[attachment=16716:L1003477.jpg]
I was studying on an abroad course in Siena, and one of our weekends happened to be the Palio. After 6 hours of standing in direct 40 degree Celsius sunlight in a crowd that probably rivals dead stars in terms of density, the event started - with the full charge of the mounted Carabinieri - perhaps for an outsider, as exciting if not more than the race itself.