A Donkey Called Luna Won an All Female Final to Give Borgo Paludo Fagagna's Forty Sixth Palio dei Borghi
Borgo Riolo won the separate theatre contest with a play about a local boxer, as more than 1,500 spectators filled the Friulian village.
Borgo Paludo won the 46th Palio dei Borghi in Fagagna, in Italy's Friuli region, on Saturday 12 September 2026, when its jenny Luna, driven by jockey Flavio Presello, won the deciding donkey race, the Messaggero Veneto reported. This year's final was contested entirely by female donkeys.
The palio pits the village's four borghi, Centro, Riolo, Paludo and Pic, against each other and drew more than 1,500 spectators, according to Il Friuli. Borgo Riolo won the theatre competition with Second di nessun Primo, the story of a boxer from Fagagna and his passion for the sport.
Paludo's own show recalled the life and career of Bruno Pizzul, building up to the emotions of Italia '90, while Pic staged a piece on the Vajont disaster that reflected on the relationship between nature and progress. Centro told the story of emigrants from Fagagna who left for Resistencia, Argentina, at the end of the 19th century.
Donkey racing has deep roots in the village. According to the local Pro Loco, the first Corsa degli Asini, raced with carts and jockeys, was held on 6 September 1891, and Fagagna's tourist office listed this year's September festivities as the 136th edition of the donkey race.
Massimo Moretuzzo, regional councillor Markus Maurmair and Luigino Bottoni, president of the Comunità Collinare del Friuli, were among those who attended, Il Friuli reported.