The ancient celebration will be held in the small medieval village of Montisi, hamlet of San Giovanni d'Asso in the centre of Crete Senesi, 25 km from Montepulciano.
This traditional event will be held from 26 July to 8 August with main celebration on 3rd of August 2008. It is a festivity with music, theatre and cultural and historic medieval activities.

Montisi is an ancient village with a long history. An important incident in that history is recalled in a jousting competition, held every year on the Sunday nearest to 5th August, feast day of the Madonna delle Nevi, patron saint of Montisi.
Towards the end of the 13th century, the feudal overlord of the area, Simone Cacciaconti, was driven from his land, only to return with soldiers to sack the village. However, realizing that his position was untenable and in the face of continued opposition from the inhabitants, he was forced to withdraw to Siena. On his death a few years later, he left all his lands to the Ospedale (Hospital) di Santa Maria della Scala in Siena. Subsequently, to commemorate these events, the inhabitants of Montisi decided to recall the episode in a Giostra. The earliest documentary references begin found in certain account books of 1700 held in the Chiesa della Madonna della Torricella. This Giostra, held inside the village, continued with some breaks up until the Second World War.

In 1972 it was re-established as a way of bringing back life to Montisi, which by now was in steep decline due to the continued movement of population away from the land. Since then, the Giostra has grown steadily and developed; in particular the grand medieval procession now includes some 70 characters, among them Ladies, Knights, Councilors, Men-at-Arms, Drummers, Trumpeters, and Standard-bearers. Nowadays, the Giostra has its own field set in the beautiful countryside outside the village. The horsemen, “fantini”, representing the four “contrade” or neighborhoods of Montisi: Castello, Piazza, San Martino and Torre.

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