Barefoot Race

The Corsa degli Scalzi is a religious procession in honor of San Salvatore, a barefoot race that takes place in the Sinis Peninsula, north of Oristano, along a 7 km route from the church of Santa Maria Assunta in Cabras to the church of San Salvatore.

The event has been celebrated since 1619 when the inhabitants of the village of San Salvatore, to protect the statue of the saint from Saracen incursions, transferred it to a more secure location. To discourage the enemy they wore branches on their feet in order to raise as much dust as possible and make them appear more numerous. The stratagem seems to have worked as the Saracens, fearing a great army, fled in fear.

The event, which involves hundreds of devoted worshippers, begins on the first Saturday of September, when the statue is transported to the church of San Salvatore, and ends the next day when the statue is returned to Cabras.

Civil festivities, like the mullet festival at the nearby lagoon, occur simultaneously.