Started in 1981 on the initiative of the donators group Sangue Fratres, the Palio (horse race) delle Contrade is the most important spectacle in Fucecchio. The obvious protagonists of the show are the 12 contrade (districts): Borgonovo, Botteghe, Cappiano, Ferruzza, Massarella, Porta Bernarda, Porta Raimonda, Querciola, Samo, Sant'Andrea, San Piero, and Torre. In 1999 the management of the who event passed to the Associazione Palio delle Contrade di Fucecchio, which also involves the municipal government and those very same contrade. A historical pageant takes place on the morning of the Palio, with around 1200 costumed figures passing through the town streets; and every contrada is tasked with evoking a particular moment in Fucecchio's history. The pageant closes with a group of 12 figures, one for each contrada, parading the cencio ('rag', but in reality a painted banner) for which the contestants will compete in the afternoon. The horse race takes place on Sunday afternoon in the Buca del Palio, a green area where a circular track is marked out in sand. It is divided into three runs: two heats of six horses each, from which the first four qualify for an eight-horse final. The other events in the Palio week include the presentation of the banner on Tuesday, the horse listings (Wednesday) and the necessary rehearsals in the Buca del Palio (Thursday and Friday).

Sources: comune.fucecchio.fi.it