Archers Palio

Arrows whistle in the night of Ascoli. The long quintanaro period also includes the competition of skill between the archers of the six Sestieri. The venue for this unmissable test of precision and coolness is the Campo dei Giochi at Ponte Majore. The competition was first instituted as an extraordinary event in 1992, and has been a regular event since 1995. The christening of the “Freccia d’Oro” took place in Piazza del Popolo. Subsequently, the competition field changed several times, although it remained in enchanting locations in the city, such as the Chiostro Maggiore of San Francesco, Piazza Sant’Agostino and Piazza Arringo. In 2004, a team competition was introduced, in which each Sestiere fields three archers.

The trials are the “shield throw”, the “stick throw”, the “plank throw” and the “pendulum throw”. The district with the highest score at the end of the trials wins the Palio. Afterwards, a ranking is drawn up of the eight best archers, who compete in a further trial to win the “Golden Jug”, the trophy awarded to the best single archer.