The Palio is the most anticipated and thrilling event of the Ottobre Trevano.

Since 1980, it has commemorated the resilience and fervor of the young people of Trevi who helped their town rise again after its destruction in 1214 by the people of Spoleto, under the orders of Duke Theopold, as recorded in the Annali Ecclesiastici. The competition is a timed race involving a cart. Each Terziere (district) is represented by twenty young “flag-bearers” who take turns in a series of relays during the grueling and exciting race. One participant pulls while others push with all their might, propelling a cart that weighs 430 kg.

There is no respite between hand-offs. After the baton is passed, the race must continue without delay, with the goal of reaching the square within two minutes from the toll of the Bàlio bell. The winner is the Terziere that completes the course in the shortest time and with the fewest infractions.

The 800-meter course, primarily uphill, starts at Porta Nuova and winds along the ancient city walls before culminating in Piazza del Comune, the heart of the town. At the finish line, the Mora—a wooden bust depicting a warrior woman and a unique symbol of the event—awaits. The Bàlio (a representative of the people) performs the final symbolic act: seizing the key from the Mora’s right hand to open the tower door and ring the bell, marking the reconquest of the city.

info: https://www.terzieri.it/