I set a large part of my novel The Echoes of Love in Tuscany, Italy, because it’s a region I know well and love for its scenery and, especially, its culture. And what better typifies the spirit of the Tuscans than the Giostradell’Orso, the Joust of the Bear.

Today, thousands and locals and visitors will gather in the Piazza del Duomo of Pistoia (for which the pistol was named, as it was first made there), jostling to find a seat in the bleachers brought in. Once seated, they’ll look down on an oval track created for the joust whose contestants herald from different districts of Pistoia.

Jousting – in which two horsemen attempt to de-seat each other using long lances – originated in the Middle Ages, and was most popular in England, where it became synonymous with medieval romanticism. But Italy had its share of tournaments too, dating back to 1200 when knights would joust to win the palio (a cloth banner).

In Pistoia, the Giostradell’Orso takes place each year on the evening of 25 July to mark the festival of St James, patron saint of the city (the bear is the heraldic symbol of the city). Preceding the joust, in the day, are a Mass at the cathedral and a historical procession. At around eight o’clock the jousters ride through the city, cheered on by spectators, and in the Piazza del Duomo the bishop of the city blesses them before the event commences.

Three knights from each of the four districts compete, each with its own colours and coat of arms:

• Porta Lucchese: a deer; white and green
• Porta Carratica: a dragon; red and green
• Porta San Marco: alion; red and yellow
• Porta al Borgo:agriffin;red and white

The knights go out in pairs to lance a bear-shaped target; he who hits the target first gets three points; the other knight gets one point if he also hits it. Eighteen rounds later, the scores are tallied and the winner announced and declared the Knight of the Golden Spur. The winning district takes home the palio.

If you’re able to attend the joust, I highly recommend it as a thrilling night out (and at least no bears are harmed for this sport!). But if Tuscany’s a dream away and you fancy an escape into the medieval pastime of jousting, how about renting the 2001 movie A Knight’s Tale? Brilliant jousting sequences, and plenty of interest for the romantically inclined thanks to Heath Ledger…