Hello Again Friends,
Yes, again it’s already time for another historical Tuscan event and celebration…they do love to party. And, as promised, whenever I provide a little Italian history lesson, I also will include one of my favorite recipes so your indulgence is not all in vain…so see it at the end of my blog post.
This event takes place in yet another one of their beautiful and quaint hill cities…Montepulciano and is called “Bravio delle Botti” and takes place on the last Sunday in August. Similar to the Palio de Siena, this event also pits the 8 different neighborhoods (Contradas) against each other in serious competition. Originally it took place with horses but eventually was replaced in 1974 with giant wine barrels that were both safer and significantly funnier.
It takes place every year on the last Sunday of August when the medieval streets of the city transform into a kind of Tuscan Olympics…that is if the Olympics were sponsored exclusively by winemakers and questionable life choices. The race is preceded by a fascinating historical parade, characterized by the presence of hundreds of locals all dressed up in costumes who parade along the same route throwing flags, playing medieval drums and evoking striking images of ancient times.
Each Contrade sends forth their bravest two-person teams tasked with rolling 175-pound wine barrels UPHILL for approximately 1 mile to the Piazza Grande. The spectators all scream, pounds drums, wave flags and yell advice to their teams that absolutely no one can hear as two exhausted athletes desperately try to keep a runaway barrel from flattening a tourist. It’s part Renaissance pageant, part neighborhood rivalry and part cardio workout from hell. It’s loud, sweaty, chaotic, and absolutely delightful. A finish line is perched dramatically on the cathedral steps, because nothing says ‘victory’ like arriving at church drenched in sweat and barrel dust.
The barrels wobble, zigzag, and occasionally do attempt to escape. The team push with heroic determination, fueled by adrenaline, civic pride, and probably the promise of Vino Nobile afterward. The winning Contrada claims the Panno, a painted banner created each year by a local artist. It is paraded home triumphantly, where it will be admired, toasted, and bragged about until next August.
Bravio delle Botti is the only sporting even where:
-The athletes push the equipment instead of using it.
-the equipment weighs more than the athlete
-the crowd cheers like it’s the World Cup
-and everyone ends the day drinking the very thing the barrels WOULD have held.
It’s Montepulciano at its most joyful, most theatrical, and most wonderfully ridiculous.
It’s year another reason why I love the Italians…
David & Tino
