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 staged with an eye to visitors and foreign tourists.

The Palio di Siena in July 2010

The oldest extant palio is the Palio di Ferrara, but the Palio di Siena is the one that has been running for a longer time without interruption and it is definitely the better known internationally. There are, nevertheless, many other palios that are held throughout the various regions of Italy. Here follows 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 September 8
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 July 2 and August 16
Palio della Costa Etrusca in San Vincenzo (suspended)
Palio del Valdarno, a Faella, in Pian di Scò
Palio in Pian di Scò, on August 7
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 August 10.
Palio di San Matteo, on September 22
Corsa al Fantino in Capranica
Corsa in Campagnano di Roma
Palio of Selci in September.
Corsa of Monterosi, on September 15
Carosello Storico dei Rioni of Cori, in June and July.
Pallio della Carriera in Carpineto Romano (RM).
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

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 (Giostra) 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 August 15
Palio of Montegiorgio
Palio of Sant'Emidio also called Quintana in Ascoli Piceno
Corsa del Drappo in Loreto, on September 7
Contesa della Margutta a Corridonia, early September
Palio della miniera di zolfo di Cabernardi, early August

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, August 11 to 13.
Palio dell'Ascensione in Floridia
Palio di San Vincenzo, in Acate

Basilicata

Palio di Sant'Antonio abate in Pignola, on January 17, 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

Giochi de le Porte of Gualdo Tadino

Lombardy

Corsa cogli Asini of Dairago
Palio degli Asini in Bereguardo
Palio del Cinghiale, in Cesano Boscone

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

Palio dei Ciuchi of Campagnatico, in September
Palio dei Micci of Pozzi, frazione di Seravezza
Palio dei Ciuchi of Carmignano, in September
Palio dei somari of Bagnolo
Palio dei somari of Torrita di Siena
Palio dei Somari of Montepulciano Stazione
Giostra dei sestrieri, Palio dei Ciuchi of Roccatederighi
Palio de' Ciui of Lugnano
Palio dei somarelli of Vallerona

Campania

"Il Palio di Somma Vesuviana", second Sunday in September
"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

Palio del Somaro in Mercatello sul Metauro

Emilia-Romagna

Palio di Ferrara
Palio di Parma,
Palio dei somari of Grizzana Morandi

Friuli

Palio dei Borghi di Fagagna, second Sunday in September.

Palios with boat races (Palii remieri)

Tuscany

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

Liguria

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

Calabria

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

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 (Pi), an archery contest

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.

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