Marostica is a town and comune in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy. It is mostly famous for its living chess event and for the local cherry variety.The name of the city can be traced back to the Venetic (Adriatic Veneti) language and recalls the hills (mar/maros) and the several streams of water (rost) coming down from the adjacent mountains and the verb "to have" in Venetic language (ga). Hence the name means "that has mountains and hills". Several Venetic findings have been discovered, dating back to the first millennium B.C. When the Adriatic Veneti federated with the Romans, they slowly abandoned their alphabet (Venetic) to use the Latin one.The spoken language evolved and merged with the Gallo-Iberian branch of Romance languages to form the modern-day Venetian Language (of which there are a number of branches, including Padovano, Veneziano, Veronese, Feltrino, and so on). The spoken language remained Venetian which is forbidden and discriminated since the Italian invasion of Venetian lands in 1867. The Venetian Language is widely used throughout the region.Between the 11th and 13th centuries, the locality was greatly influenced by several members of the important medieval family from the Veneto, known as the Ezzelini it:Ezzelini. They were finally defeated in 1260. Marostega was a Venetian city until the Italian invasion which caused a diaspora and cultural ethnocide of the population of the area, who was forced to look for fortune in Brasil and many other places in the world.Marostega is famous all over the world for the human chess game it carries out every other year, with personages living in the city public square. Starting in the second week of September, it is a theatrical play dating back to in 1923and officially registered after second world war by comedy player Vucetich.Every even year, in September, a game of chess using live pieces is played. After the First World War, members of the local chess club began playing chess in the main square and decided to play a game of chess using people as the gamepieces. After the Second World War, the comedy writer Vucetich Mirko authored a play in which "Two noblemen, Renaldo D'Anganaro and Vieri da Vallanora, fell in love with the beautiful Lionora, daughter of the local lord, Taddeo Parisio. As was the custom at that time, they challenged each other to a duel to win the hand of Lionora. The Lord of Marostega, not wanting to make an enemy of either suitor or lose them in a duel, forbade the encounter. Instead he decreed that the two rivals would play a chess game, and the winner would have the hand of Lionora. The loser of the chess game would also join the family, through marrying her younger sister, Oldrada. During the play the game takes place on the square in front of the Lower Castle with supporters carrying the noble ensigns of Whites and Blacks, in the presence of the Lord, his noble daughter, the Lords of Angarano and Vallonara, the court and the entire town population. The Lord also decides the challenge would be honoured by an exhibition of armed men, foot-soldiers and knights, with fireworks and dances and music". Needless to say, this literary account has nothing to do with factual history and the chess square in the city was built after the Second World War and after the writing of Vucetich's play. This fictional story is now re-enacted in the main square of Marostega every second Friday, Saturday and Sunday of September of "even" years. The orders are still given to the cast today in the local Language (Venetian) of the "Most Serene Republic of Venice". Marostica (Maròstega in veneto) è un comune di 12.845 abitanti della provincia di Vicenza, sorge ai piedi dell'Altopiano di Asiago.È nota in tutto il mondo per la partita a scacchi che si svolge ogni due anni (anni pari) con personaggi viventi nella piazza cittadina, nel secondo fine settimana di settembre: è una tradizione avviata nel 1923 e che si vuole ispirata ad un evento del 1454, sebbene non vi siano prove storiche. Per questa storica manifestazione la cittadina vicentina viene anche soprannominata "la città degli scacchi".Marostica, adagiata sulla fascia pedemontana che, amena e verdeggiante si estende dall'Astico al Brenta, ha sempre suscitato un irresistibile fascino per le bellezze naturali di cui è ricca e per un passato storico originale e glorioso.Le sue colline assolate, ove tuttora si coltivano il ciliegio, la vite e l'olivo, e l'immediata pianura sottostante favorirono l'insediamento di nuclei umani fin dai più remoti tempi della preistoria.Marostica è famosa in tutto il mondo per uno spettacolo folcloristico di ambientazione storica in costume che si svolge il secondo fine settimana di settembre degli anni pari, la "Partita a scacchi a personaggi viventi" che si ispira ad una vicenda ambientata nel 1454.

• published: 24 Jan 2011
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