The Palio of Lodi

A special Palio is held each year in Lodi's Piazza della Vittoria in which the race is run not with real horses but with wooden replicas with wheels, which are pushed by athletes representing the city's seven districts. In the main race-the "Cursa dei Cavai"-three full laps of the square must be completed, and the fastest gets the "Banner of the City of Lodi." The other races are the "Cursa degli Anelli" and the "Cursa dei Puledrin," in which the youngest runners compete. The ward that gets the highest score in all the trials is awarded the much-desired "Baston de San Bassan."