It is quite common for cities and towns to hold festivals in honor of their patron saint. The patron saint of Viterbo is Santa Rosa and at the beginning of September the city celebrates the festival of Santa Rosa. It is a major religious and civic holiday. Schools and businesses close for the celebration. The first major event of the festival was on Thursday evening with the procession of the Mini Macchina di S. Rosa. We were enjoying dinner with friends when we heard a gathering crowd and went out to see what was happening. We proceeded to the end of the street where Via Cavour empties into Piazza del Plebiscito where we were entertained by a group of flag twirling young women accompanied by a live marching band and a group of performers dressed in medieval costume. Eventually all of the lights on the street and piazza were turned off and the Mini Macchina, a 12 foot high, 500 kg tower lit by oil lamps and carried by 40 young boys entered the piazza. The route of the mini macchina winds through the city making various stops for viewing and to change out the bearers. Hundreds of people crowded the street, singing and clapping in time with the marchers. This was the 45th transportation of the mini macchina.
Why, you might ask, is it called the mini macchina which translates roughly as the small tower or machine? That’s because its older and larger uncle, the Macchina di S. Rosa will be carried in procession through the city on Saturday night as it has been through war, conflict, famine and poor weather every year for 760 years. More on that in a couple of days, but first comes the Procession of the Heart Friday evening!
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