The intense heat has put athletes and spectators to the test, many of whom have attended the last challenges of the ‘Palio di San Paolo’, which this year reached its 21st edition, but at the end of the tournament, the Castrucciari district wins the banner, with Piazzal Sant’Angelo coming in second and Pian della Noce in third. After almost an intense and uninterrupted month of sports and goliardic competitions, on Sunday afternoon, the last races of the ‘Giochi tra contrade’ took place on the grounds of the ‘Attorri’ sports facility in Piane di Montegiorgio. These are thrilling, heated races, where there was no shortage of appeals from the districts involved: Piazza Sant’Angelo, Pian del Sasso, Querciabella, Fonte Tavola, Fonterimana, Stazione, Molino, Pian della Noce and Castrucciari, a sign of how much the representatives care about the event. ‘The games between districts’ officially began at the end of May with the bowls competitions, the five-a-side football tournament, the team briscola tournament, while the score grid for each individual challenge was being drawn up, the districts have always increased their commitment. Memorable on June 22 was the performance by Roberto Vita who impersonated Cesare Cremonini during the ‘Contrade e quale Show’ competition, awarded by the technical jury for his performance. On Sunday, starting in the early afternoon, after the parade of the teams with their banners, the traditional challenges began under the tutelage of the young scouts of Montegiorgio who acted as field judges: catch the chicken, the tug of war, the sack race, and finally the donkey race, the most jovial and fun competition.
At the start, Pian della Noce immediately took the lead, followed by Piazzal Sant’Angelo, Castrucciari and Fonte Tavola. In the last straight before the finish line, Castrucciari forced Pian della Noce towards the barriers, but the judges assessed it as a simple race contact, and the race continued until the finish line with Castrucciari first, followed by Piazzal Sant’Angelo and Pian della Noce. Immediately after the counting, Castrucciari was named the winner and took home the Palio di San Paolo, then the party began. Once the animosity was over, the social life returned to life, after all, ‘The games between districts’ are an opportunity to bring the residents of Piane back to the square in friendship and fun. So much so that the many participants took advantage of the food stands of the patron saint’s day to dine together.
Alessio Carassai
