Montepulciano prepares for grueling uphill wine barrel race

Two athletes will push 80-kilogram wine barrels uphill through Montepulciano’s historic center this August, racing eight neighborhood contrade for a painted cloth prize called il panno. The Bravìo delle Botti will bring Cagnano, Collazzi, Le Coste, Gracciano, Poggiolo, San Donato, Talosa and Voltaia into a contest built on strength, balance and local pride.

The official 2026 program sets the celebration from August 22 to August 30, with the final race on the last Sunday of August. That last day will begin in Piazza Grande with the extraction of starting positions before the barrels move along the route to the finish in the cathedral square. The week around the race will include rehearsals, a procession and a candles’ procession, while the traditional historical parade will bring more than 300 locals into the streets.

The modern Bravìo delle Botti began in 1974, replacing an older horse race that dates back to 1373. Its barrels, each about 80 kilograms, or roughly 200 pounds, will be pushed by two spingitori, the name given to the pushers who drive the heavy casks over a course that runs about 1.6 to 1.8 kilometers through Montepulciano’s historic center. The uphill finish in Piazza Grande gives the race its punishing profile and helps explain why training for it is as much about endurance as force.

In a town where the centro storico is the stage and the contrade are the cast, the race remains a working expression of neighborhood identity rather than a museum piece. The painted cloth prize, the procession and the route through the old streets tie the event to Montepulciano’s public life, while the August calendar turns that local ritual into a draw for visitors and a showcase for the town’s wine-linked traditions. Even as global tourism pushes small places to package themselves for outside attention, the Bravìo keeps its meaning rooted in who can move a 200-pound barrel fastest up the hill.