03:34Fancy a cheese roll? 24 teams compete in centuries-old Sicilian tradition
Residents of Novara di Sicilia in Sicily's Messina province participated in the spectacular 'Cheese Roll' contest on Sunday, rolling a wheel of local pecorino through the streets.
This year’s 'Launch of the Maiorchino' involved 24 teams attempting to get the huge cheese (usually between 10-18 kg) through the course in the least number of rolls.
"The finish is about 1 or 1.5 km away through this street, all the way down the stairs. And the team who does that wins the final," said Antonio, one local. "In fact, for the people of Novara it’s not about winning a cup but the glory of winning the contest of the Maiorchino."
The game dates back to the 1600s when the cheesemakers rolled the wheels in the street to control the maturing process.
“We are from Sicily but this is the first time we heard about this cheese rolling thing. The launching of the Maiorchino is a beautiful thing. But what we really want is to take the cheese home," commented two other visitors.
The Launch of Maiorchino has been included in UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
03:34Residents of Novara di Sicilia in Sicily's Messina province participated in the spectacular 'Cheese Roll' contest on Sunday, rolling a wheel of local pecorino through the streets.
This year’s 'Launch of the Maiorchino' involved 24 teams attempting to get the huge cheese (usually between 10-18 kg) through the course in the least number of rolls.
"The finish is about 1 or 1.5 km away through this street, all the way down the stairs. And the team who does that wins the final," said Antonio, one local. "In fact, for the people of Novara it’s not about winning a cup but the glory of winning the contest of the Maiorchino."
The game dates back to the 1600s when the cheesemakers rolled the wheels in the street to control the maturing process.
“We are from Sicily but this is the first time we heard about this cheese rolling thing. The launching of the Maiorchino is a beautiful thing. But what we really want is to take the cheese home," commented two other visitors.
The Launch of Maiorchino has been included in UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.