The Gioco del Ponte, one of the main events of the Giugno Pisano celebrations together with the Luminara and the Palio, will take place on Saturday, 27 June.
Every last Saturday of June, twelve teams composed of twenty players each compete by pushing with strength—using their legs and necks, but not their arms—a very heavy cart running on rails positioned at the centre of Ponte di Mezzo along the Lungarni.
The objective is to advance far enough to knock down the flag of the opposing faction. The Gioco del Ponte consists of six contests and, if necessary, a tie-break match.
An ancient tradition, the modern challenge most likely derives from the historic game of Mazzascudo, an extremely violent combat that took place in Piazza delle Sette Vie, now known as Piazza dei Cavalieri. A warlike city such as Pisa needed to keep its men constantly trained for battle. The earliest form of the Gioco del Ponte is believed to have been this very combat, staged on Ponte Vecchio, today’s Ponte di Mezzo.
Today, the twelve magistrature, divided into two factions of six each—known as Mezzogiorno and Tramontana—no longer confront one another with swords, shields, and the violence that characterized the ancient version of the contest. Nevertheless, the intense desire to prevail in a competition that brings great honour to the victorious teams remains unchanged.
The matches may last from only a few seconds to more than twenty minutes: this is the time a magistratura may require to overpower its direct opponent. In order not to miss these highly charged moments and to secure the best view, the people of Pisa gather along the parapets of the Lungarni well in advance, while the parade of more than 700 participants dressed in sixteenth-century costume—serving as a prelude to the day’s main event—is still underway.
For one evening, therefore, the Lungarni become the stage for a spectacle of extraordinary visual impact, evoking distant eras that still live on in the spirit of the city and are rightly regarded with pride.
To view the full calendar of the Giugno Pisano: https://www.turismo.pisa.it/eventi/Giugno-Pisano-2026
