It's a yearly boat race between the four Italian Maritime Republics that sailed the seas in medieval times. It's hosted, in turn, on the Mediterranean sea at Amalfi and Genoa, on the Arno in Pisa and on the lagoon in Venice, to celebrate the history and memories of the four maritime cities.
The idea of the Palio of the Ancient Maritime Republics was born in 1955 and the first edition took place in Genova.
The traditional boat race is preceded by a great historical pageant of 400 boaters with participants in period costumes: flags and festoons, trumpets and drums, horses and sedan-chairs add glamour to the solemn procession.
