Twinnings

When the subject matter of the Covo is a sanctuary or a church from a different town, a delegation from that town is invited to the feast. Authorities, personalities and folk groups are welcomed with all honors and attend the religious functions as well as the official and unofficial events of the feast.

Similarly, between August and September, the new "Covo is welcomed to the twinned town, where it is exhibited. Authorities and a large group of parishioners from Campocavallo, including many of the organizers of the feast, go along with it, which is a precious opportunity for the local community to share the pride of their village and visit beautiful and significant places.

The idea of depicting churches and sanctuaries came in the 1980s. Until then, the subject matters for the construction of the Covo had been different: the Chapel of the Prodigy, the Temple of the Sanctuary, “the loaves and fishes” symbol of Christianity, the “dove of peace” etc.

The turning point was in 1981, when they had the idea of "regionalizing" the feast by dedicating each edition to an Italian locality that was similar, in many respects, to Campocavallo, thus establishing a symbolic twinning between the Sanctuary of Campocavallo and that of the other Italian town, which became the subject matter of the Covo.

The choice that year fell on Abruzzo, more precisely on the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Miracles in Casalbordino (Chieti), patroness of the region. Over five thousand people attended the parade. The multitude could barely be contained in the large clearing behind the Sanctuary, which filled in no time with people from Osimo but also many from Abruzzo, who had come in large numbers from Casalbordino.

From that moment on, the “Festa del Covo” has become much richer and more solemn. It is no longer just the simple thanksgiving feast of the farmers of Campocavallo for their own Madonna, but rather an important celebration for Osimo and, above all, for the rural tradition of the Marche region.

In 1994 the organizers of the Covo Committee made an even more daring attempt. In memory of the thousands of fellow villagers who had emigrated to Argentina, they reproduced the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Luján, Patroness of Argentina, and had the honor of seeing the Covo moved to that distant land for the creation of a dedicated museum.

The decision to regionalize the Covo, however, involves considerable organizational effort, therefore it has not been repeated every year, but there have been many similar happenings in the following editions of the feast, with increasing frequency and of great importance, which have often become international events.