Siena has its famous horse race, Il Palio, but Manciano has, well, this: rooted in Tuscan tradition but a relatively modern creation, the Palio delle Botti, the barrel race, now involves the whole town at the end of August, where teams from each of the six districts race around the village rolling heavy barrels.

This lovely town, inhabited since prehistoric times, was an Aldobrandeschi stronghold in the 12th century, but the Mancianese picked a fight with them so the town was ceded to Sovana, who they didn’t like any better. In the 15th century they fought with Siena, who conquered them, and then picked a fight in 1557 with the Medici, who tried “hey, how about farming?” which sort of worked.

But what the people of Manciano REALLY hated was Nazis. Nazis and fascists, who they fought constantly. Manciano was the heart of partisan resistance in Italy, the first town in Tuscany liberated by the Allies, and the first place in the country to hold free elections after the war.