Il Palio

This Saturday, I went with a couple of friends, to The Palio.
It was my closest experience of what Kant calls the Subliminal. A strange and pwerful mixture of pure beauty and horror.
But I think I will remember this day, that started in a lost house in Florence, playing with turtles and going for walks in surreal gardens and that ended with a dive in a monasterial tank in Siena at 4 in the morning, for all my life.
Here it is a quick description of the contest:

The Palio is a horse race held twice a year--July 2 in honor of the local Madonna of Provenzano and August 16 in honor of the Assumption of the Virgin. But to call the Palio just another horse race is akin to calling Everest just another mountain. The Palio is blood and hysteria. It is long-standing rivalry and medieval pageant. Depending on who you listen to, it is "the world's wackiest horse race" or "the world's crookedest horse race." However, one describes it, there is no doubt that it is the heart and soul of Siena, for the Palio lasts one minute, but this minute is the culmination of a whole year's hopes and prepar-ations.

Feasts and processions featuring spectacular flag-waving the day before the race. More processions are held on the day
of the race, and each horse is taken to a church where itis solemnly blessed. The Palio itself begins with an elaborate procession in the Campo, in which the quasi-totemic symbols of the individual contrade, the city, and the glorious history of the Republic are presented.

The race is three times around the Piazza del Campo in the center of the city. Ten jockeys, or fantini, ride bareback horses. They represent ten contrade, or city wards. The course is challenging and the rules make it more so. For example, because
there isn't enough room at the starting line for the ten horses to stand side by side,nine stand at the starting line behind the
canapo, the starting rope, while the tenth horse, the rincorsa, stands further back. The rincorsa begins the race before the other horses, so is at full gallop by the time the canapo is dropped for the other horses to start. Some of the turns are hair raising. One is a right-angle turn that has caused the death of many fantini and broken legs for many horses. Adding to the excitement is the rule that jockeys can beat other horses and each other with their whips, made of calf phalluses.

The winning horse is the first to cross the finish line with its head ornament in tact. The prize is a silk banner, or palio,
which derives from the Latin word "pallium." After the race, the winning contradaioli rush to claim the palio banner from the
judges and carry it joyously back to their contrada. That night there is a victory dinner and parades all the next day. Not only does the winner get to exult at the parade, the losers express the shame of defeat. The losers come in two types: First, the horse and contrada that came in second (If you come in second, you had the opportunity to win, but didn't. This is much more shameful than coming in last.) and the prime enemy contrada of the winner. In the weeks and months that follow the Palio, there are more feasts, including one at which the winning horse is the guest of honor.