Part of the cast of the TV series "I Borgia"
What really consisted of what went down in history as the chestnut dance ?
Was it really an event halfway between satanic and pornographic that even involved a pope?
It is not known exactly.
According to the testimony of the German master of ceremonies Johannes Burckardt , on the evening of 31 October 1501 , on the occasion of the Chestnut Festival established by Cesare Borgia, a kind of orgy took place within the sacred Vatican walls with demonic traits .
There was a dinner which, immediately after, was followed by an event not very suited to what should be the behavior of a pontiff.
In fact, 50 prostitutes, were called to cheer the guests who danced undressing and then began to collect with their mouths, on all fours, the chestnuts thrown on the floor.
Also Lucrezia Borgia, according to the chronicles, she actively participated ( see also https://www.pilloledistoria.it/1963/storia-moderna/lucrezia-borgia-danza-per-satana).
The guests did not limit themselves to admiring the shapes of the ladies but, urged by Pope Alexander VI , engaged in fleeting embraces.
However, according to some historians, the story would at least be exaggerated.
Burckardt almost certainly did not attend the aforementioned chestnut ball , which he may have described in such a way as to further discredit the Borgias.
The Spanish family, as we know, was not well regarded, also due to the excesses that affected some of its members.
In particular, Alessandro's exaggerated sexual appetite seemed decidedly jarring with the role he held ( Photo from :tg24.sky.it).