The Palio of Districts of Trento
The Palio of Districts of Trento (in Italian: Il palio delle Contrade di Trento) is a celebration in remembrance of the Battle of Calliano (1487) and takes place every year in September in the city of Trento, the capital of Trentino in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, a region of Northern Italy. Historical origin The Palio is celebrated to remember the victory of the medieval Battle of Calliano, which ensued on the 10th August 1487 between the forces of the Republic of Venice and the combined forces of the Prince-Bishopric of Trento and of the County of Tirol in the hands of Sigismund of Habsburg, Archduke of Austria and ruler of Tirol from 1446 to 1490. The forces of Trento and Tirol managed to defeat the soldiers of the Republic of Venice, under the command of Roberto Sanseverino d'Aragona (who died in the conflict) in the municipality of Pomarolo, near Calliano and Rovereto and 15 kilometres far from Trento. Program The Palio of Districts of Trento consists in three days of festivity in the month of September, during which the eight districts (in Italian: contrade) of Trento engage in archery competitions. The tree-day festival is introduced by Il Corteggio (in English: The Court)