Description

The cheese race is a true local tradition held every year between Epiphany and Mardi Gras and organized by the local Pro Loco.

What is this race about? It is a popular tournament where teams challenge each other. The goal? To take a block of cheese and make it roll as far as you can. The starting point is located in the Appellaturo, while the finishing line is in Tornoterra, a near-by ring road.

The competitions see different phases. The tournament starts on the 6th of January and lasts until mid-February. The “Cacio Torneo” (the tournament of cheese) started in 1752, and every years attracts hundreds of tourists. It doesn’t require any particular skills: just the right team spirit. There are many teams that challenge each other, and as many block of cheese running through the streets.

Every team as three players plus one substitution. Every player wears a light blue jersey with a flower imprinted on it representing their team – mimosa, dahlia, iris, saffron, rose. The qualification phase sees 4 groups. In every group, the first two teams go to the next round, and so on until its time to play the final game, held on Carnival’s Day.

The tournament is held in Tornoterra ring road, a road that used to surround Magliano before 1915’s hearthquake. Today its name is via Petronilla Paolini. The tournament is organized by the local Pro Loco, with the help of Magliano de’ Marsi’s town hall.