I don't know about you but my first instinct upon seeing a Christmas cake wouldn't be to throw it! However, in Pienza that's exactly what they do in an annual festive tradition involving Panforte, a typical Tuscan confectionary made at Christmas time. If you're into mad, food-based sporting traditions, then just find a vacation rental in Tuscany, or a vacation rental in Pienza, in particular, and come witness the city's annual Gioco del Panforte.
The Torneo Gioco del Panforte (Tournament Games of the Panforte), to give it its full title, takes place from the 26th to the 30th of December each year in the Piazza Pio II Loggiato del Comune, in the beautiful ideal Renaissance town of Pienza and involves competing teams throwing a panforte onto a table from 15 feet away. The team that throw and manage to slide the panforte closest to the edge of the table is declared the winner!
Silly though it may seem, it is a rather serious event for many and has developed rules and is a real competition. One throws a wrapped cake, if it arrives close to the table border, or remains on the edge of it, the team scores 1 point. If it falls down the toss is worth zero points. The team that reaches 6 points first wins the competition.
An amusing and rather silly, but immensely fun sight and event, this is the perfect thing to do during one of the days that one is spending in Tuscany over the course of the holiday season. Pop into the city, enjoy the incredible beauty of your surroundings, indulge in some delicious Tuscan treats and maybe even try your hand at the event yourself. Who knows, you might even come away from it the unlikely champion of this unique event but don't take it lightly, there will some very serious and skilled players in attendance...
Silly though it may seem, it is a rather serious event for many and has developed rules and is a real competition. One throws a wrapped cake, if it arrives close to the table border, or remains on the edge of it, the team scores 1 point. If it falls down the toss is worth zero points. The team that reaches 6 points first wins the competition.
An amusing and rather silly, but immensely fun sight and event, this is the perfect thing to do during one of the days that one is spending in Tuscany over the course of the holiday season. Pop into the city, enjoy the incredible beauty of your surroundings, indulge in some delicious Tuscan treats and maybe even try your hand at the event yourself. Who knows, you might even come away from it the unlikely champion of this unique event but don't take it lightly, there will some very serious and skilled players in attendance...
Photo credit: J W / CC BY-SA 2.0
