Bare-back horse race takes place in Italy

Tens of thousands of spectators have gathered in the Tuscan city of Siena on Monday to watch the medieval summer horse race - the Palio - in which horsemen tear bare-back round the city's historic centre. The race is the culmination of several days of joyful, yet fierce competition between Siena's 17 neighbourhoods. The tension rises as neighbourhood representatives enter the main square - the Piazza del Campo - dressed in magnificent medieval garb. Lasting about one and a half minutes, the horse race consists of three turns around Piazza del Campo, whose outer cobblestone ring is filled with a thick layer of dirt and sawdust. Each neighbourhood hires a professional jockey to ride bare-back, dressed in a 15th-century costume bearing their neighbourhood's colours. The August 2010 Palio was won by the Tartuca neighbourhood, the Tortoise, with 41-year-old veteran jockey Gigi Bruschelli, nicknamed 'Trecciolino', winning his twelfth Palio. It is accepted for bribery to be part of the game, as jockeys are allowed by each neighbourhood to try and buy off each other in an attempt to secure victory, or gain support against a rival neighbourhood. The Palio was first held in 1482 as a civic celebration. The current course was formally established in 1659.

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ITN | August 17, 2010

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