Identity: the Palio of 1275 and the city of towers
The Palio, first recorded on 10 August 1275, when the people of Asti raced "by the walls of Alba" during the feasts of San Secondo, has accompanied the city for eight centuries: 21 factions among districts, boroughs and municipalities, a historical parade of about 1,200 participants, the bareback race in piazza Alfieri. The other symbol are the medieval towers, with the climbable Troyana.
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The Palio
The Palio's first record dates to 10 August 1275, when the people of Asti raced it "by the walls of Alba" during the feasts of San Secondo, the saint after whom the town-hall square is named; the race has accompanied the city's history for eight centuries. Today 21 factions take part, among rioni, boroughs and municipalities: the historical parade, with about 1,200 participants, leaves piazza Cattedrale at 14:00 and reaches piazza Alfieri, where the horses race bareback, in three heats of seven followed by a nine-horse final.
The towers
The other identity marker are the medieval towers: of the roughly seventy ancient ones, about a dozen remain, including the Torre Troyana or clock tower, 44 metres tall with 199 steps and the only one you can climb, the Torre Rossa behind the Santa Caterina church, the Torre Comentina and the De Regibus, Quartero, Solaro, Natta and Guttuari towers. Many were lowered during the Guelph-Ghibelline conflicts and above all with the city's modernisation, begun in the 16th century.
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Updated: 2026-10-20
Updated: 2026-10-20
Reviewed: 10/23/2026 · by piero.avolio · rev. 1 · Period: → 2027-10-31
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