Living the Palio

A maddening, twice-annual horse race held in Siena's public square, the Palio is less a sport than it is a game--one that involves a combination of bare-back riding skills, human deal-making, and a large dose of fate. The 90-second race and the rituals that surround it have continued largely uninterrupted since the 1500s, serving as the primary source of identity for the city's 17 neighborhoods, or contrade. The Palio can therefore confuse short-term visitors who see little more than an afternoon of pageantry followed by three laps of ferocious racing. On the surface, jockeys wear uniquely colored outfits and attempt to survive the narrow, uneven track while beating one another with stick-like whips. Living the Palio thus provides a freshly upbeat and accessible introduction to Siena's centuries-old festival, along with the intriguing cultural traditions that underlie it.

Join Thomas Paradis on an amusing, instructional romp as he weaves witty stories of personal discovery with a peak into Siena's little-known customs.

Complete with detailed, play-by-play accounts of multiple races, Living the Palio may elicit your own emotional reactions as you cheer on a favorite competitor.