Every year on 30 April, San Martino in Pensilis comes to a standstill for the Carrese, the cart race. Carts pulled by pairs of oxen and escorted by riders on horseback run across the countryside along the tratturo, the old drovers’ road, all the way to the village. It is the community’s most heartfelt celebration. Whole families prepare for it all year round, and it comes just before the feast of the patron saint, San Leo, on 2 May.
The legend of San Leo
According to tradition, in the 12th century four noblemen, the lords of San Martino, Chieuti, Larino and Ramitelli, stopped at a spring during a hunt. There they found the body of a monk wearing a medallion that showed a lion: it was San Leo.
Each lord wanted the relics for his own village. They decided to entrust them to an ox-drawn cart: the relics would stay wherever the cart stopped. The cart stopped at San Martino, where the relics still rest today, beneath the high altar of the church of San Pietro Apostolo.
From devotion to race
Over the centuries, pilgrims reaching the church on their carts began racing to arrive first. That spontaneous contest became the organised race. It retraces the journey from the place of the discovery to the church and keeps the change of oxen halfway, in the Tratturo area, in memory of the legend.
Carts were once named after families; today their names are set by the race statute. Since 2007 three carts have usually competed, each with its own colours and supporters:
- Carro dei Giovani: white and light blue
- Carro dei Giovanotti: yellow and red
- Carro dei Giovanissimi: yellow and green
Only the Giovani and the Giovanotti took part in 2025 and 2026.
The race
The route is just over 9 kilometres long. The winner is the first cart to pass under the arch leading to the church. The arrival order of the other carts sets the starting order for the following year. The winning cart has the honour of carrying the statue of San Leo in the procession.
More than a race, the Carrese is the day the whole village comes together.
Tips for visitors
- Arrive early: the streets fill up from the morning.
- Follow the instructions of organisers and police and always stay behind the barriers: carts and horses are fast.
- Wear comfortable shoes and bring water.
- Respect the animals: do not approach the oxen or horses.
