(Siena) The Palio of Siena, a famous horse race dating back to the 17th century, resumed its rights on Saturday in the main square of this Tuscan city after two years of interruption due to a pandemic.
Posted at 3:44 p.m.
“After two years of forced stop in which we had to give up our popular festival, the city, its neighborhoods and all the inhabitants of Siena have rediscovered with joy and passion their culture, their traditions and their values”, welcomed before the race the mayor of the city, Luigi de Mossi, quoted by the daily La Repubblica.
It was the horse wearing the colors of the Dragon quarter that won the race, in the presence of thousands of people gathered in the magnificent Piazza del Campo, an architectural jewel recognizable by its curved shape (like a scallop shell) and inclined like an amphitheatre.
PHOTO ALBERTO PIZZOLI, AGENCY FRANCE-PRESSE
Italian jockey Giovanni Atzeni, riding Zio Frac for the district of Drago, celebrates after winning the historic Italian horse race ‘Palio di Siena’.
Among the personalities present was the speaker of the American House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, who previously passed through Rome where she met Pope Francis.
The race pits ten of the seventeen “contrades” or districts of the city against each other in turn, and the participants are drawn by lot. The winner is the horse that finishes first the three laps of the place, with or without its rider, which often happens. The loser of the race is the district which finishes second and not last.
PHOTO ALBERTO PIZZOLI, AGENCY FRANCE-PRESSE
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi
On the track, riders have the right to use their whip to hit other horses and riders.
The race itself is very fast, but it is all the ceremonial and rituals surrounding it that make the event exceptional: a grand parade in period costumes, blessing of the horses, banquets… The winner receives a flag in painted silk, called “palio”, specially designed for each race.
The Piazza del Campo, dominated by the slender silhouette of the so-called “del Mangia” tower, 102 meters high, is specially fitted out for the occasion: tons of earth are dumped there to create a track surrounded by bleachers with highly coveted places . It can accommodate up to 14,700 spectators.
The Palio takes place twice a year, on July 2 and August 16, each time attracting tourists from all over the world.