The Bravìo delle Botti

In Montepulciano every year on the last Sunday of August an enthralling palio is held among the eight contrade of the beautiful village, known as the Bravìo delle Botti and dating back to the 14th century. The event kicks off a week earlier with a series of ceremonies and events such as a flag-waving show, a procession in historical costumes and stands to enjoy traditional dishes accompanied by Montepulciano's fine red wine. The highlight of the week takes place on the last Sunday of the festival and is the engaging and entertaining race in which the eight contrade (districts) push and roll huge, heavy wooden barrels -- weighing about 80 kilograms each -- along an uphill course of one kilometer. Each barrel is pushed by two athletes to the finish line in front of the cathedral in Piazza Grande. The triumph is celebrated by awarding the winning contrada the splendid "Bravìo," a painted cloth depicting the portrait of the city's patron saint.