Il Palio della rana - Fermignano

When people think of palio competitions, they often think of the famous horse race for the Palio of Siena but many Italian towns hold palio contests. One of the more unusual races is the Palio della Rana, frog races, held in the town of Fermignano, between Urbino and Urbania in central Italy's Marche region. Participants, dressed in medieval costume, each push a cart (similar to a wheelbarrow) with the frog sitting atop a plank and try to reach the finish line before the frog hops off. As is common during palio competitions, there's also a historical procession before the races and food.

The Palio della Rana is usually held the weekend following Easter so this year it's the first weekend of April. Since it's been a very wet March, there should be plenty of frogs!

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