3rd place
bronze star award
Luca Venturi
italy 
title
Palio is Life
The Palio is the culmination of ongoing rivalry and competition between the districts (contradas), whereas, the race itself only lasts for a little more than a minute.
The horses are selected and allocated by lot just three days before the race, must run bareback and there are only six trials beforehand. The responsibility for choosing and paying a jockey lies within each Contrada.
Each district, known as a contrada, gathers its citizens for a feast on the night before the event, stoking the excitement of the residents and promoting community spirit.
In order to get a full story I photographed all the events leading upto the main events on July 2nd. A real slice of city life that manifests itself through a multitude of feelings as intense and diversified as: anxiety, trepidation, anticipation, joy, fear and anger punctuate the lives of inhabitants in these four days of the “festival”.
His works have been showcased in several international exhibitions in the USA, China, United Kingdom, South Corea, Poland, Italy and Hungary and featured in some of the most important blog and magazines including National Geographic and The Guardian.
He can be contacted through his website, Facebook page, Twitter or Instagram accounts.
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entry description
The “Palio di Siena” is the world’s most exciting horse race which is celebrated twice a year in the Piazza del Campo, in honor of the religious holidays, the Visitation and the Ascension of the Virgin Mary, Lady and Patron Protector of the City. It has been held almost uninterruptedly since the days of the medieval Republic of Siena. It’s a race between the various districts of Siena in which 10 horses, each representing a district, ridden bareback by a jockey who races at breakneck speeds around the city’s Piazza del Campo, surrounded by ancient buildings and cheered on by a passionate crowdThe Palio is the culmination of ongoing rivalry and competition between the districts (contradas), whereas, the race itself only lasts for a little more than a minute.
The horses are selected and allocated by lot just three days before the race, must run bareback and there are only six trials beforehand. The responsibility for choosing and paying a jockey lies within each Contrada.
Each district, known as a contrada, gathers its citizens for a feast on the night before the event, stoking the excitement of the residents and promoting community spirit.
In order to get a full story I photographed all the events leading upto the main events on July 2nd. A real slice of city life that manifests itself through a multitude of feelings as intense and diversified as: anxiety, trepidation, anticipation, joy, fear and anger punctuate the lives of inhabitants in these four days of the “festival”.
about the photographer
Luca Venturi, based in Siena (Italy), has been recognized in some of the major international photography awards including “Sony World Photography Awards“ (United Kingdom), “Urban Photographer of the Year” (United Kingdom),"Terry O'Neill Awards” (United Kingdom), Travel Photographer of the Year (United Kingdom), “Trierenberg” (Austria), “Oasis” (Italy), “MIFA” (Russia) and others more.His works have been showcased in several international exhibitions in the USA, China, United Kingdom, South Corea, Poland, Italy and Hungary and featured in some of the most important blog and magazines including National Geographic and The Guardian.
He can be contacted through his website, Facebook page, Twitter or Instagram accounts.
back to gallery
