Earlier this Summer, we reported to you on Siena’s world-famous Palio.
So, we would be remiss if we didn’t follow up with a blog post about Pienza’s own version of the event.
It started Saturday night with a Contrada (neighborhood) dinner. Each neighborhood had a set of tables in the main piazza. All six neighborhoods combined for about one eighth the number of diners at the Oca dinner we attended in Siena (see https://rbergson.org/dinner-at-the-palio/)
Sunday’s activities began in a jam-packed Piazza Pio with a performance by the sbandieratori, or flag throwers.
(The short video below is best viewed in full-screen mode)
Then came the main event: Cacio a Fuso…or the Rolling of the Cheese.
The idea is to roll a wheel of Pienza’s famous sheep-milk cheese (cacio) as close to the pin (fuso) as possible.
It’s not as easy as you’d think.
It’s heart-pounding, non-stop action, every bit as exciting as a bareback horse race. (Again, we suggest watching the video below in full-screen mode.)
Of the 96 rolls in the competition, this was the only one to hit the fuso.
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