Siena, The Palio

The Palio di Siena (known locally simply as the Palio), the most famous palio in Italy, is a horse race held twice each year on July 2 and August 16 in Siena, in which the horse and rider represent one of the seventeen Contrade, or city wards. A magnificent pageant precedes the race, which attracts visitors and spectators from around the world. Public races organized by the Contrade were popular from the 14th century on; called palii alla lunga, they were run across the whole city. Perhaps St. Catherine herself saw something like this in her own day.

Warning, this is not like the Kentucky Derby. Horses and riders go down hard in this video.