led quietly up and down the narrow street
outside his stable complete with a stained
glass window in the Drago colours and a
religious shrine.
As in every other area of Italian life,
religion looms large at the Palio. Just af-
ter 3pm, the runners are paraded through
their respective districts to a church
where, either inside the chapel or out, a
priest will offer the benediction 'vai e
torna vincitore' (go and return victorious)
to horse, jockey, and captain. The streets
around the churches are now a riot of
colour and noise as the singing mass of
contradioli, festooned with the scarves
