"Bravìo delle Botti" (The race of the casks)

The "Bravìo delle Botti", which runs in Montepulciano the last Sunday in August, has its origins in the 14th century. At that time, during the big yearly fair, held in August together with the feast of San Giovanni Decollato patron saint of Montepulciano, one of the events organized to attract people from the nearby villages was a horse race. Anybody was entitled to participate in the race, even "foreigners", who on their horses competed for the prize: a scarlet piece of fabric.



The yearly fair was a unique opportunity to purchase the goods available in the town and in its neighbourhoods. The presence of so many people "inside the walls" prompted the organization of many collateral activities, among which the "Bravìo".

Today Tuscany still preserves the tradition of "contradas (districts) challenge". Differently from other events (Siena Palio, Giostra della Quintana...) the "Bravìo" was born not as a contradas challenge but as an individual competition.

Some documents dating back to the 14th century illustrate in details the rules of this competition, the 5 km course and the trophy. In the 17th century the "Bravìo" was cancelled for "law and order" reasons, and fell into oblivion.

The ancient tradition was recovered by the passionate initiative of don Marcello del Balio, parish priest in Montepulciano in the '70s and prematurely deceased in 1981. Don Marcello, an enthusiastic student of his town history, proposed to recover the traditions of this land with great intelligence and vision. He recuperated the "Bravìo" concept and substantially modified it to exploit the traditional split of the town into "contradas".

The race consists in pushing a big cask for 2 kilometers along the steep roads of the town. A dexterity and power competition between "pushers", in an environment of fair contradas rivalry. In Montepulciano we live the contrada the whole year. It's a way to know each other, to be part of a group and socialize. Any occasion is good for a contrada gathering.

Not an individual competition, then, but a contradas challenge; not a horse race, but a cask race. Casks represent the strong link of this land and of this people with WINE, the standard of excellence of Politian products.

Before and during the week of the "Bravìo", the whole town is frenzy. Every street and every window displays the colours of its own contrada. Every citizen, from the children to the elders, is directly involved in the celebrations. Every contrada organizes shows, lunches and dinners, competing with the other contradas to offer the best products, waiting for the expected ceremonies: marking of the casks, flag weavers rehearsals, pushers training.

The atmosphere is joyful, but not noisy or pushy. The crowd of tourists which come for this feast may decide whether or not being involved in our buoyancy. But if you prefer not being involved, you will miss a great opportunity to live some days "in contrada"!

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