That in Buti on 13 September 1848 there was a race of “… horses of first strength to Fantino … and with a prize to the winner of Zecchini twelve” and that already on 14 January 1805 the first Feast of Saint Anthony with a band had taken place , horses and with a “committee of revelers”, for us Butesi, it is nothing other than a distant birth of an ever-present tradition, that of the Palio delle Contrade.
With a poster dated 15 DECEMBER 1960, it was announced to the population that:
“Buti will be divided into six districts, each of which will be headed by one of the six Churches of which the town is honoured:
Pievania Church – Church of San Francesco – Church of San Rocco – Church of the Ascension – Church of San Nicolao – Chapel of the Public Houses.
These are the colors that have distinguished the different districts since then:
PIEVANIA – WHITE CRUSADER BLUE
SAINT FRANCIS – YELLOW BLACK
SAINT NICOLAUS – BLACK WHITE
SAN ROCCO – WHITE RED
ASCENSION – GREEN BLACK
THE CROSS – RED BLACK
For the seventh district we have to wait until 1980, the year in which Castel di Nocco was admitted: SAN MICHELE – RED GREEN
The first palio between Contrade was in 1961: the Seggio procured the horses which were then drawn. He won Pievania with the horse Busillo.