A big dinner in the square, and then everyone cheering “Forza Azzurri”. This is how the “Ca*Stellare”, the Castelfiorentino Palio, will open on Thursday 20 June. Until Sunday 23, the various districts will compete in a sequence of challenges where strength and skill, creativity and imagination, and a lot of love for one’s own community are required. Three intense days of emotions, in an event that this year presents “The Olympics” as its theme and that will not spare even the “very young” (the “baby” version of the Palio has been confirmed) until the final verdict and the awarding of the “Cencio” to the winning contrada, which will have obtained the highest result through the sum of the various scores obtained in each single race.
The opening evening, which will take place in Piazza Kennedy, will include, before the dinner, the awarding of “diplomas” to pupils who have passed the fifth grade (an initiative promoted by CCN Tre Piazze), which will be followed by an open-air dinner among all the representatives and supporters of the various contrade (the initiative is open to everyone in any case), in a convivial atmosphere of festivity and sporting spirit (full menu adults 22 euro, children up to 10 years 10 euro, reservations +39 3314663757). At the same time, it will be possible to watch the football match Italy-Spain, valid for the European Championship, outdoors on a big screen set up for the occasion.
Friday 21 June meeting in Piazza Kennedy (9:00 p.m.) and start of the parade of the various contrade through the streets of the city centre with return to Piazza Kennedy, where the pairings of the various competitions will be drawn.
On Saturday, 22 June (Piazza Gramsci, from 4:00 p.m.), the “Palio dei Bambini” will take place, with the “little contradaioli” competing for the coveted “Cencetto” by holding four competitions: “Wring out the sponge”, where participants will have to compete between a full and an empty basin of water and, with a small cloth, endeavour to “absorb” as much water as possible from the first basin and wring out as much as possible from the second, “aim and throw” (one child with a basket on his head, the other throws balls from a distance of three metres, and the winner is the one who throws the most into the basket), the traditional “relay race” and “ruzzola ballina”, a baby version of the game played by adults. In the evening (Piazza Kennedy, 9:00 p.m.), the districts will take to the stage to give a creative, beautiful, exciting performance on the theme of the “Olympics”.
Sunday 23 June will be a day of great challenges. In the morning (“Riccardo Neri” stadium, from 9:00 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 5:00 p.m, the Palio will move to the capital and the games will resume in Piazza Kennedy with “Palla avvelenata” followed by “Ruzzola Balla”. At the end, around dinner time (8:00 p.m.) the proclamation of the winning contrada that will win the “Cencio”, made by Valentina Cini.
“The Palio of Castelfiorentino – underlines the Mayor, Francesca Giannì – is a splendid event that involves all the souls of our territory, involving children, young people and adults in passionate challenges, in the name of the Contrada they belong to, which often represents the core of our social life and relations, part of that wider Community that we want to continue to grow and improve. This is the first Palio that I will see in the role of Mayor and I cannot therefore hide a hint of emotion. This is why I wish all citizens to experience it with participation, passion and sporting spirit, as a great celebration for Castelfiorentino”.
The Castelfiorentino Palio is sponsored by the Municipality of Castelfiorentino. For information: +39 331 4663757.
