be held between the palms and not gripped. If you are gripping it when it explodes,
the force can break your fingers. |
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It should be held above the head
as it shoots sparks high into the sky for between 30 and 40 seconds. If all goes well, and
it completes its burn without exploding, the holder throws it macho style into the fire.
However, the home-made 'bambu' rockets often explode. |
