From 06 September 2026
to 06 September 2026 Palio di Asti

Let yourself be enchanted by the medieval atmosphere that pervades Asti during the most important time of the year: the week of the Palio.

It is a waving of flags and a sounding of trumpets (or chiarine, as we usually call them) that announces the entry into the square of the Captain and his magistrates, all strictly on horseback.

On Sunday the Palio di Asti is run and the city goes back in time to 1275, the year in which the first Palio was run near the walls of the then enemy city of Alba.

Today the Palio is held in the central Piazza Alfieri, where 21 horses compete in a bareback race (without a saddle) representing as many Borghi, Rioni, and Towns.

One of the most evocative folk festivals in the country that every year unites the city and the surrounding villages and gathers thousands of tourists, enthusiasts, and curious onlookers who come to Asti to experience a weekend of history and tradition.

Palio Day, traditionally the first Sunday in September, is just the culmination of a weekend of festivities, colors, culture and gastronomy.

The ceremony

10:00 a.m.

Palio Sunday begins with the ceremony of the blessing of the horse and jockey in the city’s churches.

The performance

11:00 a.m.

The morning ends with the performance, in Piazza San Secondo, of the A.S.T.A. flag-wavers: the calling card of the Palio di Asti in Italy and around the world.

The Group, composed of about 80 athletes including drummers and flag-wavers, offers a spectacular variety of performances.

The costumes are faithful medieval reproductions and the flags feature the colors of the Borghi, Rioni, and Towns that run the Palio.

The parade

2:00 p.m.

The fascinating historical parade of the Palio, the largest in Italy, with 1,200 participants.

An impressive procession reenacting the city’s medieval history between the 12th and 15th centuries.

The costumes, faithful period reproductions, are made by theatrical tailors and are inspired by medieval paintings and frescoes.

The parade is the result of meticulous and painstaking work to find historically consistent fabrics, styles, accessories, hairstyles, and equipment.

Route: Piazza Cattedrale, Via Caracciolo, Piazza Cairoli, Corso Alfieri, Via Gobetti, Via Garibaldi, Via Gardini, Piazza Alfieri.

The procession is opened by the Group of the Captain of the Palio and the A.S.T.A. flag-wavers and is closed by the Carroccio escorted by the men-at-arms.

The race

4:00 p.m.

In Piazza Alfieri, the Mossiere starts the Palio.

Running of the Palio with horses mounted bareback (no saddle).

Three heats of seven horses.

The jockeys will compete to win glory and the coveted Drappo.

The flag-wavers

5:00 p.m.

Flag-waving performance.

The second race

6:00 p.m.

Final with nine horses and the awarding of the Palio.

The palio

The Palio di Asti is an event as awaited and felt now as it was in the 13th century, which evolves over the years while always remaining itself, with the deepest care, respect, and safety for its protagonists: the horses, the jockeys, and the spectators.

A centuries-long tradition that despite the passage of time preserves the magic of history intact and hands down a unique sense of community, capable of fascinating and holding a city together.

Participants

Here are the 21 participants and their colors:

Town of BALDICHIERI – silver, azure, and gold
Town of CASTELL’ALFERO – azure, white, and gold
Town of SAN DAMIANO – red and blue
Town of MONTECHIARO – white and light blue
Town of CANELLI – white and azure
Town of NIZZA MONFERRATO – yellow and red
Town of MONCALVO – white and red
Rione SAN SECONDO – white and red
Borgo SAN MARZANOTTO – gold and blue
Borgo SANTA MARIA NUOVA – pink and azure
Rione SAN PAOLO – gold and red
Rione SAN SILVESTRO – gold and silver
Rione SAN MARTINO SAN ROCCO – white and green
Borgo TORRETTA – white, red, and blue
Borgo VIATOSTO – white and azure
Borgo SAN PIETRO – red and green
Borgo TANARO TRINCERE TORRAZZO – white and azure
Borgo SAN LAZZARO – yellow and green
Borgo DON BOSCO – yellow and blue
Rione SANTA CATERINA – red and light blue
Rione CATTEDRALE – white and azure
A bit of history

According to the chronicler Ogerio Alfieri, ancestor of the more famous Count Vittorio, the city of Asti

…in the year of Our Lord 1280 it was full of riches, enclosed by solid and recent walls and made up almost entirely of many buildings, towers, palaces, and newly built houses.

In the precise and punctual description, Ogerio cites the good qualities of the citizens of Asti, judging them

…sensible and noble, rich and powerful; in case of need the city can count on six hundred horsemen equipped with two horses…the countryside can provide one hundred and sixty horsemen equipped with one horse or mare….

In those years the people of Asti gave life to the Palio race.

The first certain news of the race dates back to 1275, the year in which, according to Guglielmo Ventura, an apothecary by profession and chronicler for pleasure, the people of Asti ran the Palio in mockery, under the walls of the enemy city of Alba, causing damage and devastation to the vineyards.

Today the city preserves an urban fabric that bears witness to the splendors of the past.

The towers and fortified houses, the medieval palaces, and the characteristic streets of the historic center provide the backdrop for the fascinating historical re-enactment of the Palio.

There are twenty-one contenders who, in the days leading up to the event, have vigorously tried to favor victory with dinners, superstitious rituals, and pranks against rival villages, until the final confrontation on the field, preceded by the parade, composed of over one thousand two hundred participants in medieval costume.

After much effort, great passion, and just as much anxiety, only one will be able to hold the crimson banner with the city’s insignia and the image of the Patron Saint.

For everyone, the party already begins the previous weekend with the presentation of the parade preview, the Palio of the flag-wavers, the market, and the track trials to test the forces on the field, in a heart-pounding crescendo.

But to understand the Palio you need to be there, immerse yourself in the festival, perhaps by directly following the events of one of the twenty-one participants.

From the looks of the residents, who have worked for a whole year, you will understand what visceral passion, attachment to the colors, the desire to win, the joy of victory, or the bitterness of defeat means.