A big dinner with all the contrade along the streets of the city centre. This is the calling card of the “Castellare a tavola”, which in an atmosphere of concord will be held on Tuesday 3 June (8:00 p.m.) in view of the Palio, scheduled from 13 to 15 June. The dinner (cost €20, reservations +39 3314663757) includes a complete menu with starter, first course, main course and dessert (water, wine and coffee included). In the evening, presentation of the Palio “Cencio” (which the winning Contrada will proudly display at the end of the event and keep as a trophy), the drawing of the rounds and the awarding of the jolly game.
To get into the spirit of the actual competition, however, we will have to wait until Friday 13 June, when the dances of the “Ca*Stellare”, the Palio di Castelfiorentino, an event that combines tradition, play and identity ties with one’s own contrada, will officially open. Three days of festivities (until Sunday 15) with shows and competitions that will involve adults and children in a unique atmosphere in the heart of the town. The meeting of all the contrade will be as usual in Piazza Kennedy (at 8:45 p.m.), for the parade through the streets of the centre, arriving at the Municipal Stadium, where the first three games of the Palio dei Bambini will be held: “Wring Sponge”, where participants will have to compete between a full and an empty basin of water and, with a small cloth, endeavour to “soak up” as much water as possible from the former and wring it out on the latter; “Mira e Tira” (one child with a basket on his head, the other throws balls from a distance of three metres, the one who throws the most into the basket wins), and the traditional “relay race”.
On Saturday 14 June (at 9:00 p.m.), there will be a new appointment in Piazza Kennedy for an evening with a theatrical flavour, during which the various contrade will engage in curious, bizarre and original performances centred on the theme chosen for this edition: “The great Disney classics”. And you can bet that there will be no shortage of surprises.
Sunday 15 June will be the eagerly awaited final day, dedicated to great challenges. Right from the morning (Stadio Comunale “Riccardo Neri”, from 8:00 a.m.) technique, skill and strength will take the lion’s share with the “Relayette” and the “Tug of War”, accompanied by the cheers of supporters intent on cheering on their favourites from the stands of the Stadium. In the afternoon at 3:45 p.m., the Palio will move to the capital and the adult competitions will resume in Piazza Kennedy with “Palla avvelenata” followed by “Ruzzola Balla” (route: Piazza Kennedy, Stazione, Piazza Gramsci). At 6:15 p.m. (Municipal Stadium) the “Baby” version of the “Ruzzola Balla” reserved for the Children’s Palio and at 8:00 p.m. (Piazza Kennedy) the proclamation of the winning contrada (the one that will have obtained the highest result through the sum of the various scores obtained in each individual race) and the awarding of prizes, which will be followed by celebrations.
“The Palio”, observes the Mayor, Francesca Giannì, “is a life of relationships, a stimulus to forge bonds between people living in the same area, which in turn becomes part of a more complex community. It is also, and above all, fun, the desire to measure ourselves and – why not – to compete in competitions to which we feel more suited. Each edition also brings a breath of fresh air, an original theme in which people bring their creative and theatrical skills into play, confirming that “children’s palio” also serves as an invitation to the new generations to spend their free time outdoors, not to shut themselves up at home in the comforts offered by technology, experimenting with new activities and friendships. This alone is enough to say that this year’s Ca*Stellare will also be a success. A heartfelt thank you to all those who – in various capacities – have collaborated in the organisation of the Palio, because I know they have dedicated a lot of time to it”.
