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Barrel rolling contest
(Il Palio delle Botti di Montepulciano) |
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When:
Aug 26, 2012
Where: Montepulciano, Italy
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Once a Year, on the last Sunday of August, a traditional barrel rolling race is held. The race takes place in Montepulciano which is located in Siena region in Tuscany.
This unique race started in the 13th century as a riding contest in which the horses galloped up the hill, in a steep course of 1,800 meters, through the main road of the town to the Grande Piazza. In the 17th century the contests stopped but on 1974 it renewed in a different way. The participants roll 80 kg barrels up the hill.
Delegates of the eight neighborhoods of the town participate in the contest. The winner gets the traditional prize - a colored cloth known by the name Palio.
This event attracts thousands of locals and tourists who encourage the participants.
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Watch video
Barrel rolling contest
(Il Palio delle Botti di Montepulciano)
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IMPORTANT:
Please note that the details of the event are subject to change.
We strongly recommended that you check with the organizers
before making any travel arrangements.
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Event related information:
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Italy -
background and overview:
Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.
[Courtesy of The World Factbook]
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Italy details
Location: Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia. |
Languages:
Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area). |
Climate:
Predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south. |
Capital:
Rome |
Time Zone:
UTC+1 (Summer UTC+2) |
Currency (code):
Euro (EUR) |
Call Code:
+39 |
Electric Power:
230V 50Hz |
Tourist office:
Ente Nazionale Italiano per il Turismo (ENIT), Or Rome Tourist office Phone: +39 06 67104526 |
Tourist website:
Click Here |
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