Palio di Ferrara: history, contrade, races and how to watch it

The Palio di Ferrara is a historical festival that ends with 4 races in Piazza Ariostea: boys, girls, donkeys and horses. The city’s 8 contrade (districts) compete for banners called palii after more than a month of events, including flag-waving contests and a parade with over 1,000 people in Renaissance costume. The races are usually held on the last weekend of May, and entry to the square is free.

What is the Palio di Ferrara and why is it called the oldest in the world?

According to tradition, the Palio di Ferrara dates back to 1259: after Azzo VII Novello d’Este defeated Ezzelino da Romano at Cassano d’Adda, the people of Ferrara are said to have celebrated with races through the city streets.

The first written record is from 1279, when the city statutes set two races a year: one in April for Saint George, Ferrara’s patron saint, and one on 15 August for the Assumption. The winner got the pallium, a precious cloth.

Ferrara’s claim to the oldest palio in the world rests on these dates. The official Palio website calls 1259 a tradition without documentary proof and treats 1279 as the first official record.

The late-May date recalls an extraordinary palio run in 1471 to celebrate Borso d’Este, who had just been made the first Duke of Ferrara by Pope Paul II.

The races lasted until around 1600. They returned in 1933, with costumes inspired by the frescoes of Palazzo Schifanoia, stopped again during the Second World War and restarted in 1967.

The contrade of the Palio di Ferrara: 4 rioni and 4 borghi

The Palio di Ferrara has 8 contrade. The 4 rioni lie inside the medieval walls, while the 4 borghi are the districts that grew up outside them.

In the weeks before the races you will spot each contrada around town by the colours of its flags and costumes.

The 4 races of the Ferrara Palio: boys, girls, donkeys and horses

All 4 races take place on the same evening, on the sunken ring-shaped track in the middle of Piazza Ariostea, with one competitor per contrada.

The palio of San Giorgio, for the patron saint, is the main prize and closes the night.

In the donkey and horse races, spurs, whips and sticks are banned: riders can urge the animals on only with their voice, hands and reins. The horses’ starting positions at the ropes are drawn by lot.

After falls in 2006, the rules changed. Since 2007 only half-bred horses have raced, on a mix of sand and silt that slows them down, with double doping controls.

The May calendar: candle offering, flag games and historical parade

The Palio di Ferrara runs from late March to late May, peaking in May. Dates change yearly but the sequence is similar; here is the 2026 programme published by the Ente Palio and the City of Ferrara.

The blessing of the palii and the offering of the candles in the Cathedral are followed by the Este flag games, where the flag-wavers and musicians of the contrade compete: young people first, then adults.

The Magnifico Corteo brings over 1,000 members of the Ducal Court and the 8 contrade onto the streets in Renaissance costume, a week before the races. If race-night crowds put you off, I think it is the easiest way to see the costumes up close.

When is the Ferrara Palio held: Saturday or Sunday?

The official website still gives the last Sunday of May, the historical date. Since 2023, though, the races have been held in the evening, mostly on a Saturday: 27 May 2023, 31 May 2025 and 30 May 2026. For 2024, the City of Ferrara listed Sunday 26 May at 8 pm.

The 2027 calendar has not been published yet. Plan around the last weekend of May and check the dates on paliodiferrara.it before booking trains and accommodation. Bad weather can push the races back: in 2026 the backup dates were Sunday 31 May and Monday 1 June.

Piazza Ariostea, Ferrara: where the races are run and where to stand

Piazza Ariostea is in the Addizione Erculea (Herculean Addition), the city extension commissioned by Ercole I d’Este and designed by court architect Biagio Rossetti. It was originally called Piazza Nuova.

The square is a rectangle of about 200 by 100 metres (roughly 650 by 330 feet), connected to Corso Porta Po, Corso Biagio Rossetti and Corso Porta Mare. The column in the middle carries a statue of the poet Ludovico Ariosto, placed there in 1833.

In 1933 the square was lowered to create natural tiered banks all around it, making the first revival of the Palio possible. Spectators without a grandstand seat still watch from these banks.

Admission and grandstands

Entry to Piazza Ariostea is free. For the 2022 edition, the Ente Palio listed the central grandstand as invitation-only and the grandstands at the start (the mossa) at 40 euros, with tickets handled by the 8 contrade. Prices can change, so ask the Ente Palio or a contrada a few weeks ahead.

The mossa is the start at the ropes, the tensest moment of the horse race; from the rest of the ring you follow the laps better. The free banks fill up early: in 2025 the square was packed.

Practical tips for watching the Palio di Ferrara

• Arrive early: in 2025 the historical parade set off at 7:40 pm and the first race started around 9 pm, with the square already full.
• Choose between the parade and a spot in the square. The parade goes from Castello Estense to Piazza Ariostea (in 2025 via Corso Ercole I d’Este, Corso Biagio Rossetti and Corso Porta Mare): watch it leave and you may find the banks full.
• Keep the next day free: rain can delay the races.
• Leave your car outside the limited traffic zone (ZTL) of the historic centre. Free car parks include the Ex Mof area and Viale Alfonso d’Este.
• Book a room in the centre early.

If you are driving, the guide to parking in Ferrara city centre explains how the ZTL, paid parking zones and supervised car parks work.

Before race day, the guide to Ferrara’s historic centre for first-time visitors covers the loop between Castello Estense, the main squares and Corso Ercole I d’Este.

Where to stay for the Palio di Ferrara

For the Palio, stay in the historic centre and walk between Castello Estense, the Cathedral, Piazza Municipale and Piazza Ariostea.

Hotel Annunziata is at Piazza della Repubblica 5, opposite Castello Estense, where the Magnifico Corteo ends and where the historical parade sets off on race night. You can walk to Piazza Ariostea along the same route, via Corso Ercole I d’Este and Corso Porta Mare.

The hotel is a 4-star design hotel with 27 rooms, 6 of them with a view of the castle. Check-in is from 2 pm and check-out by 11 am: if the races fall on a Saturday evening, there is time on Sunday morning for the WOW Breakfast, a buffet with local products.

Two services are also open to non-guests. Rent a bike offers city bikes for 15 euros a day, handy on parade days. The Luggage Store is a left-luggage service, useful if you arrive for the day.

If you come by car, you can stop in front of the hotel to load and unload (up to 30 minutes) after registering your number plate; the Borgoricco multi-storey car park is 240 metres away.