Sbandieratori di Sansepolcro & Gubbio Gubbio, situated in the Province of Umbria, is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in the whole of Europe. It is connected with the life of St. Francis of Assisi, and was the residence of the great dynasty of da Montefeltro, Dukes of Urbino. The present group of flagwavers was established in 1969 by the Società Balestrieri, with the intent of transmitting and revitalising the century-old tradition of the Palio della Balestra, held at Gubbio on the last Sunday of May and at Sansepolcro during the month of September.  In 1998 with mutual consent the Flagwavers of Gubbio and the Società Balestrieri divided, even though the original objectives remained unchanged. During more than 40 years of activity the Flagwavers of Gubbio carried out about 1,400 demonstrations, visiting 40 countries, invigorating and promoting Italian and, in particular, Umbrian traditions.  Among the highlights of their international circuit are the first-ever Russian Tattoo, Kremlin Zoria, in Moscow's historic Red Square in 2007, and the World Military Music Festival in Tripoli, Libya, in 2009, the biggest event of its kind in Africa and the Arab world. © All rights reserved 2011         nik@athAnAS