The Sala del Costume e delle Tradizioni Popolari is housed in the basement of the elegant Palazzo Comunale, where the splendid ducal dresses, or the clothes worn during the historical re-enactment of the Contesa del pozzo della polenta. These dresses are made every year by the district that the previous year won the prize and parade in a single edition of the Contest, and then be exposed.
The costumes exhibited in the Hall represent a small part of all those made over the years, including ducal clothes and those for gonfalonieri, priors, nobles, heralds, armigeri, families, courtiers, gentlemen, clergy and commoners, are now more than 500. Only by participating in the parades of the Contesa is it possible to admire a good part of all this heritage of historical tailoring.
In addition to the clothes, at the Sala del Costume are exposed strong>banners painted every year during the Contesa del Pozzo della Polenta, strong>tools , a wooden reproduction of the Polenta shaft, and a model made by a local craftsman of the legendary Fig cannon.
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The heart of the exhibition are the precious ducal dresses, worn during the historical re-enactment of the “Contesa del pozzo della polenta”. These dresses are made every year by the district that won the prize in the previous edition of the event and parade in a single edition of the Contest. The costumes presented in the Hall are a small part of all those made over the years that, between ducal clothes and those for gonfalonieri, priors, nobles, heralds, armigeri, courtiers, ecclesiastics and commoners, are now more than 500. The beautiful clothes, treated in every detail, are the result of careful craftsmanship carried out with passion and talent during the months preceding the event by the seamstresses of the village. The work is inspired by the study of works by artists such as Raphael, Titian, Piero della Francesca, Mantegna, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Gentile da Fabriano and many others. After finding ideas and ideas, we proceed with the design of the models. The clothes, although made using fabrics and trimmings of current production, are able to reproduce the splendor of the Renaissance period. The Hall is one of the most genuine and authentic expressions of passion and talent of the Corinaldese community that, between rivalry and collaboration, has been able to create a collective moment of celebration as the Contesa. Contest that has produced a precious heritage of craftsmanship of the highest level, such as to be presented in a museum context.
On display also other artifacts related to the Contesa del Pozzo della Polenta, it is a selection of banners (or poles) of the districts. Each year, at the end of the re-enactment, a prize is awarded to the district that won the scheduled challenges. The poles are also made in the village using different techniques, from weaving to direct painting on the drape. In some cases artists of a certain importance were involved: in the exhibition we find a palio signed by Bruno d’Arcevia and one by Cemak. The theme of the decorations is a free interpretation of the author linked to the historical events that inspire the theme of the Contesa. The winning district will parade with the prize won in the next edition of the re-enactment.
In the exhibition there are other tools related to the Corinthian traditions such as a loom for weaving, practiced in the village from the fifteenth century until the beginning of the twentieth century. On display is also the reproduction of one of the most famous objects of the folklore of the city: the legendary fig cannon, an example of the Corinthian goliardia that sympathetically transforms the story to create “funny stories”.
The Hall presents costumes with life-size mannequins, placed on platforms that reproduce evocative and characteristic views of the village of Corinaldo. A video screen plays a slideshow of photos selected from different editions of the Contesa, to show visitors the context in which parade the participants wearing the costumes on display. In the room there are some tablets that provide historical information about the village, the history of the Contesa and some bizarre “stories” folklore.
The Hall is housed in the basement of the Town Hall, where since 1797 the prisons of the village were located. The environment still has some elements reminiscent of the ancient use such as the heavy access doors with peepholes for surveillance, iron gratings on the windows and some old terracotta floors. The space is also accessible to the disabled thanks to devices for overcoming architectural barriers.
On the occasion of the reopening of the Sala del Costume it was possible to realize, thanks to the collaboration of a local company, a new and complete high resolution virtual tour that allows an online visit of the environments. The tour is available online on www.corinaldoturismo.it
In July, the charming old town of Corinaldo comes alive with parades, music and games with the extraordinary Contesa del Pozzo della Polenta, the oldest historical re-enactment of the Marche that has more than 40 editions. The event is inspired by the arrival in the city of the Duke of Urbino Lorenzo de’ Medici, in 1517, for the celebrations organized after the failed siege of the city by Francesco Maria Della Rovere, who, despite having a powerful army, failed to bring down Corinaldo.
During the event there are various art shows, archery competitions and ancient games. One of the highlights of the event is the splendid historical parade that parades through the streets of the village with sixteenth-century dresses of great beauty. There are also challenges between districts such as the ancient game of the bell, the palio of the archers, the tug of war and the palio of flag-wavers and musicians. The winning district has the honor of identifying the people who will play the ducal couple in the parade of the next edition.
Corinaldo’s historical group “Combusta Revixi” participates in the Contesa, bringing Corinaldo back to the splendour of the sixteenth century with performances by musicians and flag bearers.
The Sala del Costume completes the city itinerary of the Places of Culture which also includes the Civic Art Collection “Claudio Ridolfi”, the Collection of Ceramics of Contemporary Art “Gian Carlo Bojani” and the Municipal Theatre “Carlo Goldoni”. This means that within the Borgo di Corinaldo, in addition to other cultural resources, it is possible for tourists to visit four spaces of excellent artistic proposal, all without having to use motor vehicles and with a single card for admission at the price of 2,50 euros.
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