The origins of the
Palio del Serafino.

Sarnano was declared a free municipality in 1265. The first to move to the castrum were the inhabitants of the districts of Brunforte, Castelvecchio and Poggio, to which were added in the following years those of Bisio and, finally, those of Piobbico. According to ancient testimonies, the tensions between the five districts were such that the Sarna authorities decided to set up a competition to dilute friction among the inhabitants. The race was held every year on the occasion of the Feast of the Assumption and included three games: the actual Palio, that is, a horse race, the Ring Game, which consisted of threading a series of rings with a spear from a running horse, and the shooting with the crossbow. In the days of the race, the Podestà was replaced by the Captain of the Fair, also called the Captain of the People, to whom the Captains of the individual districts responsible for public order and the good performance of the games were subordinate.

In 1965, on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the foundation of the Municipality, the re-enactment of these ancient games was organized under the name of Serafino d’Oro, then modified into Palio del Serafino, in honor of the ancient legend of the coat of arms of Sarnano that bears an angel with six wings. The times, however, had now changed and some adjustments were needed.

The rions of Piobbico and Bisio, which more than the others had been depopulated, were gathered in a single district that took the name of Abbadia. The original games, on the other hand, were replaced with activities inspired by popular traditions: the tug of the rope, a symbol of the strength of the peasants and the hard work in the fields, the race with the jug, which recalls the ability of women to go and get the water at the source bringing the orcio in balance on the head, the climb to the pole, linked to the ability of our fores to climb trees, and the cutting of the trunk, in honor of the ancient profession of logging so widespread in our mountains.

For years the Palio del Serafino has excited generations of Sarnanese and tourists, arriving, with some interruptions to its XXXI edition.