CORTONA | Events in Cortona

Bigordi Banderie: the International Flag Festival

Bigordi Banderie is the international festival of flags that each year takes place in Cortona. It was created by the Gruppo Storico di Cortona (historical group of the city), which includes flag wavers and musicians (trumpet and drum players). This year it is the 3rd edition of the festival, and there will be many groups taking part. The name of the festival (Bigordi Banderie) came from the municipal statue of Cortona of 1325, where there were mentioned some flags used during the performances in honour of Santa Margherita, the patron Saint of Cortona. The performers used the Bigordi Banderie, a peculiar type of flags with very long flagpole. The historical group of Cortona still use this kind of flags during their shows, and if you have the chance to see this performances, these flags will let you make a step back in time, when there were the medieval jousts. The festival Bigordi Banderie was founded in 2023, with the will of making Cortona the Italian capital of the flag art. The purpose of this festival is the one of joining in Cortona many different styles of flag shows, from the ancient to the more modern one. During the various edition of the festival, many international groups were invited. This year, among some groups from all over Italy, there will be a Spanish historical group from Tortosa. This event is organized in cooperation with Consiglio dei Terzieri and supported by Comune di Cortona. This year, Bigordi Banderie will take place on the 17th and 18th of May 2025.
If you want to know more about festival and about the historical group of Cortona, you can click the link below to their website.

Gruppo Storico Cortona website