Palio dei Lumi and Celebrations in honor of the Madonna dei Lumi

A centuries-old festival in the heart of the Valtiberina

In the town of Pieve Santo Stefano, in the Province of Arezzo, at the northern tip of the Tuscan Valtiberina, the Palio dei Lumi is the most cherished event of the year. More than just a festival, it is the town's great celebration of identity: the festivities in honor of the Madonna dei Lumi, patron saint of the locals, have for centuries intertwined religious devotion, historical memory, and healthy neighborhood rivalry, transforming the village overlooking the Tiber into an open-air stage.

The origins: the siege of 1527 and the lights of the Madonna

The tradition is rooted in a dramatic episode of local history: in 1527, Pieve Santo Stefano withstood a five-day siege by the Landsknechts serving Charles V. The devotion to the Madonna dei Lumi is linked to a miracle recounted in popular memory, when it is said that hosts of angels appeared with lit torches along the road to Sansepolcro. Since then, the townspeople decided to celebrate every year the Madonna who had watched over her people: the popular festival has been documented since at least 1631, while the historical horse-mounted palio is attested to in the 18th century.

The Calcio in Costume and the four districts

In its current form, the tradition was revived in 1978 as a Tuscan historical football tournament. The Calcio in Costume features the four historic districts of the town, each with its own colors:

• Ponte Nuovo — yellow and green
• Ponte Vecchio — red and black
• Rialto — orange and green
• Centro Paese — white and black

The teams, composed of players who contend for the ball in two halves with free contact, face off in two semifinals and a final traditionally played on September 8th, the day of the Nativity of Mary. Each victory is worth a medal: the district that collects three first wins the banner, the prestigious Palio dedicated to the Madonna dei Lumi. The matches are played in the Campo dei Lumi, adjacent to the Sanctuary, which fills with the passionate cheering of the districts on match days.

Historical pageant, bonfires, and fireworks

Beyond the sporting competition, the festival offers a rich program of re-enactments and entertainment. The historical pageant, with participants in sumptuous Renaissance costumes, brings the streets of the center and the evocative Piazza Santo Stefano to life, where a fire show also takes place. On the evening before the final, the districts light up, and large bonfires are lit along the banks of the Tiber, while the procession retraces the ancient path of devotion. Traditional fireworks conclude the festivities.

An event to experience

The Palio dei Lumi is the ideal opportunity to discover Pieve Santo Stefano — the "City of the Diary," famous for its National Diary Archive — and the authentic hospitality of the Valtiberina, a borderland between Tuscany, Umbria, and Romagna. Between history, faith, and sporting passion, it is one of the most characteristic village festivals in the Province of Arezzo.