The Donkey Palio

Every year on the occasion of the feast in honor of St. Joseph-the patron saint of carpenters-the "Palio dei Somari" is held, a festival to celebrate the saint but also the local wooden craftsmanship. It is an event that begins with a splendid historical procession in which about 200 figures from the contrade take part, parading in 15th-century clothes reproduced with special attention to detail. The most important event takes place in the afternoon of the last Sunday and is the Palio proper, a donkey race where eight burros - assigned by drawing to the Contrade - are mounted by their respective jockeys and run completing four laps of the track. The first to complete them takes home the victory by winning a painted banner that is then carried in triumph to the headquarters of the winning contrada. There is no shortage of musical performances, historical re-enactments and stands dedicated to local food and wine.