The parade of the contradas (Photo: Massimo Bassano)

“Traveling is not just the seeing of sites, but it is your experiences that change who you are and how you think.”

These words of wisdom came to us from Allison Herring, a twelve-year-old who traveled with us on our Tuscany Family Adventure in the summer of 2008.  More than a year later, Allison’s memories of the experience—and how it changed her—are still fresh.  What follows is a  report she recently wrote for school on the medieval Palio horse race and the importance of travel.  We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Ten Contradas, One Palio Flag

By: Allison Herring

The Palio. One of the most treacherous horse races in the world. Sweating from the intense heat, horses with riders on their backs turn ninety degrees while going up or down hill. Experienced jockeys try to stay on their horses. Trained horses try not to stumble over themselves or other horses. Both horses and jockeys are moving and working together as one team.

When I was 11, I got the opportunity to go to Italy with National Geographic for our annual family vacation. I had never been to Europe before, and I was very excited. I loved horses and was thrilled to see the Palio. Although I had never been to a horse race before, I thought that the Palio would be like any other horse race.

Ready for action, we arrived in Siena, a small Tuscan town where the Palio has taken place since medieval times. Our National Geographic guide, Carol, exclaimed, “You will see more people crowded into a small area than you have ever seen in your entire life, so stay close together.”

I didn’t believe her at all because I had been to football and baseball games and had seen tens of thousands of people. To me, this was just a small town horse race.

Walking through the cramped streets of Siena, I saw the contradas (ten specific Italian neighborhoods) waving flags, drumming, showing off original weaponry, and riding horses all while dressed in that contrada’s original clothing. Our group marched with the contradas all the way to the Piazza del Campo for the race.

See more pictures and read the rest of Allison’s report after the jump.

Swarmed with people from all over the small town of Siena, the piazza was full of activity. Once I saw all of those people, I knew that Carol was right. Over 60,000 people crowded the piazza! Our National Geographic group was very lucky because we had bleacher seats.  Incredible spectator seats are hard to get because there are only a few hundred available.

When we all got settled in our seats, the parade began. With much excitement amongst the crowd, the 17^th-century Italian cavalier came trotting out onto the track. Razor sharp swords clutched in their hands pointed toward the clear, blue sky. The cavalier nudged their horses into a gallop, charging around the track with their swords pointing straight out and parallel to the ground.

Then the contradas paraded out onto the track one by one, marching while synchronized to their specific drum rolls. Each contrada consisted of drummers, the race horse, jockey, an example of their original weaponry, and people showing off brightly-colored outfits. Their extraordinary outfits consisted of animal skins, ribbons, textured fabrics, and unique materials. Riding horses in the parade, the jockeys had on lovely leather boots that came in many bright colors.  From the glare of the sun, you could tell the leather was soft.  My mom announced, “I would like a pair or two of those leather boots!” I agreed, staring at the boots myself.

The horses streak by! (Photo: Massimo Bassano)

After the magnificent parade, the race started. During the actual race, few rules of any kind apply. At the starting line, jockeys make bets and bribe each other to help make their rivals lose. The starting line is very intriguing because the horses do not have numbers; the mayor of the town draws the horses’ names out of a hat to see in what order they will line up. If anyone makes any noise during the line up, the fans get really mad because the mayor does not have a microphone, and they want to hear the starting order.

Everyone started to settle down as the mayor stepped up to the hat to draw the names. He hollered in Italian, “Panther, Ram, Forest, Goose, Caterpillar, etc.”

After many accidental false starts, the race finally began, and the Italian fans started cheering for their contrada. In the beginning, Goose was in first place with Dragon not far behind. Screaming their hearts out, the Italians could not stop yelling, hitting the fence, and waving flags in the air. Fans were leaning directly over the fence that separated them from the track. Toward the middle of the race, Caterpillar started coming up the ranks. Goose and Dragon fought for first and second for about 1 ½ laps. Italians kept on cheering their hearts out.

Galloping swiftly toward the finish, the horses turned briskly as they headed for home. Caterpillar and Goose fought neck and neck for first place. At the very last split second, Caterpillar went ahead to win the 2008 Palio! Caterpillar fans leaped over the fence and ran toward their horse before it had even crossed the finish line. They had tears dripping down their bright red checks. Emotionally, the Caterpillar crowd got the Palio flag down and held it up to show their pride.  At that moment, I realized that this was a very special race for the Italians. I should have never thought that it was just like any old horse race because it is the exact opposite.

From their ringside seats, Allison and her group watched the pack round a bend in Siena's medieval Campo. (Photo: Massimo Bassano)

That particular night I thought to myself, I should never judge any event or activity before I experience it. That amazing trip to Italy was unforgettable because I personally engaged in the Italian lifestyle. Now, I understand that experiencing another culture can change you because you get exposed to events and practices that you would have never discovered. In reality, traveling is not just the seeing of sites, but it is your experiences that change who you are and how you think.

Learn more about our family expeditions.