An Ascoli maiolica pottery charger commemorating the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, the renaissance-design inscribed ASCOLI, PICENO, TORNEO CAVALLERESCO

An Ascoli maiolica pottery charger commemorating the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, the renaissance-design inscribed ASCOLI, PICENO, TORNEO CAVALLERESCO DELLA QUINTANA, XVII OLIMPIADE ROMA 4 SETTEMBRE 1960, painted marks to the reverse F.A.M.A., Di Nello Giovanili, Ascoli P., Italy, diameter 43cm., 17in. As part of the festivities of the 1960 Olympic Games, the Arts Committee approved five historical sporting events including the Ascoli Piceno Quintana, a knights tournament based on historical traditions from as far back as 1387. Nine hundred people took part in the colourful pageant, representing the population of the various quarters of the city. The venue was the historic Circus Maximus, where the chariot racing was conducted in ancient Rome. These events on 4th September drew a crowd of 40,000 spectators. The other historical sport displays held during the Games comprised the Florentine Football Match, the Game of the Pisa Bridge, the Crossbowmen's Tournament and the Foligno Quintana.