Italy is one of the most beautiful parts of the world we live in. It has got a numerous places and architectures to explore. It is truly and rightly said that “You should definitely visit Italy once in your lifetime”. But one of the most amazing manifestations which Italy has got is not much known to many people around in the world is it Horse Race that happens in the town Sienna. People gather there twice a year and celebrate this occasion. It is referred to as a crazy race because people participating and the people watching are filled with so much of zeal and enthusiasm that it becomes difficult to control them. This is also one of the festive times in Sienna when it experiences so many tourists from all over the world and within the country itself. It takes place on the 2nd of July and 16th of August every year. The ancient belief behind this race is that it is a run which celebrates the miraculous apparition of the Virgin Mary near the old houses which were known to belong to Provenzano Salvani. And it is said that in the honor of that miraculous apparition the very first Palio was run on August 16 in the year 1656.
The first horse race in the world of film:
Since it is one of the greatest cultural heritages that belongs to Italy and holds so much of mythological importance, someone in the film world though of presenting this race on the big screen. In the year 2015 the very first in the history of cinema a documentary was presented on the big screens featuring our very favorite Palio di Siena. It was a great effort done by the filmmakers and they got appreciated for all the hard work they had put into this movie. It was directed by Cosima Spender. The scrip of this beautifully crafted movie was a joint venture of John Hunt and Splendor. The documentary was manufactured by James Gay-Rees. They had put a lot of hard work and effort in creating this wonderful epic and also initiating with the first horse race in the world of film.
The premier of the movie was decided to be on the 18th April in 2015 at the Tribeca Film Festival. The public response to the movie was so huge that it earned a well deserved award for the Best Editing in a documentary on the same day at Tribeca.
The movie had made a special place in the hearts of all the horse race and Paleo lovers. IT was executed and narrated so well that we could not take our eyes of even for a moment. The critics also said that “it was an entertaining documentary about a storied Italian horse race is as dramatically fulfilling as the most crowd-pleasing scripted sports saga”. Also this movie was able to enlighten the people all over the world who had no idea about this crazy horse race of Siena.