The feast of San Celestino is celebrated on the second Sunday of October. The occasion marks the final feast of the year and the most important for the Archconfraternity of the Bona Mors which leads the procession.

The glass case shown above is normally kept in the the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Unlike the statues carried around on most other feast days, this case protects the actual bones of the holy martyr and an urn containing his blood. The arm and leg bones in particular can be clearly seen through the coarse knit of the chain mail suit.

Veteran Bersaglieri can be seen following the Holy Martyr in the procession. As they pass through the arch onto the Via Castello, the memorial to former Bersagliero Lieutenant Serafino Lombardi can be seen above the marchers. He fell in Eritrea in 1908.

 

The Bersaglieri have a remarkable history.  These sharpshooters of the Italian army wear distinctive wide brimmed hats decorated with capercaillie feathers. The corps is known for its its high level of physical fitness. The soldiers of this fanfaro can play their instruments whilst running with a high step.The historical highpoint of the corps was on the 20th September 1870, when its entry into Rome marked the unification of the modern Italian state.