Palio dei Carretti

The Palio dei Carretti is a race of wheeled carts, or rather soapboxes if you prefer, but in a medieval version and on the cobblestones of a Tuscan village. Every year, teams compete as they race down the steep streets, pushing these makeshift contraptions. It's not a tourist attraction made up from scratch, but a very much alive local tradition, often linked to a patron saint's festival. For you, traveler, it's a chance to see village life in Maremma come alive, to feel an authentic fervor far from the crowds of Florence. It's a noisy, somewhat chaotic spectacle, but one that plunges you directly into the atmosphere of Tuscan popular festivals.