Out of town: Palio di Siena

The Palio di Siena race lasts just a few minutes, but requires a full year of preparation. Twice a year, ten districts (contrade) race on a tuff ring laid out in Piazza del Campo.
It is the most anticipated event of the year, celebrated with great fervor by locals.
You can watch the race for free by standing in the cordoned-off area in the center of the square, the so-called "Palco dei cani." Alternatively, you can buy tickets to watch from the grandstands or from the terraces of homes and businesses along the square, reserving seats well in advance. 
There are 17 contrade (districts) in total: Selva, Chiocciola, Oca, Nicchio, Lupa, Istrice, Torre, Aquila, Onda, Giraffa, Bruco, Civetta, Drago, Leocorno, Pantera, Tartuca, and Valdimontone (respectively, Forest, Snail, Goose, Nest, Wolf, Porcupine, Tower, Eagle, Wave, Giraffe, Caterpillar, Owl, Dragon, Unicorn, Panther, Turtle, and Ram Valley). Only 10 participate in each race.
The race is preceded by a costume parade of the Corteo Storico and two laps of the track by Carabinieri on horseback, armed with swords.

The actual start of the Palio di Siena is one of the most important and tense moments of the event.
Nine horses start in a lineup decided by lot, and the tenth horse, which remains outside the starting lines (called canapi), decides when the race actually begins: that is, when it catches up with the others.
False starts often occur, requiring a restart; it's a moment that leaves everyone on tenterhooks.
The race is fierce and not without incident. The track is very dangerous because it's narrow and steep, and jockeys are allowed to use whips both to spur their own horses and to disturb the other horses and jockeys. Every effort is made to force their opponents off the track, and very often the jockeys themselves fall from their horses.
But this doesn't stop the race; in fact, the rule is that the horse wins, not the jockey. If a jockey falls during the three laps and the horse continues the race, finishing first, the victory is absolutely valid.
Furthermore, the first-place finisher is the only winner; there is no second place; in fact, whoever finishes second experiences the "defeat" like the last-place finisher.

The Palio has specific rules and a unique vocabulary. For example, a "Cappotto" (coat) is the rare event in which a contrada manages to win both races in the same year, or the "Cuffia" (bonnet) is awarded to the "grandmother" contrada, meaning the one that hasn't won in the longest time and therefore experiences every race with anxiety about getting rid of it.

The prize for the winner of the race is not a trophy or a cash prize, but a painted silk banner: the Palio, or drappellone, created by local or internationally renowned artists, which the Sienese affectionately call "il cencio" (the rag).
The banner features the symbols of the city, the participating contrade, and the image of the Virgin to whom the Palio is dedicated.
Following victory, the winning contrada takes the Palio to church for celebrations, after which it is kept in their local museum.

The Palio di Siena has medieval origins; the first historical documents mentioning similar races date back to the 13th century. Initially, it was run through the city streets to celebrate religious anniversaries, military victories, or patron saints. The Palio as we know it today dates back to the 17th century and has become a highly controversial event in recent years: some love it, others hate it due to the numerous incidents that have occurred over the years, mostly at the expense of horses.
Despite this, it remains one of the most important events in Tuscany, and even today it manages to evoke the atmosphere of a bygone era.