Borgo Ruga Won the Thirty Fifth Palio dei Mezzadri in Ponzano Veneto by Two and a Half Points From Minelli
Minelli won the cart pull around the 835-metre Antico Giro della Marchesa, while Sant'Antonio kept the slingshot title and finished third overall.
The contrada Borgo Ruga won the 35th Palio dei Mezzadri in Ponzano Veneto, near Treviso in northern Italy, on 13 September 2026, finishing with 28.5 points after a Sunday of traditional rural games watched by a record crowd, TrevisoToday reported.
Victories in the race with the bunea and in the tesser game proved decisive for Borgo Ruga, who finished two and a half points clear of Contrada Minelli on 26. Minelli won the braid game, known as the treccia, and the cart pull around the 835-metre course of the Antico Giro della Marchesa.
Contrada Sant'Antonio finished third on 24 points and, as last year, won the slingshot contest. CroceCaotorta, who won the tug of war, missed out on the podium along with Capitel, Centro, Marcà Vecio and Barrucchella.
The festival ran from 3 to 13 September through the streets and squares of Ponzano Veneto. Marcà Vecio won the municipal children's palio, and the historical parade of the contrade, featuring more than 800 costumed performers, was also a great success. TrevisoToday said attendance had grown even after the record set the previous year.
The 2026 edition was due to close on the evening of 14 September with the charity lottery draw at the oratory of the parish of Paderno, starting at 9pm.