Palio di Parma


The Palio di Parma is a festival that is held once a year in the northern Italian town of Parma, and traces back to the ancient "Scarlet Run"". The Palio is normally hold on the third weekend of September.

History

The origin of this festival can be reconducted to 1314 as reported by Giovanni Del Giudice in the "Chronicon Parmense", talking about a festival hold to honour the engagement between Giberto III Da Correggio, ruler of Parma from 1303 to 1316, and Engelenda Rossi, also called Maddalena Rossi di San Secondo daughter of Guglielmo Rossi and Donella da Carrara rulers of Padova. This brought to an end of the several fight among their noble families wanting to dominate Parma. On that day, all the enemy families of Giberto Da Correggio were allowed to return in Parma, and even some prisoners gained back freedom. The games consisted in several competition with medieval weapons and horses.
The festival was held every year on 15 August, from the fourteenth century to Napoleon's arrival in the nineteenth century.

Nowadays

Starting from 1978 the competition was brought to a new life. The town is divided in 5 different areas called "Porte", referring to the ancient doors which allowed to enter in the town from the walls of the town. Each of them forms a different team. There are 3 running competitions, one for men, one for women and one for children riding donkeys. In each of them the door try to win a painting showing one of the monuments of the town and Holy Mary, protector of Parma.

Porte

ImpresaColoursTerritoryChurch
WolfBlack and WhiteStrada Bixio, lato sud di via D'Azeglio dal Ponte all'Annunziata, Via della Costituente, Via Imbriani, Via della Salute, Viale Spezia, Viale Milazzo, Via Silvio Pellico, Viale Milazzo, indicativamente tutta la zona sud Ovest della città.Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata

ImpresaColoursTerritoryChurch
UnicornBlueStrada Farini, Borgo Giacomo, Via XXII Luglio, Borgo Felino, Viale Basetti, Viale Martiri della Libertà, Viale Solferino, Viale Rustici, indicativamente la zona sud della città.Chiesa di Sant'Uldarico

ImpresaColoursTerritoryChurch
DragonYellowStrada della Repubblica, Via Dalmazia, Viale Tanara, Strada Elevata, Viale Partigiani d'Italia, Viale Pier Maria Rossi, Via Zarotto, Via Emilia Est, indicativamente tutta la zona est della città.Chiesa di San Sepolcro

ImpresaColoursTerritoryChurch
LionRedStrada Garibaldi, Strada Cavour, Borgo Parmigianino, Via Verdi, Viale Toscanini, Viale Fratti, Via Trento, Strada San Leonardo, Via Palermo, Via Europa, indicativamente tutta la zona nord est della città.Chiesa di San Francesco del Prato

Winning Door

YearWinning Door
1978Porta San Francesco
1979Porta San Michele 2
1980Porta San Michele 2
1981Porta San Michele
1982Porta San Michele
1984Porta San Francesco
1986Porta San Michele
1988Porta Santa Croce
1991Porta San Michele
1993Porta San Michele
1995Porta San Michele
1996Porta San Michele
1997Porta San Francesco
1998Porta San Michele
1999Porta San Michele
2000Porta San Michele
2001Not held
2002Porta San Michele
2003Porta San Francesco
2004Porta San Francesco
2005Porta San Francesco
2006Porta San Michele
2007Porta San Francesco
2008Porta San Francesco
2009Porta San Francesco
2010Porta San Francesco
2011Porta San Francesco
2012Porta Nuova
2013Porta San Francesco
2014Porta San Francesco
2015Porta San Francesco
2016Porta San Francesco

YearWinning Door
1991Porta San Barnaba
1993Porta San Michele
1995Porta San Michele
1996Porta San Barnaba
1997Porta San Barnaba
1999Porta San Barnaba
2000Porta San Michele
2001Not held
2002Porta San Barnaba
2003Porta San Barnaba
2004Porta San Barnaba
2005Porta San Francesco
2006Porta San Francesco
2007Porta Nuova
2008Porta Santa Croce
2009Porta Santa Croce
2010Porta Santa Croce
2011Porta Santa Croce
2012Porta Santa Croce
2013Porta San Francesco
2014Porta San Michele
2015Porta Nuova
2016Porta Nuova