The
Ferrara Palio is the oldest in the world: it was in fact first
registered by the town authorities in 1279, thus giving legal
acknowledgement to a popular tradition whic was actually born
twenty years before. In the day of St. George's feast - the patron
saint of Ferrara - many horses competed to gain a gold standard.
Nowadays this Palio takes place once a year - on the last Sunday
of May - when horses, she-asses, "putti" and "putte"
compete. Winners are awarded with Palios, i.e. silk standards
painted by some renowned local artists.
