Trama

The annual horse race held in the Piazza del Campo in Siena is highlighted in all its color, pomp, and pageantry.

Begun in Medieval times, the annual horse race between various contradae (districts) in the Northern Italian city of Siena is full of pomp, pageantry, and tradition. The various contradae try to outdo each other with colorful costumes and enthusiastic partisan support. The mounts are not pedigree thoroughbreds but home-grown Barbary horses and the jockeys' whips are not only for their horses but each other. Although the circular course is only ¾ mile, the cobblestoned surface of the Piazza del Campo is full of uneven twists and rises, and before the exciting race is over, many of the horses will cross the finish line riderless.—Gabe Taverney (duke1029@aol.com)

This short film documents the activities at the Palio Festival, an annual event held in Siena, Italy during the two summer months. The Palio's activities are centered on the city's main square, the Piazza del Campo. There are many competitions between the city's "contrade", or wards, each contrada which has its own colorful flag. These competitions are borne out of a deep sense of patriotism within each contrada. Arguably, the highlight of the Palio are the proverbial "no holds barred" bareback horse races, which take place on the makeshift quarter mile track built in the Piazza. Trial races are held before the final race to determine which contrada will reign supreme for the year. Another unofficial competition, one that is more a want to outperform the other, is between the flag throwers representing each contrada, they who parade from their respective contrada to the Piazza just prior to the race.—Huggo