Historic race of Calcinaia

The historic race of Calcinaia, called "rowing Palio" in the past, is a fixed seat rowing competition which takes place on the waters of the River Arno in honor of the patron Saint Ubaldesca Taccini. In the Middle Ages the palio, a long rich cloth, was used to welcome kings and emperors, putting it over their heads like a canopy, so it was a very precious material. The prizes which were offered to the winners in medieval racing consisted of some lengths of silk, wool or velvet, and were called palios. It was therefore a "race to win the Palio". In Calcinaia, the Palio, heart-felt and waited for during the whole year, typically takes place on the last Sunday of May or the first Sunday of June between the districts of the village after a costume parade. In the first editions all the villages and towns which overlooked the river (Pontedera, San Giovanni alla Vena, Uliveto) took place in the competition. Then over the years Calcinaia was divided into three districts: Montecchio, Nave, Oltrarno.



The district Montecchio, recognized with the color blue, occupies the north and east of the village and represents the bourgeois life of Calcinaia;









The district Oltrarno, in red, occupies the south area of the Arno and represents the popular classes that in the past lived in the countryside in front of the village;







The district Nave, in green, occupies the area north of the Arno near the old medieval castle and represents the lord of the castle with its army.

The documents proving the existence of the race date back to the beginning of the nineteenth century, but the oral tradition peasant dates the race at even more remote times.
The night before the race, according to the tradition, a street party called "relive the past" is organized. It is a historical manifestation through the streets of the village that brings the whole village back in time. During this evening you can admire medieval carts, 19th century poor farmers hand in hand with 18th century distinct aristocrats, performances of all kinds, attractions, games, live paintings and food stalls, all kinds of drinks and tasty treats.
I really recommend to participate in this celebration different from the usual but however full of fun and cheer.

Foschetti Ylenia

Race of the 4 Maritime Republics (IT. Regata delle 4 Repubbliche Marinare)

This year the "Race of the 4 Maritime Republics" will be held in Pisa on the afternoon of June 23, on the Arno river.

Every year, on a day between the end of May and the beginning of July, in our country there is the Race (or Palio) of the Ancient Maritime Republics. These are: Pisa, Amalfi, Genoa and Venice. 

Each republic has its own colour and its own distinctive symbol on the galleon, which is equivalent to the emblem of the city: the red colour and the eagle for Pisa, the blue colour and the winged horse for Amalfi, the white colour and the gryphon for Genoa , the green colour and the winged lion for Venice.

The site of the battle is rolling across the 4 cities, where, before the race, people parade

through the streets of the host city wearing the clothes of ancient characters that characterize the republic. The idea of an event that would group the 4 ancient Maritime Republics of the Middle Ages was born at the end of the 40s of the twentieth century by the Pisan Mirro Chiaverini. He presented his idea to the Provincial Ente of Tourism, which immediately accepted it and sent it to the other three cities to join in. At the beginning Venice didn't want to participate in the race but only in the historical parade. However, the three other cities insistet so much that, it finally agreed.
The cortege in Pisa refers to the legend of Kinzica de 'Sismondi, the heroine who according to the tradition, saved the city from the Saracens in 1004. But not just her, in fact there are costumes that recall the various leaders who led one after another the government of Pisa (consuls, mayor, captain of the people). The soldiers, recognizable by the black eagles, a symbol of the Empire, which appears on the chest, the sailors, the trumpeters and timpanists take place in the parade too.

The regulation of the Race remains the same in its substance, despite having undergone some small changes. Four crews take part in the race, each made up of eight rowers and a coxswain, in addition to some reserves.

Athletes must come for half from the region and for another half from the province. The boats, called galleons, must possess all the same structural parameters: before departure they are regularly weighed at no load and with accessories, oars not included, and they must weigh less than 760 kilograms.

The four galleons must be recognizable through the colours and the figurehead, the structure placed at the bow of the boat, that is the animal which is the symbol of the city.

The Race, like any other rowing race, is 2km long.
It differs depending on the locality where it is performed: in Pisa you row on the river Arno, in Amalfi along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, in Genoa in the harbor basin of the Ligurian Sea and in Venice in the quaint lagoon on the Adriatic Sea.



The winner is the boat whose figurehead passes the finish line first: for Pisa it is the ends of the claws of the eagle, for Amalfi the tip of the front hoof of the winged horse, for Genoa the tip of the nostrils of the gryphon, and for Venice half of the sword contested by the winged lion.

It's forbidden to invade the opponent's lane, unless you are a boat ride away (a unit of measurement of rowing) from him.

The winning city receives in award a trophy in gold and silver, which represents a galleon supported by four sea-horses, under which the coats of arms of the four Maritime Republics appear. The winner holds it for a year, until the day of the next edition, when it is again on the field.
At the base of the trophy a coin with the symbol of the winning city, which remains for ever to the winner, is also being paid from year to year.

These are the results of the races witch have been taken place until today:

City	1º	2º	3º	4º
Venice	30	14	7	5
Amalfi	10	7	9	30
Pisa	8	20	18	10
Genoa	8	15	22	11

This year the race will take place here:

For more information:

http://www.giugnopisano.com/

Contact the organizers:
City of Pisa   Via degli Uffizi, 1-56100 Pisa
Phone: 050 910111
Fax: 050 500242
E-mail: comune.pisa @ postacert.toscana.it
Web: http://www.comune.pisa.it/it/home



Review by:

Maria Chiara Fanteria