“Ludus balistaris” – Crossbowmen Contest | Volterra

The competition of historical crossbows (Ludus Balistaris) is based on Volterra’s 14th-century history, when the Contrade provided the Municipality with their best marksmen to defend the city walls.

The tournament takes place in the setting of Piazza dei Priori in two parts. In the first, two crossbowmen from each contrada compete in a singolar tenzone, shooting their arrows at “bancacci” targets set at a distance of 36 metres. The crossbowman who hits his “verretta” arrow on a centre with a diameter of just 3 cm passes the round.

The eight best shooters then compete by shooting their arrows simultaneously at the target (called “Corniolo” or “Tasso”), at the centre of which is fixed a cone with a depth of about 45 cm.