Velvet Palio 2025

Among the green peaks of the Reatino region, in the heart of the most authentic Lazio, Leonessa is preparing to transform itself into an open-air Renaissance stage. From June 27-29, 2025, the Palio del Velluto (Velvet Palio) returns, the event that each year brings back to life the atmosphere, sounds and flavors of the 1500s. An event that is not just a historical reenactment, but an immersive experience that involves the entire village and its visitors.

It all begins weeks earlier, on May 24, with the Choice of the Drape, and continues with the Joust of the Drums on June 21, a prelude to the highly anticipated Palio weekend. For three days, Leonessa comes to a halt and dresses in period costume: six contrade, the famous Sesti, compete in chivalric tournaments, spectacular games, historical parades and open taverns where people pay in ancient coins, the carlini. The village comes alive with ladies and knights, fires, music, medieval scents and ancient rituals, in a true immersion in the Leonessa of 1541, at the time of Margaret of Austria.