Celenza Valforte in Puglia take a day every year to celebrate the past. Shops are closed, electric lightning is switched off, burning torches lit and the town is decked in medieval symbols.
This year the town went a step further and also banned Euros. The bars, stalls and restaurants only accepted ducats. The ducat is a gold coin that was used as a trade currency throughout Europe before World War I. It is thought to have been minted for the first time in 1140 under Roger II of Sicily and soon spread across Europe, particularly after receiving official sanction in the mid-1500s.
On the 13th of August in Celenza you could exchange your Euros for Ducats at one of the cities five medieval gates and spend the day exploring the town and its history through a variety of events.
The celebrations encompass the many changes it has gone through since then: its years under Spanish domination in the 1500s, as part of the Austrian Empire in the 1700s and later under French rule towards the end of the 18th century, and eventually under the Bourbons in the 1800s. The monuments and architecture of the various eras are spotlighted in tours of the town and the coins are part of a broader initiative to recreate life as it was.
Some images from the town in the clip below:
