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    Travel » Italy » Piedmont

    Palio di Asti

    Published: Sep 22, 2011 · Modified: Oct 20, 2014 by Marissa Stevens · 6 Comments

    Lords, ladies, knights, and squires – 2,500 in all, descend on the town of Asti each year. They gather for a horse race, a bareback horserace.

    Commoners stand outside the gates to gaze at the glorious entry.

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    An artist composes a scene in chalk to evoke a response from the noblemen.

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    Twenty-one horses carry riders to vie for victory – to stand among the triumphant who have raced here since 1275. There are three preliminary heats, seven horses compete in each. The horse does not need a rider to win.

    15,000 people watch.

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    In the first heat, two riders are thrown.

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    In the third heat, the Viatosto horse wins without his rider.

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    In the end, only one wears the crown.

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    More Piedmont

    • Bagna Cauda
    • The Harvest, Stomping Grapes, and Eating Lunch
    • Royal Turin and the National Cinema Museum
    • The Wines of Asti

    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Kathy (trekcapri) says

      September 24, 2011 at 1:53 pm

      Hi there, I found your blog from Slow Travel. Beautiful photos! This looks like a wonderful event. Thanks so much for posting your photos and for sharing your experiences.

      Reply
      • marissa says

        September 24, 2011 at 6:01 pm

        Thank you and welcome!

        Reply
    2. Thom says

      September 23, 2011 at 9:06 pm

      Now THAT looks like my kind of fun. Who knew they had gorgeous ladies being chased by Sasquatches there?

      Been meaning to ask, getting ready for blogging on my Bolivia/ Peru trip. Is there a certain upload/app system you're using? Got WordPress App for Ipad, but I am guessing you are using a laptop? Or are you uploading thru hotel cpus?

      Reply
      • marissa says

        September 24, 2011 at 6:03 pm

        Gorgeous ladies is right - so many. Did you notice the bare feet on the Ents (Sasquatches)?

        Reply
    3. Tim says

      September 23, 2011 at 4:27 pm

      Magnificent pictures, the ents (tree men) are new this year and I haven't seen the wikipedia reference before. You didn't mention that this years winner was San Damiano.

      Reply
      • marissa says

        September 23, 2011 at 8:05 pm

        You're right! I poked around for a good jpg of their flag, but came up empty handed so left it undone - probably not fair to San Damiano. 🙂 What a race!

        Reply

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