Palio


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. 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
  • 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

  • Corsa a vuoto of Ronciglione, a Carnival feast. In August
  • Palio del Tirreno of Maccarese-Fiumicino, not held in 2008.
  • Palio Madama Margarita di Castel Madama, every second Sunday in July
  • Palio dell'Arcata in Acquapendente
  • Palio in Bomarzo
  • Palio del Tributo in Priverno
  • Palio of Tolfa last Sunday in August
  • Palio of Sacrofano, Second Sunday in September
  • Corsa of Formello, on 10 August
  • Palio di San Matteo, on 22 September
  • Corsa al Fantino in Capranica
  • Corsa in Campagnano di Roma
  • Palio of Selci in September
  • Corsa of Monterosi, on 15 September
  • Carosello Storico dei Rioni of Cori, in June and July
  • Pallio della Carriera in Carpineto Romano.
  • Palio delle Quattro Porte – Vallecorsa

    Lombardy

  • Palio della Valle Olona
  • Palio di Legnano, Last Sunday in May
  • Palio di S.Pietro at Abbiategrasso
  • Palio degli Asini in Premosello
  • Palio of Rho, Second Sunday in October
  • Palio di Avucat at Caponago, second Sunday in September

    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
  • Palio di Druento, at Druento

    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

  • Palio del Giglio at Monteleone d'Orvieto, 16 August
  • Palio di Nera Montoro in September

    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

  • Palio di Ferrara, Last Sunday in May
  • Palio del Maggio, at Savigno in May
  • Palio delle contrade in San Secondo Parmense
  • Palio di Parma,
  • Palio del Niballo, at Faenza
  • Palio di Giovecca, at Giovecca
  • Palio of Mordano

    Sicily

  • Palio of Butera
  • Palio of Piazza Armerina, 11 to 13 August
  • Palio dell'Ascensione in Floridia
  • Palio di San Vincenzo, in Acate

    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

  • Palio del Viccio of Palo del Colle – held at carnival.

    Palios with donkey races

Umbria

Tuscany

  • Palio dell'Argentario, in Porto Santo Stefano, 15 August
  • Palio di Calcinaia of Calcinaia
  • Palio di San Ranieri, in Arno and Pisa on 17 June
  • Palio Madonna del Lago of Massaciuccoli, since 1967

    Liguria

  • Palio Marinaro di San Pietro, at Genoa, first Sunday of July
  • Palio del Golfo, at La Spezia, first Sunday of August
  • Palio dei Sestieri, in Ventimiglia, second Sunday in August
  • Regata dei Rioni di Noli, in Noli, Second Sunday in September

    Apulia

  • Palio of Taranto

    Trentino

  • Palio dell'Oca, in Trento

    Veneto

  • Regata Storica, in Venice

    Calabria

  • Palio di San Giorgio, in Reggio Calabria, on 23 April

    Lazio

  • Palio del mare of Gaeta

    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, an archery contest
  • Palio del Diotto in Scarperia, on 8 September

    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.

    Others

Tuscany