In class recently we learned about the history of horse racing in Siena. Making up the race, there are seventeen uniquely marked neighborhoods through the city. They all take turns particapating in two different horse races throughout the year that determine the course of celebrations during the rest of the year.
I learned about the Palio race in Siena. Every July and August in Siena ten of the seventeen neighbohroods here particpate in a horse race in the city center — Palazzo del Campo. Every nighborhood has an animal that they represent, such as the She-Wolf, the Porcupine, the Caterpillar, and others. All the members of the neighborhood come and support their horse and jockey representative, filling the Palazzo with people all cheering for their respective teams. The winning neighborhood gets awarded a painting dedicated the the Palio race and bragging rights for the rest of the year against the losing neighborhoods. Once there is a winner, the celebration does not end there. The winning team celebrates all year! Throughout the year they throw feasts and carry out parades to remind the other neighborhoods who won.
