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In the town of Bomarzo, up the hill from the famous Park of the Monsters, a Palio is held each year on April 25th, Italy’s Liberation Day, and is an event worth remembering.
There is a procession including costumed representatives of famous figures from Bomarzo history as well as all the five contrade (neighborhood teams) and their horses. The procession ends at the field especially constructed for the Palio. If you are fortunate, you will have a seat in the stands.
Five horses take part, each representing their contrada. Excitement builds right in front of us, as the first four horses and riders line up one by one in specific order. The fifth horse and rider hold back until the preceding four are lined up correctly. This takes some doing. Then the fifth starts its charge, and as it reaches the others the designated gun explodes and the rope drops.
Some riders are thrown, their horses racing around the track without them. But the race is great fun, and the winning rider is carried aloft by his contrada members while the winning horse is paraded down hill to meet him where they are blessed at the Duomo.
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– Contributed by Evanne Brandon Diner (see bio), chronicler of local village life in Northern Lazio, and property restoration and purchasing consultant. www.lavventuraitalia.com
The costumes look beautiful! No wonder the riders get thrown-are they riding bareback? Another great idea to add to my list of “must sees” in Italy!!
Beautifully captured!!! I wish I had known about this event when we lived in Perugia. It was impossible to see everything there is to see, even though we lived in Italy for two years. This looks like a great one.
Yes, Tamryn, they are definitely riding bareback!
Evanne
I didn’t know races in Italy were done clockwise. Interesting.
How come the weather always looks warm and sunny….. never a rainy day
You’re right, Mary. It is often nice in central Italy. Number of sunny days in Rome and surrounding areas is above the average in Italy. This spring though has been very..spring-y. Nice days mixed with April (and march, and feb, and Jan…) showers.
Weather was overcast on this particular day. The moment the winning horse crossed the finish line, it began to rain!
This is a lot like the Jousta which takes place in Sulmona (Abruzzo) each year in July. I have experienced it, and it is marvelous. One never forgets. Yes, the weather was perfect, actually too warm, and the surrounding mountains gave the scene a wonderful ambience. The “actors” and costumes were right out of central casting.
Ok, We are going to go and see this tomorrow thanks to this note. Saturday is supposed to be sunny!
Heather, definitely get in touch with Evanne and Roy. I’m pretty sure they’ll be there domani, and even if not, they might be able ot give you tips on how best to participate/enjoy it, restaurant tips, etc.
Enjoy!
[...] You’ve probably heard of the Palio di Siena (and seen parts of it on the big screen in “Quantam of Solace”), but did you know there are similar Palio events in lots of other Italian towns? Here’s a bit of information on the Palio in Bormarzo. [...]