Grape Festival

The Grape Festival (Festa dell'Uva) of Capoliveri is attended by about 5,000 people from the whole island. Thanks to the involvement of hundreds of people, four districts prepare the stage in the old town of Capoliveri. The Grape Festival is held every year, on the first Sunday of October, in Capoliveri. The symbol and award of the Grape Festival is the Bacchus. The event is held every year in Capoliveri, Elba Island, where Bacchus is assigned to the winning District.

From the day of the award, Bacchus is placed within the District until the next edition, wearing a collar with the Disctrict's colors. The Bacchus is an artwork of Antonio Cerica, from Viterbo, who used a fiberglass infusion technique to build this imposing structure, which is more than two meters high.

Since 2007, the event consists in three days of folkloristic competition, during which the four districts have to challenge in fun games concerning the food and wine activities. On the last day it takes place the parade and the presentation of the districts set up for the event.

The four Districts

Baluardo: the house color is red burgundy. The District was the outermost part of the ancient castle in Capoliveri. Some stories speak about underground escaping routes, but there are no confirmations.
Fortezza: the house color is blue. It was the heart of the castle, the safest part in the event of attack (Saracens). Often the resistance has proved inadequate, inflicting the population of Capoliveri grief and looting.
Fosso: the house color is green. Probably there was a ditch that surrounded the walls to protect the inhabitants as the Fortezza District.
Tower: the house color is yellow. At the highest point of the castle probably stood a watchtower, of which nothing remains, nor, unfortunately, memory.

Games

The Barrel Race: hillclimb of about 400 meters with barrels pushed up by two teammates.
The Vat Race: run through the lanes of the village with vats full of grapes.
The grape "squeeze": two girls inside the crate pressing grapes. The winner is the one who presses most grape in a given time.
Eat grapes: a kid with his hands tied should eat the most amount of grapes in a given time.

The Grape Festival has the ability to arouse strong and pleasant emotions, thanks to the passionate work of Capoliveri's people. 

Three days of competition coupled with the desire to play and have fun make the village dress to represent a specific historical period, offering a wonderful event to the curious audience coming throughout Italy. For weeks the villagers prepare one of the oldest events in Elba, in order to offer its visitors a unique spectacle among the scenic representation of the various districts. The purpose of the event is the conquest of Bacchus, through a series of races and challenges between Districts to recreate the historical life moments of the past. The streets of Capoliveri, as well as its squares and lanes are transformed, giving a unique and charming event where you can taste wine, juice and typical products setted up for the festival.

This event was created to celebrate traditions and culture to get everyone involved, from old people to newborn: where they are both executioners and visitors too of this genuine festival.

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