Four Man Teams Will Carry Salt Filled Stretchers Three Times Around Pianezza for the Forty Third Palio
Scoring combines the finishing order with how much salt is left in the stretcher, so the first team home does not automatically take the banner.
The Piedmontese town of Pianezza, west of Turin, will stage the 43rd edition of its Palio dij Semna Sal on Sunday 20 September 2026, ending with the Corsa delle Sivere salt carrying race.
Each competing canton fields four runners who shoulder a sivera, a wooden stretcher, while a fifth team member tries to stop the salt spilling. Runners load the stretcher from a sack placed 20 metres away and then cover 1,680 metres, three laps of the historic centre.
Scoring combines the finishing order with the amount of salt still on board at the end, so the first team home does not automatically win the palio.
The contest is tied to the local legend of the Semna Sal, a farmer said to have been tricked into believing that sowing salt would improve his vineyard. A costumed historical procession led by the figure of Maria Bricca sets off at 3.30pm, with the race starting at 5.30pm.
Canton Gorisa and San Bastian has won the past four palios. Saturday 19 September brings the preliminary events, including a dinner under the stars in the town centre, before Sunday's procession and race.