Gubbio's Corsa dei Ceri

On May 15th the city of Gubbio celebrates La Corsa Dei Ceri, an ancient procession marking the eve of the death of Bishop Ubaldo Baldassini, Protector of Gubbio. Ceri is the Italian word for candles and, during this procession, the ceri are large and sculpted in wood, carried by three teams from the Palazzo dei Consoli to the Piazza Grande, each team representing Saint George, Saint Anthony and Saint Ubaldo. At 6 p.m. the ceri are raced up 900 feet of mountainside into the mountainside basilica and once inside, winners have to try and keep the runners-up out. The goal of the race is not to drop the candle: the team that drops the candle the least wins. And rumor has it that the Saint Ubaldo team always wins.