The Italian Race That Always Ends the Same Way — and Still Brings a Town to Tears

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Every year on the 15th of May, the streets of Gubbio fill with tens of thousands of people. They crowd every window, every doorstep, every inch of the ancient walls. They are there to watch a race where everyone already knows who will win.

And somehow, it is one of the most emotional things you will ever witness in Italy.

The Race That Has Not Changed in Centuries

In the Umbrian hilltop city of Gubbio, the Festa dei Ceri has been held every year since the Middle Ages. The date — 15 May — has not shifted. The outcome has not changed. And the passion has not faded.

The word ceri means candles. But these are no ordinary candles. They are giant wooden pillars, shaped like hourglasses, standing five metres tall and weighing close to 400 kilograms each. Each one is carried on a wooden frame by a team of men called ceraioli.

Three teams race. Three saints are honoured. One always wins.

The Three Saints and Their Teams

Each cero represents a patron saint and a profession. The yellow cero belongs to Sant’Ubaldo, protector of masons and builders — and patron saint of Gubbio himself. The blue cero belongs to San Giorgio, saint of merchants. The black cero belongs to Sant’Antonio, saint of farmers.

Hundreds of ceraioli train all year for this moment. They wear brightly coloured costumes — yellow, blue, or black — depending on their team. On race day, they lock arms around the wooden frame and move as one body.

The race itself is brutal. The teams sprint up the steep medieval streets of Gubbio, from the Piazza della Signoria all the way to the Basilica di Sant’Ubaldo on the summit of Mount Ingino. Hundreds of metres. Uphill. With nearly 400 kilograms on their shoulders.

Why the Order Never Changes

Sant’Ubaldo always arrives at the basilica first. San Giorgio comes second. Sant’Antonio third. This is not chance. This is the sacred order — preserved and honoured across generations, without exception.

And here is the thing outsiders find hard to understand: nobody minds. The goal is not to upset the order. The honour is in running. In carrying. In serving your saint with everything you have.

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Italy is full of towns that carry a fierce loyalty to their own saints and streets. This kind of deep local pride runs through Italian culture — a thread connecting every festival, every rivalry, every tradition that has survived for centuries.

You Must Be From Gubbio

Not just anyone can be a ceraiolo. You must be from Gubbio. Born here, or raised here. No outsider has ever run with the ceri.

This is campanilismo in its purest form — the fierce pride in the place that made you. The ceraioli do not carry a wooden structure. They carry their family name, their neighbourhood, their entire identity.

When the race ends and the basilica doors close behind Sant’Ubaldo’s team, men weep. Grown men, built like athletes, in tears. Not because they won. Because they ran.

A Day That Begins Before Dawn

The 15th of May is not just a race. It is a full day of ritual. It begins at six in the morning with the Alzata dei Ceri — the raising of the ceri upright in the piazza. The atmosphere is already electric. The church bells ring. The crowd roars.

Ceremonies, prayers, and processions fill the hours before the race. The whole city stops. Restaurants close. Families gather on rooftops. Ancient traditions stretching back to the 12th century are followed without question.

Italy has kept many of its medieval festivals alive. The Venice Carnival survived Napoleon’s ban and came back stronger than before. Gubbio’s Ceri survived everything too — wars, famines, centuries of change — because a town holds tight to what it loves.

How to Experience the Festa dei Ceri

The festival is free and open to all visitors. Arrive early — the Piazza della Signoria fills long before the race begins. Book accommodation in Gubbio or nearby Perugia months in advance. May 15th does not fall on a weekend. It does not care about your diary.

Stand anywhere along the route and the race will find you. The sound alone — the thunder of feet, the cheering, the bells — will stay with you long after you have left.

There are festivals you attend. And there are festivals that change something in you. The Festa dei Ceri is the second kind.

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• The Festival Napoleon Banned — and Why Venice Brought It Back

Plan Your Italy Trip

Ready to build your own Italian adventure? Our Ultimate Italy Travel Guide covers everything you need — from choosing the right region to timing your visit around festivals like the Festa dei Ceri.

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