First Sunday of September

Exhilarating bare-back horse race dating back to the 13th Century, the most ancient in Italy features a splendid historical procession which winds through the historical town centre with more than 1200 people representing the districts and neighbourhoods over the medieval history of Asti.  During the days preceding the Palio the town is decorated with the flags of the different districts and the colours of the flag wavers, the propitiatory dinners, the Palio traditional market stalls and the horse trials on the horse tracks set out in Piazza Alfieri.

Info and detailed program: www.comune.asti.it

Sunday, September 2^nd 2018

10 am Parishes of the districts competing – Blessing Ceremony of horses and jockeys

11 am Piazza San Secondo – A.S.T.A. Flag waver performance

2 pm Piazza Cattedrale – start of the historical procession with 1200 people in medieval costumes, which reenacts events and moments of life in the Middle Ages, in the following order: the group of the Captain of the Palio; the district/municipality that won the race in the previous edition; the classified districts of the town and municipalities in the previous edition; other districts/municipalities taking part in the horse race.
Route: Piazza Cattedrale, Via Caracciolo, Piazza Cairoli, Corso Alfieri, Via Gobetti, Piazza San Secondo, Via Garibaldi, Via Gardini, Piazza Alfieri.

4.00 pm Piazza Alfieri – bareback horse race: three heats, 7 horses each and a final with 9 horses.

5.00 pm Flag waver performance

6.00 pm Final and Award ceremony

And in the previous days…..

Saturday, September 1^st 2018

9.00 am-11.00pm Piazza San Secondo: last day of the colored Palio Market with handicraft items dedicated to the race

From 2.30pm Sfilata dei Bambini – Children Parade. Route: Piazza Cairoli – Corso Alfieri – Via Gobetti – Piazza San Secondo – Via Garibaldi – Piazza Alfieri

From 4.30 pm Piazza Alfieri – General trials of the horse race. Free admission

From 8.30 pm Banquets in the districts of the town and municipalities competing in order to propitiate the victory

Friday, August 31^st 2018

From 9 am to 11pm Piazza San Secondo: first day of the colored Palio Market with handicraft items dedicated to the horse race

9am–10.30am 4pm-6.30pm Piazza Alfieri: Trials of the horse race. Free Admission

From 6pm Sfilata dei Monelli – Children parade. Route: Corso Dante, Corso Alfieri, Via Rossini

From 8.30pm Banquets in the districts of the town and municipalities competing to propitiate the victory