The "Palio dei Ciui" in Santa Maria a Monte

From May 29 to June 2, the "Palio of Donkeys" takes place.
The event takes place in a sports facility in the Municipality of Santa Maria a Monte.
The race is a competition involving a donkey and a jockey with no experience of this type of racing.
The path is an oval track on the grass of the field of the local soccer team, about 350 meters long.

The first two qualifying heats, each with four participants determine the four finalist districts, based on the first two donkeys that cross the finish line (even without their rider) at the end of two full laps of the track.
The donkey who first manages to cross the finish line at the end of three laps of the final race determines the winning "contrada".
Year after year this competition has become an attraction not to be missed for many people from all over Tuscany and tourists in the area at this time.
Cheering linked to districts becomes more and more choreographed so as to create a spectacular backdrop to this delightful event.
Falls, donkeys which shake unlikely jockeys and peculiar taming techniques make the atmosphere extremely enjoyable and unforgettable.

http://www.toscanatascabile.it/ios/event/palio-dei-ciui/


Samanta Recce

The Medieval festival in Montopoli

The Medieval festival in Montopoli

The "Festa Medievale" of Montopoli, in the province of Pisa, takes place every year on
the second weekend of September.For one day the village revitalizes the Medieval Age with walk-ons (figuranti), brass bands (bande), and people from the village, babies and elderly people, all dressed up in medieval costumes representing farmers, carpenters, washerwomen, musicians and also noble people. Parades and street shows entertain the visitors from dawn to sunset. You can see fascinating street shows and taste traditional Tuscan food from the many stalls all along the main road, as well as antiques and fine handcraft that comes from all over the region.

A significant event is the Archery competition that is played in the afternoon: the two districts of the village -upside and downside- challenge each other to win the “palio” , a rag with a painted image.

This event involves most of the inhabitant of Montopoli and attracts people coming from the villages nearby and many tourists. 

http://www.montopoli.net/index.php?c=3