The Festa dei Ceri takes place in Gubbio on May 15 of each year and consists of the transport of three Ceri crowned by statues of saints: sant’Ubaldo (patron of Gubbio), san Giorgio and sant’Antonio Abate. It is one of the oldest Italian folklore events and is repeated annually and continuously since 1160.Tradition says that it is a Catholic religious festival in honor of St. Ubaldo Baldassini (1085-1160), bishop and patron of Gubbio, and it would be the fruit of the transformation of an original offer of wax that the medieval corporations donated to the patron. These corporations gave rise to the transport of the three Ceri: that of the masons and stonemasons (sant’Ubaldo), merciai (san Giorgio) and asinari (sant’Antonio). The Ceri are three wooden artifacts crowned by the statues of the three saints. their weight is almost 300 kg and their height is about 5 meters.The “Alzata” is one of the most spectacular and dangerous moments of the Festa: Ceri are raised in a vertical position under the counterweight of Capodieci (head of the Cero). Then the Ceri begin their Race through the streets of the historic center. The Cero must run as fast as possible, keeping the vertical position avoiding falls. Overtaking is forbidden and the Ceri must keep the same order for the whole race: Sant’Ubaldo, San Giorgio and Sant’Antonio. The total length of the Corsa is about 4,300 meters divided into four sections. The speed and weight of the Ceri oblige the ceraioli to frequent changes
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