Palio of Saint Vincent

A tradition born from the nostalgia of the districts

The Palio di San Vincenzo is the identity event of the Municipality of Monsano, a small village in Vallesina in the province of Ancona, in the Marche region. The festival was born in 1974 from the initiative of parish priest Don Savino Capogrossi, who wanted to revive the ancient festivals of the hamlets and rural districts, dedicating them to the Co-Patron Saint Vincent. For over fifty years, the challenge between the districts has filled the streets and the town square with colors, flags, and celebrations, making it the longest-running Palio in the entire Vallesina.

The four competing districts

The heart of the event is the rivalry - strictly good-natured - between the four districts into which the village is divided:

• Rione dè l'Aroli
• Rione San Gregorio
• Rione dè l'Assunta
• Rione San Pietro

Each district fields its own athletes and supporters, prepares choreographies, and competes for the Palio banner through a series of trials rooted in the peasant life of the past.

Traditional games

The competition is based on popular disciplines passed down through generations, including:

• the greased pole;
• the tug of war;
• the sack race;
• the breaking of the piñatas;
• the game of morra;
• the wheelbarrow race.

Alongside the competition for adults, the Mini Palio is also held, reserved for the younger members of the four districts, who compete in games in the square on Saturday afternoons.

The Palio Contest and the Castle Fire

The festival typically takes place over a weekend in May. Saturday is dedicated to the Mini Palio and the first challenges, while Sunday features the traditional Saint Vincent Fair, the Palio Contest in the afternoon, and, in the evening, the most anticipated moment: the Castle Fire accompanied by a fireworks display that concludes the event and proclaims the winning district. There is no shortage of live music, entertainment, and food stalls with typical Marche cuisine flavors.

An event to experience in Vallesina

Deeply felt by the community, the Palio di San Vincenzo is much more than a competition: it is an opportunity to rediscover the peasant memory of Vallesina and the local pride of the Monsano districts. For visitors, it represents an authentic immersion into the popular traditions of the Ancona area, in a village where festival, faith, and local identity have intertwined for half a century.