Looks like a fun event to see:
https://italeamolise.com/en/eventi/the-carresi-of-lower-molise-peasant-traditions-and-rituals/
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7579 posts
That looks fantastic! Modern-day Circus Maximus, or Ben-Hur with maybe a little less bloodshed?
Bonus: Molise is a less-touristed part of Italy!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15441 posts
If I'm not mistaken the Region of Molise doesn't exist. Where did you find it?
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA
16765 posts
I found it on a special map, next to Never-Never Land, where Peter Pan hangs out!
Actually, I was looking for a nice little coastal town for out visit next spring, and found Termoli. And when I told my husband it is in Molise, he said we should go. (He is studying Italian and read about Molise in one of the Roberto Angelo travelogues he likes to listen to.) In reading about the area, I found references to the Cassese di San Martino in late April.
Thank you for that website, Roberto. We will have to check out that YouTube.
And here it is:
Posted by
1 posts
lol
Il Molise esiste, I’m an American who bought a home in San Martino in Pensilis (SMIP) 2 years ago. The town and region is great for those who want to see real life (not just the tourist traps) of Italy.
The ox cart race is definitely worth seeing, the preparations leading up to the event, the pit where they change ox half way through the race is the best for viewing.
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA
16765 posts
Thank you, Colleen. I had to drop our whole April trip to Italy so we could go hiking in the Dolomites in June. But I will keep the idea in mind for a fall trip (which would miss the oxcart race) or the next spring (2026). We are definitely interesting in visiting Molise, and my husband proudly wears the Molisn’t T-shirt I bought for him.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7579 posts
Wow, a pit stop, midway, for fresh oxen. They clearly take this seriously!
I suppose that champion oxen, like any thoroughbred athlete, would never get turned into coda alla vaccinara, oxtail stew, which is delicious over in the Testaccio neighborhood in Rome.
Does anyone competing fuel up on Red Bull, I wonder?
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA
16765 posts
Cyn—-the race is a full 5 k and oxen are not exactly endurance runners; they are better at sprints. So they change teams halfway through. You can see this on the YouTube videos.