For CheapOAir Miles Away. August 2016.

Sixty thousand people gather at Piazza del Campo in Siena to watch a 90-second horse race around the square. Crowds cheer, jockeys maneuver the narrow curves of San Martino and struggle to stay on their steed. Children, as well as adults, root for their jockeys as they go through emotions of joy, frustration, and anger, all in a minute and a half. The stakes are high: The winner receives the Drappellone, a one-of-a kind hand-painted silk banner specifically made for the race, and the bragging rights to parade throughout the city for at least three months.

If you find yourself in Siena during Palio di Siena (or simply just Il Palio), you have to understand that it’s not just a horse race… It is a cultural event that is a year-round obsession for the people of the Tuscan city.

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