Twice a year, on the first Sunday of June and the second Sunday of September (most recently 13 September 2026), Civita di Bagnoregio runs the Palio della Tonna: donkeys, contrade and the SS. Crocifisso feast, 45 minutes from the villa. Guide inside.
There is one day in September when the most photographed village in Lazio stops posing and turns back into a real town. On Sunday 13 September 2026 Civita di Bagnoregio ran its Palio della Tonna: a donkey race in the square suspended over the void, the way it has been done for generations, for the feast of the Holy Crucifix. The next Tonna is run on the first Sunday of June.
What the Palio della Tonna is
The «tonna» is the round, the loop: the course the donkeys run around Piazza San Donato, the heart of Civita. The jockeys ride bareback and complete three laps each; the village contrade line up their animals and their colours, and the challenge narrows down to a final duel between the last two. This is no test of pure speed: the donkeys have ideas of their own, and half the fun is watching them do the exact opposite of what the jockey wants. The race is run twice a year — on the first Sunday of June and the second Sunday of September.
It is a country tradition, not a turn put on for tourists: it recalls the time when the donkey was the only creature able to climb the tufa paths up to the village, before the footbridge and the road changed everything. That is why Civita holds it dear, and why the square fills above all with local people.
Where to stay
Villa Vacanze Valentina is in Bassano in Teverina, in the green heart of Tuscia: two apartments in the villa and a cottage for two.
When and how to see it
The Palio is run in the afternoon (in 2026 on Sunday 13 September), but it pays to arrive by midday: first come the processions and the feast for the Crucifix, and above all there is a place to claim in the square, which is small. Civita is reached on foot only, crossing the famous pedestrian bridge from Bagnoregio — a climb that takes your breath away, in every sense; at the entrance to the village you pay a small ticket. Bring comfortable shoes, water and a hat: in September the Tuscia sun still has warmth in it.
At a glance — Palio della Tonna
- When: the second Sunday of September, in the afternoon, for the feast of the Holy Crucifix (in 2026 it was run on Sunday 13 September).
- Where: Piazza San Donato, in Civita di Bagnoregio (VT) — reached on foot only, via the pedestrian bridge.
- What: a donkey race between the contrade, three laps per jockey, a final duel.
- Tip: arrive by midday, for the processions and to secure a spot; comfortable shoes and water.
- Encore: the Tonna is also run on the first Sunday of June.
The same day, fifteen minutes from us: the Ottava of Orte
The second Sunday of September is also the closing day of the Ottava Medievale of Orte, when the seven contrade compete in the Archers' Palio: in 2026 it fell on 13 September. If you like, in a single day you can pair the Middle Ages of Orte with the donkeys of Civita: they are about an hour apart, and we sit right in between: Orte 15 minutes away, Civita 45.
Where to stay for the Palio della Tonna
Villa Vacanze Valentina is in Bassano in Teverina, about 45 minutes from Civita di Bagnoregio: you head to the Palio in the afternoon and come back to the silence of the countryside, with the pool still open in September. The two apartments in the villa are the right base for a family or a weekend away from Rome — the A1 Orte exit is 15 minutes away, Rome an hour. Take a look at the holiday home with pool or write to us. And for all the other feasts in the area there is our calendar of events and festivals in Tuscia.
Photo: Repuli, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
