Caroline_3

When we were in Florence we decided to take a trip to see the Il Palio folk festival.

The Siena Palio was an amazing festival which will remain in my memory for a very long time.

For this festival, the medieval city of Siena comes alive for this world renowned and breathtaking folk festival, which only happens on the 2nd of July and the 16th of August.

It is known as a unique horse race, but it is much, much more. There are thousands of people taking part of the festival, even before it begins (estimated over 25,000 people).

We arrived and found ourselves amongst a mass of people, all brightly coloured and dressed in the traditional folk outfits.

The festival started in the afternoon and continued for hours. It was so lively and colourful, projecting a feeling of fun and competition. There was music and parades, with carts and floats, a “charge” by a legion of mounted officers, flag-tossing and drumming, and the war chariot, drawn by two enormous white bulls. The banner featured in the parade was to be awarded to the winners of the race.

It is like any sporting or competitive event – cheering, booing and whistling, to show your support for your team, your jockey, your horse.

When the steeds and jockeys arrived onto the dust track, the fans screamed, banners waved, whistles sounded and cannons were fired as the officials continued to try to line up the horses in the correct order. Time after time you think the race is going to start, and when it doesn’t there are thousands of groans.

When the race does finally start the roar of the crowd is unforgettable. Everyone in the crowd is screaming, cheering and devoted to their horse winning the race.

It is then all over in about a minute and a half, and the happy faces of winners are prominent, but so are the sad and devastated faces of the losers.

It was such a cultural and historical experience that really opened me up to the traditions and customs of the Italians.

We were greeted and farewelled in the same manner as in Rome. People were so kind to help us around, and were all too keen to tell us their stories and have us cheer for their horse. A better grasp of the Italian language would have been helpful, especially in understanding the history of the event and the proceeding of the races and parades, but we managed with the small bits of Italian we knew, and the small bits of English our new friends knew.

Overall, the language barrier could not stop us from enjoying the Siena Palio.

To view pictures and recounts of the Siena Palio visit these websites: http://www.2camels.com/photos/siena-palio.php http://www.2camels.com/siena-palio.php http://www.initaly.com/info/palio/palio.htm