| During the days leading up to August 15th you can feel the increasing excitement and exhilaration that fills the air. There are constant discussions and debates, by everyone in town, about the strategy of the race, about who is the strongest rower, about how many strokes per minute each team is capable of, about who will be the best helmsman, and of course which team will win the race. |
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The festival of "Il Palio di Mezz'agosto" begins on the
evening of the 14th when all the representatives of the four regions and the crews
of the boats pass in procession to honor the Virgin Mary. The following morning, the young people of town dress in the colors of their region and roam through the streets of the four quarters shouting solgans, sounding horns and blowing whistles. |
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| In the afternoon, at four o'clock, the "Corteo Storico" starts, when more than 150 persons dressed in 17th century costumes parade through the town, a reminder of the period of Spanish domination of Porto Santo Stefano. The association "Argentario Vivo" began organizing this event in 1988 and since then the parade has seen a marked improvement in quality. |
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Among the figures portrayed in this historic procession, the govenor and his first lady are dominant. They are followed by knights who are accompanied by their ladies of the court, dthen the armed guards, and Halabarders. Next are boys carrying various flags from the towers which are situated on the hills around Monte Argentario. These served in antic times to help sight and recognize those who sailed the circumference of Monte Argentario. | |
| After the procession, there is a parade of the people from the regions of town, who prepare a theme each
year, and dress in their respective colors. Once again they shout their solgans at their adversaries, building the tension and anticipation that creates the excitement before the race. |
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When the parade arrives in the main square, called the piazza, the oars of the
boats are weighed and measured. The crews of each region go to their respective boats to
begin warming up until about 7 o'clock when the hills to the west cast their shadows on the "stadio del Turchese". The four boats line up and the harbour captain fires the starting shot to signal, to the thrill and excitment of thousands, that the "Palio Marinaro" has begun. |
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