The Italian Town Where Real People Become Chess Pieces Every Two Years

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In the main piazza of Marostica, a small medieval town in northern Italy, the chess pieces are people. Every two years, six hundred residents dress in 15th-century costume and take their positions on a giant chessboard painted across the cobblestones. The pawns are soldiers. The bishops wear ecclesiastical robes. And somewhere in the crowd, a young nobleman waits to play for the hand of a woman he loves.

A Duel That Became a Chess Game

In 1454, two young men fell in love with the same woman. Vieri da Vallonara and Rinaldo d’Angarano were both smitten with Lionora, the daughter of Taddeo Parisio, lord of Marostica. The customary solution was a sword duel — and one of the two men would not survive.

Taddeo refused to allow it. A lord losing two able young knights over a courtship dispute seemed like poor governance. Instead, he proposed something unusual: they would play chess. The winner would marry Lionora. The loser would marry her younger sister, Oldrada. Both men would live.

Both men agreed. The game was played in the piazza beneath the castle walls.

The Game an Entire Town Refused to Forget

History did not record who won. It recorded only that the game itself was so remarkable — a lord choosing wit over bloodshed, two rivals accepting — that Marostica decided it deserved to live forever.

In 1923, the town held its first formal re-enactment. The piazza had changed little since 1454: the same cobblestones, the same castle walls, the same view across the Asiago foothills. They painted a giant chessboard on the lower square and began again.

The tradition has continued ever since, interrupted only by the Second World War.

How the Modern Game Works

The Partita a Scacchi is held on the second weekend of September in even-numbered years. The next event is September 2026.

Six hundred residents fill the piazza dressed as 15th-century soldiers, nobles, pages, and jesters. The chess pieces — kings, queens, bishops, knights, rooks, and pawns — are played by townspeople who have trained for the role, sometimes inheriting it from their parents across generations.

The moves are called out by two chess masters seated above the board. Each move triggers choreographed movement across the piazza. Captured pieces act out theatrical exits to the crowd’s delight. The game follows a fixed historical match that always ends the same way — because in Marostica, history is not improvised.

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Planning Your Visit to Marostica

Marostica sits in the Asiago foothills, 36 kilometres north of Vicenza and around 70 kilometres from Venice. The town is small — around 14,000 residents — but its medieval walls and twin castles are disproportionately grand.

The lower castle (Castello Inferiore) anchors the main piazza where the chess game is held. The upper castle (Castello Superiore) crowns the hill above, connected to the lower walls by a long crenellated walkway. Walking the full circuit takes about 40 minutes and rewards you with wide views across the plain towards Padua.

From Venice, the drive takes around an hour. Vicenza, with its Palladian villas, is a 30-minute drive south — easy to combine in a day trip.

The Cherries You Should Not Miss

Even outside festival years, Marostica has something worth coming for: its cherries.

The Ciliegia di Marostica DOP is one of Italy’s EU-protected agricultural products. The town’s hillside orchards produce a cherry so consistently exceptional that it has earned the same protected status as Prosecco di Valdobbiadene and Parmigiano Reggiano. The harvest runs through late May and June, when the restaurants serve cherry risotto, cherry liqueur, and cherry tarts stacked three layers deep.

The orchards sell direct. Go early in the season if you can.

What Makes Marostica Different

Most Italian hill towns have a castle and a piazza. Marostica has those too — but it also has the knowledge that its piazza was once the setting for something genuinely unusual. A lord who chose brains over bloodshed. Two rivals who accepted gracefully. A town that decided this story was worth keeping.

Italy has no shortage of medieval festivals. Siena’s Palio has horses. Arezzo has jousting. Gubbio has its extraordinary Festa dei Ceri. But only Marostica has six hundred people playing a chess game that happened — or at least, might have happened — more than five centuries ago.

There is something quietly wonderful about that.

When does the Marostica chess game take place?

The Partita a Scacchi is held on the second weekend of September in even-numbered years. The next event is September 2026. Outside festival years, the piazza, lower castle, and upper castle are accessible year-round.

How do I get to Marostica from Venice or Verona?

From Venice, drive west on the A4 motorway towards Vicenza, then take the SP248 north — around 70 kilometres and one hour by car. From Verona, the journey is slightly shorter at around 55 kilometres. Vicenza station is 30 kilometres south, with local bus connections to Marostica.

Is Marostica worth visiting outside the chess festival?

Yes. The medieval walls and twin castles are open year-round and take under an hour to explore. The cherry harvest in late May and June adds another reason to visit, and Marostica makes an excellent day trip from Venice, Verona, or the Dolomites.

What should I do in Marostica besides the chess game?

Walk the full circuit of the medieval walls from the lower piazza to the upper castle — the views across the Veneto plain are excellent. Visit the local enoteca for wine from the nearby Breganze DOC. In cherry season (May–June), buy direct from the orchards on the hillside roads above town.

You Might Also Enjoy

• The Festa dei Ceri: Gubbio’s Breathtaking Medieval Race
• Prosecco Valdobbiadene: The Veneto Village That Built a Wine Empire
• Padua: The Underrated City Most Visitors Drive Past

Plan Your Italy Trip

Ready to explore more of Italy? Our Ultimate Italy Travel Guide covers everything from northern Veneto to the deep south — regions, itineraries, and tips for making the most of every visit.

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