The Carrese of Portocannone

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The Carrese, a traditional ox-drawn cart race in honor of Our Lady of Constantinople

The legend of Portocannone, a town of Arbëreshë origin, tells that Albanian settlers who arrived on the coast of Molise in the late 400s, not knowing where to settle, placed the effigy of the Our Lady of Constantinople on a cart drawn by two oxen so that they, guided by the Saint, could choose the exact spot where to build the village with the church dedicated to her.

Nowadays in Portocannone, the competition is held on the Monday after Pentecost and there are three factions competing for victory: the Giovani (white-sky blue), the Giovanotti (yellow-red) and the Xhuvëntjelvët (orange). The winner is the float that reaches first under the arch of the Borgo di Costantinopoli church after traveling a distance of about 3 km.

Every community involved, the residents of neighboring towns and all those who have emigrated and return each year for the occasion, experience the time of the competition with great excitement and participation. The excitement and tension for the arrival of the event can be felt in the air even several days before the competition.