THE PALIO OF 16 AGUST 2003

Won by the Contrada of BRUCO

The Palio of 16 Agust, dedicated to the Madonna has been won by the Contrada of BRUCO

This is the starting line-up and the respective mounts:

CONTRADE	FANTINI	CAVALLI
Leocorno	Antonio Villella detto Sgaibarre	Brento
Aquila	Andrea Mari detto Brio	Big Big
Nicchio	Giovanni Atzeni detto Tittia	Amoroso
Torre	Valter Pusceddu detto Bighino	Artù Valoroso
Lupa	Alessandro Chiti detto Voragine	Baresi
Chiocciola	Luca Minisini detto De	Altoprato
Onda	Alberto riccieri detto Salasso	Alghero
Giraffa	Giuseppe Pes detto Pesse	Urban II
Bruco	Luigi Bruschelli detto Trecciolino	Berio
Civetta	Giuseppe Zedde detto Gingillo	Zodiach

TRIUMPHANT BRUCO!
Luigi Bruschelli on Berio won the 16th of August Palio race

The Contrada of the Bruco (the Caterpillar) wins the race.
At 7.05, the horses exit the Municipality ancient building by the Entrone and head to the starting line. But the starter Daniele Masala, Olympic champion of modern pentathlon, can give the start only after sixty-five weary minutes:
three false starts, some warnings to those jockeys unable to keep the place assigned by the fate, and many times the horses have to be sent back out from the ropes. The starting alignment is nervously difficult: Leocorno (Unicorn), Aquila (Eagle), Nicchio (Shell), Torre (Tower), Lupa (She-Wolf), Onda (Dolphin), Chiocciola (Snail), Giraffa (Giraffe), Bruco (Caterpillar) and Civetta (Owl).
Then, when the sun has almost abandoned the square, painting in red the buildings around the tufo dirt ring, the race starts.
First Bruco, followed by its enemy Giraffa, Lupa, Chiocciola and Nicchio.
At the first San Martino turn, it’s the Giraffa leading, then Bruco, and Nicchio, passing Lupa with much power and reaching the third position, while, against the protection mattresses of this turn, the Tower’s horse looses its balance and its jockey falls.
At the first Casato turn, the Giraffa is still leading, followed by Bruco and Nicchio. Aquila makes a too narrow turn and runs into Nicchio’s horse, obliged to slow down: Civetta passes it.
At the second San Martino, Aquila falls together with Leocorno and its jockey Antonio Villella.
Giraffa is still at the lead, but the powerful Bruco’s horse passes it in front of the Chapel.
At the second Casato, Civetta tries to pass Giraffa, but hits the post and slows down, allowing Bruco to gain distance and run away.
At the third San Martino, Bruco leads all alone, runs through the Casato to the finish line and nobody is able to stop it. Second position to Civetta, then Lupa and Nicchio.
Luigi Bruschelli, nicknamed Trecciolino, lifts his whip in sign of victory: the race is over.
The people from Via del Comune are already in the Cathedral and sing the thanking Te Deum.
Tha banner, realized by the Sienese Andrea Rauch, a graphic designer, is touched and kissed by hundreds of people from this winning Contrada: they are like a green and yellow tide rising in the Cathedral to give their homage to the Virgin Mary Assunta.
The mid-August Palio is over.
Once more, Siena lived a magic feast with the intensity of a passion. Its glorious past, recollected by the Historical Parade, has been relaunched into the present time and “by strength and love”, as we usually say in Siena, Bruco has come to win its 35th banner, just after 7 years from the previous one.
It is a rite repeated twice a year. Now the problem for those who have not won is to wait until next summer, then try again.

Roberta Ferri

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