Nizza Monferrato is a small and charming village, which stretches between the river Belbo and Rio Nice and is located not far from Asti, Canelli, Alba and Acqui Terme, and then in a hilly landscape, where the climate is mild thus promoting the cultivation of grapes and wine production. And just that the country should the event that takes place the first weekend of June: The barrel race. It is a tradition that dates back to the nineteenth century, when the shop boys took care of the delivery of the drums, rolling them on the road and engaging real competitions. Today the race is governed by a regulation and we participate with their teams the divine producers in the area. Pushers are preparing for the race, practicing sometimes for several months (which is visible during the race). The round of the qualifying competition takes place in the morning, while the semifinals and the final in the afternoon. Each team consists of 3 to 4 pushers (plus a manager) who, in turn, can exchange the task of pushing the barrel ( "bonsa"). Only one competitor at a time, must push the barrel that weighs about a ton. Everything is controlled by the jury that, in cases of irregularities, may disqualify the team. I recommend arriving at Nice on Sunday morning or the day before, because in addition to Racing takes place simultaneously Monferrato in Tavola, a food and wine event, during which you can taste typical local dishes (like tajarén and Phase U, duss du dé and the nocc or bagna caoda, whose one of the main ingredients, the hunchback thistle, it is produced here), accompanied by famous local wines such as Barbera, Moscato, Dolcetto, Brachetto and other 16 between DOC and DOCG wines.