Every year, on the last Sunday of August (which this year falls on the 26th), the 8 "contrade" (districts) of Montepulciano challenge each other to the Bravìo delle Botti, a breath-taking race, as physically devastating as it is exciting for everyone, the people of the contrade and tourists alike. The race consists in pushing barrels weighing 80 kg, rolling them along a path, almost all uphill, which is 1,650 metres long, through Montepulciano Old Town. The “spingitori” – as the…