Donkey Palio

The Alba Donkey Palio is a fun competitive race that has become a major attraction in Alba over the years.

It is a real show that entertains spectators for an entire afternoon.

It has long been held on the first Sunday in October.

It takes place in the historic setting of Risorgimento Square, which the people of Alba call Cathedral Square.

How the palio takes place

Giorgio Montersino” width=”1000″ height=”667″> Photo credit: Giorgio Montersino

The Palio degli Asini in Alba is a goliardic event organized with total respect for the animals, somewhat less so for the jockeys forced to fight against the stubbornness of their steeds.

The history of the palio

Giorgio Montersino” width=”1200″ height=”650″> Photo credit: Giorgio Montersino

The origin of the Palio is a mixture of history and legend based on actual historical events.

In 1275 the cities of Alba and Asti, which had always been bitter enemies, were at war.

On August 10 of the same year, a portion of Asti’s troops put the Monastery of San Frontiniano located south of the rival city to the sword.

As a manifestation of their momentary supremacy, the Astians ran a palio along the walls of Alba.

The episode was also reported by the chronicler of the time, Guglielmo Ventura-a documentary mention that constitutes the earliest historical record of the Palio of Asti.

Legend has it that, to mock the enemy who had only managed to defeat a small community of friars without affecting the city’s integrity in the slightest, the new Podestà of Alba ordered a city palio with donkeys to be run.

The first edition

Inspired by the history of the ancient rivalry between Alba and Asti and the events that occurred in 1275, the Palio degli Asini was first held in 1932.

That year, in fact, the people of Asti denied the chance to run the city palio to the jockeys from Alba, ignoring their earlier promise.

Pinot Gallizio, an eclectic artist and character of culture and spirit, then thought of mocking the ancient enemy’s snub by organizing a donkey palio, just as the legend told.

From then on, the palio was repeated every year, with some periodic interruptions due, for example, to the war.

In Fascist Italy, in fact, Mussolini had all the poles on the Peninsula banned except the one in Siena.

The economic boom and success

Donkey Palio

By the 1960s Alba was growing and slowly outgrowing its role as the rural center of the Langhe.

The Truffle Fair, however, was sinking under the weight of organizational expenses.

The drastic budget reduction and the risk of cancelling the event forever gave the right impetus for the development of new initiatives.

One of these was the Donkey Palio, revived by the will of Paolo Farinetti, father of Eataly founder Oscar, the pastry chef Barbero, former city councilor and assessor, and the owner of the Aimeri company.

The year 1967 thus saw the rebirth of the palio in a more modern guise but, more importantly, of an event dedicated primarily to the representation of the city.

Since then, the event has been enriched by the theatrical performances, re-enactments and parades of Alba’s Borgate, which, in addition to competing for the donkey cup, compete to win the prize for the best performance.