Palio Explained
Palio is the name given in Italy to an annual athletic contest, very often of a historical character, pitting the neighbourhoods of a town or the hamlets of a comune against each other. Typically, they are fought in costume and commemorate some event or tradition of the Middle Ages and thus often involve horse racing, archery, jousting, crossbow shooting, and similar medieval sports. Once purely a matter of local rivalries, many have now become events that are staged with an eye to visitors and foreign tourists.
The Palio di Siena is the only one that has been run without interruption since it started in the 1630s and is definitely the most famous all over the world. Its historical origins are documented since 1239 even though the version seen today was the final evolution of races held from the second half of the 16th century. In 1935, Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini sent out an official declaration that only the one of Siena could bring the designation of Palio. All other horse races held in various parts of Italy are actually just modern reenactments. After the Second World War, nevertheless, many other palios arose throughout the various regions of Italy, which could be considered just attempts of imitation of the Palio di Siena. Here is an incomplete list:
Italian Palios
Palios with horse races
Tuscany
- Palio of Bientina, third Sunday of July
- Palio of Buti in honor of St. Anthony the Abbot,
- Palio di Castel del Piano of Castel del Piano, racing on 8 September
- Palio delle Contrade, in Faella
- Palio dei Rioni di Castiglion Fiorentino the third Sunday of June
- Palio of Casole d'Elsa, Second Sunday of July
- Palio of Piancastagnaio
- Palio di Fucecchio, at the end of May
- Palio in Montelaterone
- Palio in Monticiano
- Palio di Siena, race is held on 2 July and 16 August
- Palio della Costa Etrusca in San Vincenzo (suspended)
- Palio del Valdarno, a Faella, in Pian di Scò
- Palio in Pian di Scò, on 7 August
- Palio delle Bandiere e dei Territori in Follonica
- Palio di San Luca in Impruneta in October
Lazio
Lombardy
Piedmont
- Palio di Asti, every third Sunday in September
- Palio dei Borghi of Fossano, at the end of June
- Palio storico dei Borghi di Avigliana, at Avigliana, Third Sunday in June
Sardinia
- Palio of Cagliari
- Palio dei Comuni of Fonni, First Sunday in June
- Palio dei Comuni of Goceano
- Palio "Sas Carrelas", at Bono
- Palio of Sassari
Umbria
Veneto
- Palio di Feltre First Sunday in August. Horse race and Archery contest
- Palio dei 10 Comuni del Montagnanese, at Montagnana, first Sunday in September
- Palio delle contrade di Monselice Second and Third Sunday in September.
Marche
- Palio dell'Assunta di Fermo, on 15 August
- Palio of Montegiorgio
- Palio of Sant'Emidio also called Quintana in Ascoli Piceno
- Corsa del Drappo in Loreto, on 7 September
- Contesa della Margutta a Corridonia, early September
- Palio della miniera di zolfo di Cabernardi, early August
- Palio dei Castelli in San Severino Marche, early June
Emilia-Romagna
Sicily
Basilicata
- Palio di Sant'Antonio abate in Pignola, on 17 January, a race with Horses, donkeys and mules
Abruzzo
- Palio della Giostra Cavalleresca in Sulmona Last Saturday and Sunday of July
- Palio della Giostra Cavalleresca dei Borghi più Belli d'Italia – in Sulmona
- Palio della Giostra Cavalleresca d'Europa – Sulmona
Puglia
Palios with donkey races
Umbria
Lombardy
Piedmont
- Palio degli Asini di Alba in Alba
- Palio degli Asini di Cocconato in Cocconato
- Palio degli Asini di Quarto d'Asti in Quarto d'Asti
- Paglio ragliante di Calliano in Calliano
- Palio dei Borghi in Venaria
Toscana
Campania
- "Il Palio di Somma Vesuviana", second Sunday in September[1]
- "Palio del casale", Palio Nazionale degli asini, Camposano
- "Palio del ciuccio", Cuccaro Vetere.
Lazio
- Palio delle Contrade, in Gonfalone di Arpino.
- Palio delle Contrade of Corchiano, First Sunday in August
- Palio delle Contrade of Allumiere
- Palio di San Ciro at Sora
Marche
Emilia-Romagna
Friuli
- Palio dei Borghi di Fagagna, second Sunday in September
Palios with boat races (Palii remieri)
Tuscany
Liguria
Apulia
Trentino
- Palio dell'Oca, in Trento
Veneto
- Regata Storica, in Venice[2]
Calabria
Lazio
Palios with weapons
Tuscany
- Palio della balestra in Lucca, on July 12, a crossbow contest
- Palio in Pescia, an archery contest
- Disfida con l'Arco in Montopoli in Val d'Arno (Pi), an archery contest
- Palio del Diotto in Scarperia, on 8 September (one of the games is a knife-throwing)
Umbria
- Palio di San Rufino in Assisi, a crossbow competition
- Palio dei Terzieri, in August, an archery contest
Lazio
- Palio of Orte, an archery contest
Friuli
- Palio di San Donato, in Cividale del Friuli, last Sunday in August, an archery contest
- Palio of Cordovado, first Sunday of September, an archery contest with a medieval costume parade
Emilia-Romagna
- Palio di Santa Reparata e della Romagna Toscana, in Terra del Sole, a crossbow contest
Veneto
- Palio della Marciliana, in Chioggia, a crossbow contest.
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Home . paliodisommavesuviana.it.
- https://www.regatastoricavenezia.it/ Official website
