palio del cuoio

The " Leather Palio" is the major event in the town of Ponte a Egola. This event was born thanks to Don Gino Frediani, who had a dream: "to create a big event in Ponte a Egola, where people would have the opportunity to meet, know each other and be together." The first edition of the palio was in 1988, it lasts nine days and takes place between the last week of June and first of July. The central theme of the event is the " leather and hides manufacturing", an activity for which Ponte a Egola is known all over the world. The Palio starts with a "costume summer carnival’’ organized by the quarters and closes with the corsa dei caratelli. The keg is a wooden barrel of about 80kg; Here in tanneries was kept tannin,the extract of the bark of various plants, essential for the production of leather. The cartellisti, six for district, push the barrel on a straight course of 117 meters, to be repeated 6 times. The winner is the first, who completes the race. The country is divided into five quarters, each of which is represented by two colors: Tognarino (white-orange), Giuncheto (white-red), Il Ponte (white-yellow), Le Fornaci (whiteblue), Leporaia (white -green). Today, after more than 20 years, the event has grown attracting thousands of people every year. People meet, talk, discuss ... and enjoy themselves in the spirit of the Palio, thus obtaining the purpose for which it was born, that is to say a festival that manages to combine excitement, competitiveness and friendship.

All this of course would not be possible without the wide availability of all the people who constantly work, with passion and enthusiasm, so that every year we can make this wonderful event.