81. Centaur Festival

Nine days of celebration dedicated to the Centaurs

On Saturday 4th July the event will be inaugurated in Castellazzo Bormida "Feast of the Centaurs" with the "Vintage Motorcycle Exhibition «Osvaldo Raiteri» in Castellazzo Bormida" dedicated to the runner Osvaldo RaiteriCambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

The exhibition will be open to visitors during opening hours on Sanctuary of the Madonna della Creta and delle Grazie, 09:00 - 13:00 and 16:30 - 19:30, except liturgical celebrations)

THE CENTAURS' MEETING, 9-12 July in Castellazzo Bormida

The rite of the Madonnina dei Centauri foresees the arrival of the centaurs with the recognition of the 1st Centaur who arrives from each foreign country and registers for the Gathering.

On the afternoon of Saturday 13 July, the usual meeting of foreign delegations follows where past and future events that the MC MCI - Moto Club Madonnina dei Centauri Internazionale organizes are discussed.

Afterwards the Centaurs will proceed towards Castellazzo Bormida where the religious, military and local authorities receive the delegations of foreign states with the usual exchange of gifts and mating of the bridesmaid to the 1st centaur for each state; we continue with the speech of the religious authorities with the Bishop Monsignor Guido Gallese and local administrators the Mayor of Alessandria Giorgio Angelo Abonante and the Mayor of Castellazzo Bormida Gianfranco -Gil- Ferraris; concludes the religious function at the Sanctuary celebrated by the Bishop of Alessandria to remember the centaurs who fell on the road; once the religious activities are over it is time for the inauguration of the Half White Night in Castellazzo Bormida by the Bishop of Alessandria who will walk along some streets of the country.

On Sunday 14th morning in Alessandria at 9.00 am the motorbike procession will be formed headed by the Bishop who will reach Castellazzo Bormida from Alessandria and then arrive at the Sanctuary at 10.00 am where the SS Mass will be held with all the 1st Centaurs in the Sanctuary in the presence of foreign delegations and Civil and Military authorities (Traffic Police, Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza, etc.); at the end of the Holy Mass the blessing of the motorbikes of the 1st Centaurs takes place in the Sanctuary by the Bishop and then of the motorbikes of the Centaurs in the square of the Madonnina dei Centauri Sanctuary.

At around 11.30 everyone leaves in procession (Bishop and various authorities all in the car at the head of the procession) to reach Alessandria where the authorities will see all the centaurs present at the event parading in front of the stage.

It is tradition that when the first motorbike arrives in Alessandria from Castellazzo Bormida the last motorbike that will close the procession has yet to leave. This passage is truly one of the highlights and is the most loved by the Centaurs.

For info write to mccastellazzob@gmail.com or call (+39) 335-7899368