Page 38 - WesternU View - Fall 2017
P. 38
T uscan
Tending to a
Tradition
CVM professor takes part in a centuries-old horse race
that yields a special gift to WesternU president
E very summer, thousands of
By Catherine Gaugh CVM Professor Joe Bertone, DVM, MS
people flock to the medieval
Tuscan city of Siena, Italy, to
witness a thrilling horse race -- the Palio di
Siena -- run in the town square, the Piazza del
Campo. It is a tradition dating back nearly
800 years.
Since the 1700s, for the modern Palio, a
temporary racing surface is installed along the
perimeter of the plaza, on top of ancient
cobblestones. More than 60,000 spectators
gather in the plaza center and around the
perimeter to watch and cheer. Jockeys clad in
bright colors that represent specific
neighborhoods, or contradas, ride bareback
and with great dramatic flair.
36
Tending to a
Tradition
CVM professor takes part in a centuries-old horse race
that yields a special gift to WesternU president
E very summer, thousands of
By Catherine Gaugh CVM Professor Joe Bertone, DVM, MS
people flock to the medieval
Tuscan city of Siena, Italy, to
witness a thrilling horse race -- the Palio di
Siena -- run in the town square, the Piazza del
Campo. It is a tradition dating back nearly
800 years.
Since the 1700s, for the modern Palio, a
temporary racing surface is installed along the
perimeter of the plaza, on top of ancient
cobblestones. More than 60,000 spectators
gather in the plaza center and around the
perimeter to watch and cheer. Jockeys clad in
bright colors that represent specific
neighborhoods, or contradas, ride bareback
and with great dramatic flair.
36
