Porta Fiorita Won Viterbo's Palio delle Botti as Twelve Racers Pushed Two Hundred and Fifty Litre Barrels Uphill
Mauro Baiocco and Federico Ricci carried the contrada to victory in the historic Pianoscarano quarter, before a fountain in the square ran with wine.
The contrada Porta Fiorita won the 47th Palio delle Botti on 13 September 2026, the closing highlight of the Festa dell'Uva in the historic Pianoscarano quarter of Viterbo, in central Italy. Mauro Baiocco and Federico Ricci were Porta Fiorita's winning pair.
According to TusciaTimes, 12 barrel pushers, known locally as bottaroli, contested four heats, each driving a 250-litre barrel up the Pianoscarano slope over a course of about 150 metres. The race began at 5pm in front of a packed crowd, which celebrated the winners with loud chanting once they reached the podium, Tusciaweb reported.
San Carlo finished second through Luca Bagiani and Alberto Ciorba, and Fontan di Piano were third with Daniele Celestini and Luca Nardi. Sant'Andrea, represented by Francesco Spolverini and Alessandro Gagliardo, completed the standings in fourth, Tusciaweb and Viterbo News 24 reported. Younger competitors also raced in a separate contest for junior bottaroli.
The day began with a storytelling walk through the quarter and the traditional blessing of the barrels in the church of Sant'Andrea. Councillor Alessandra Troncarelli, who helped present the prizes, said the tradition mattered first of all to Pianoscarano but should be cultivated over time for the whole of Viterbo.
After the race, the festival repeated its so-called miracle of the fountain, with a barrel connected to three of the six spouts of the Fontana del Piano so that wine flowed instead of water. The Festa dell'Uva ran from 10 to 13 September, according to TusciaUp.