A verbal summary first, and then pictures.
Yesterday started off well enough, with not much happening but a definite tension in the air. The city was on edge, waiting for the afternoon festivities to occur. At about 4 or so, we went to the Duomo to watch the procession of the contradas and the historical court; the historical court includes the crests of old families and lots of hot, fur trimmed, velvet costumes. Then, after a quick breather in the house, I went to L'Entrata dell'Onda (Onda Entrance) to get to the piazza. Oh. My. God. That was chaotic-- so many people, all fighting to get in, and since it's Italians, I was literally rubbing elbows/sides with everyone. After a half hour to travel 50 feet, I finally found the rest of Yale, who had staked out some prime real estate near the Onda side. After watching the end of the parade, we waited expectantly for the race to begin. The horses came out, and silence fell on the Campo; true silence, to the point were it was actually slightly creepy. And then the horses wouldn't line up; they were reset about five times. Finally, the start (or mossa) was valid and they were off, where a 90 second race seemed like an eternity. La Selva, or the forest won, so they've been parading ever since.
HERALD TRUMPETS PLZ
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