Palio dei Barchini con le Ruote

A one-of-a-kind Palio

The Palio dei Barchini con le Ruote is one of Tuscany's most unique events. Held in Castelfranco di Sotto, in the heart of the Leather District in the province of Pisa, it draws thousands of spectators to Piazza Garibaldi every year. The town's four districts compete by manually pushing characteristic wheeled boats that must complete three laps around the square. It is a spirited and fiercely contested race, lived with authentic pride by the local residents.

Historical roots

The festival is rooted in the memory of the renaioli (sand diggers) and navicellai (boatmen), workers who once plied the Arno river with their flat-bottomed boats to extract sand from the riverbed and transport goods. This grueling trade has been transformed by the community into a healthy competition, a social gathering, and a town festival, passing down a deep bond with the land and the river from generation to generation.

The four districts

The Palio is the soul of the four districts into which the town is divided:

• San Michele in Caprugnana
• San Martino in Catiana
• San Bartolomeo a Paterno
• San Pietro a Vigesimo

Each district participates with its own colors, crews, and a large following of supporters, creating an intense yet always festive rivalry.

How the race works

The heart of the event is the boat race: the heavy hulls are pushed and steered by the crews, who use two chestnut wood poles called bacchi, along a course that requires three full laps of Piazza Garibaldi. Alongside the main race, there is the Mini Palio for the youngest participants and the Palio Rosa reserved for female crews, as well as an award for the best pageant.

The historical pageant

Before the races, the districts bring the town center to life with a grand historical costume pageant: processions, performers, drummers, and flag-wavers recreate the atmosphere of old Castelfranco, a spectacle that is an integral part of the festival and the subject of a specific award.

A festival for everyone

Organized by the Palio dei Barchini con le Ruote Association together with the Municipality of Castelfranco di Sotto, the event is free to attend and stands as an intergenerational appointment capable of uniting the entire town and attracting visitors from all over Tuscany and the province of Pisa.