Palio del Cero

In Volterra, the Palio del Cero (Palio of the Candle) is held on June 2, the anniversary of an ancient religious festival in which the Contrade donated a substantial amount of wax to the city's churches.

In the 16th century, the celebration had then mutated into a physically demanding competition, the Corsa dei Ceri (the Race of Candles), which consisted of pushing heavy wooden machines - on top of which were placed large candles, which would then be donated to the city's patron saints - running through the streets of the historic center to the finish line.

Today the challenge is a little less difficult: the race is held between the eight Contrade, each consisting of eight shooters (six men and two women), who face each other in two knockout rounds in Piazza dei Priori.
The peculiarity of the Palio del Cero is that it is not a direct tug-of-war, the two opposing teams, in fact, in addition to pulling through the rope the opposing team, also have a tower of several quintals in the center to move to their own field. On top of the tower is a candle, hence the name Palio del Cero, painted each year by an artist from Volterra, which rightfully belongs to the winning Contrada along with the flag with the red and white colors of the Municipality.

Always impressive is the scenic apparatus, with the representatives of the Contrade, the ladies, the musicians and the famous flag-wavers of Volterra, parading in ceremony before the race.