If you are traveling to Umbria, consider attending an Umbrian Festa. Umbrian festivals are joyous celebrations with plenty of good food and music. Many of their larger festivals are focused on the arts. From honoring saints to celebrating chocolate. . . there is always a good reason for a festival.

Some of the most interesting festivals involve medieval contests, such as Gubbio’s Candle Race or Foligno’s Giostra della Quintana. The Candle Race is a 900-year-old tradition and is similar to a relay race across the town. Instead of batons, contestants carry very heavy, 20-foot-high wooden columns. Foligno’s Quintana is a several day festival as the town’s ten districts compete in a jousting contest. In addition, many festival goers wear elaborate historical costumes.

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