The Gioco del Ponte in Pisa
The contest involves the magistrature (neighbourhoods) of Pisa - that is, its historic districts which are gathered in the two teams called Tramontana and Mezzogiorno - and takes place on the Saturday that precedes the last Sunday of June on the Ponte di Mezzo, Pisa`s most important bridge.
Here is some information about its rules.
Each team composes of twenty people, who push a seven-ton cart on a fifty-metre track so as to make the opponents go back as much as possible and touch the flag at the end of the track.
An equally spectacular and exiting ceremony precedes the battle: the more than 700 people clad in 16th-century style costumes that compose the sumptuous pageant; the encampments of the two teams in Piazza Garibaldi and Piazza XX Settembre; the way in which the magistratura that was defeated in the last edition throws down the gauntlet.
So, the month of June in Pisa enriches of another folkloric event, after the Luminara and the Palio of San Ranieri (for more information, read the previous two chapters of this tourist guide).
If you do not want to miss any of the three events, you could rent a villa in Pisa for one or more weeks, or, if you prefer living in the countryside, a rustic Tuscan villa in one of the many municipalities in Pisa`s hinterland.
Our most requested villas:
Villa sleeping 8+2 in Castiglioncello, in the province of Livorno, in Val di Cecina. Barbecue, Internet connection, air conditioning, wide garden, bicycles. The villa is just a few kilometres from the beach. Tennis club, riding stable and golf club nearby.
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Holiday farmhouse dating back to the 17th century in the medieval village of Buti, between Pisa and Lucca, a few kilometres from the beaches of Versilia. 8 sleeping accommodations, swimming pool, panoramic terrace.
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Holiday villa for rent in Lower Valdarno, between Pisa and Livorno, in Casciana Terme. 6/8 sleeping accommodations, swimming pool, air conditioning, barbecue equipment, hydromassage, satellite TV, Internet connection, tasting, cooking courses. SPAs nearby.
-35%*
*Valid in some periods
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Holiday villa with annex in Chianni (Pisa), in Valdera. 16/19 sleeping accommodations, fenced swimming pool, sauna, hydromassage, Internet connection, private tennis court, children`s playground, bowl pitch. A few kilometres from Rosignano Solvay and its beaches; thermal bath nearby.
-20%*
*Valid in some periods
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