The Donkey Palio takes place on the first Sunday in October in Alba: a crazy race of donkeys that sees the nine boroughs of the city compete for the conquest of the Palio (a drape).
The Palio is preceded by a historical parade with over a thousand characters, during which each village performs a historical episode of medieval inspiration. Each representation parades through the streets of the city and ends inside the arena of the Palio, where a qualified jury awards the prize for the best staging.
The first events opening the folk shows are the Capitolo della Giostra and the Podestà Investiture.
The investiture is the reconstruction of a historical episode through which the medieval figure of the Podestà of Alba grants the villages to run the Donkey Palio. The history and folklore events scheduled continue with the demonstration contest of pallapugno (a sort of fistball, a a game where the rubber ball is hit using your fists) by Pantalera in historical costume, with the Truffle Bacchanal and the Village re-lives itself parade running throughout the historical city center, and the Flag Festival, that is a flag-waving contest.
