A maddening, twice-annual horse race held in Siena’s public square, the Palio is less a sport than it is a game—one that involves a combination of bare-back riding skills, human deal-making, and a large dose of fate. The 90-second race and the rituals that surround it have continued largely uninterrupted since the 1500s, serving as the primary source of identity for the city’s 17 neighborhoods, or contrade. The Palio can therefore confuse short-term visitors who see little more than an afternoon of pageantry followed by three laps of ferocious racing. Living the Palio thus provides a freshly upbeat and accessible introduction to Siena’s centuries-old festival, along with the intriguing cultural traditions that underlie it.
Join Thomas Paradis on an amusing, instructional romp as he weaves witty stories of personal discovery with a peak into Siena’s little-known customs.
Tabela de Conteúdo
Foreword
Introduction
PART I: LEARNING CURVE
1. Not Enough Tuscan Sun
2. Siena from Above
3. Discovering the Palio
4. Life in the Contrade
5. The Magic of Fontebranda
PART II: FEELING AT HOME
6. Mixing it Up
7. Test Pilots
8. First Contact
9. Building Confidence
10. Prova Generale
PART III: PALIO DAY
11. A Tough Decision
12. Myth of the Republic
13. Underdog
14. Goose Chase
PART IV: CONVERSATIONS
15. Midnight Contrada Run
16. Panthers
17. From the Bleachers
18. Foul Play
PART V: STALLOREGGI NIGHTS
19. Extraction of the Contrade
20. West Side Story
21. A Legendary Race
22. Pushing the Envelope
23. A Rebirth for the Ages
Photo Gallery
Acknowledgments
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Sobre o autor
Thomas Paradis is a professor of geography and community planning at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He was previously a professor at Northern Arizona University where he was recognized as a President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow. In addition to his broad teaching experiences in human and physical geography, he has led various study-abroad programs in Italy for six consecutive years, providing copious fodder for much of this book.
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