The Bruscello
The Bruscello
The Bruscello Poliziano is almost eighty years old but, in its original form, it dates back a few centuries. Every year it is performed during the Ferragosto festivities. The setting for this show is Piazza Grande; the stage is the parvis of the Cathedral, which acts as the backdrop for the stories; actors and musicians are the townspeople of Montepulciano, children and adults, men and women.
The Bruscello Poliziano is a performance, sometimes epic-dramatic, sometimes farcical, of episodes of everyday life created by popular fantasy or which really took place, of history or literature. The term Bruscello comes from the popular transformation of the word “arboscello”, later “roscello”, which was symbolically raised to mark the collection point of spectators in the farmyards. From the countryside, where it was held on a travelling basis, it eventually moved to the Old Town, where it was able to enjoy an exceptionally effective stage – the parvis of the Cathedral – and a setting with an amazing atmosphere – Piazza Grande – with scenery created by the surrounding buildings designed by the greatest Renaissance architects. Actors and singers in this show, like the musicians too, are the everyday people of Montepulciano; and the first spectators include the townspeople who, together with the numerous tourists, many of whom come specifically from a very long way away, fill the square for the four or five evenings of performances staged every year in August.
