Florence, 18 August (LaPresse) – The Nicchio contrada, with the horse Anda e Bola ridden by Giovanni Atzeni, known as Tittia, won the Palio dell’Assunta, which took place today in Siena after two postponements due to rain. The Nicchio had not won for 28 years and was the Palio’s ‘grandmother’ contrada. For Tittia, this is his 13th victory on the tuff of Piazza del Campo, bringing him level with Luigi Bruschelli, known as Trecciolino, and Angelo Meloni, known as Picino, in terms of the number of victories. Ahead of Tittia are Francesco Santini, known as Gobbo Saragiolo, and Mattia Mancini, known as Bastiancino, both with 15 victories, and Andrea Degortes, known as Aceto, with 14 victories. For Anda and Bola, a 10-year-old bay gelding, this is their second Palio victory: they won their first last August for Valdimontone, also ridden by Tittia. Today’s race was particularly tense, with three invalid starts and difficulty in aligning the ropes due to the presence of several rival contrade. But once the start was valid, Tittia immediately shot into the lead, remaining there for the entire race.
Palio di Siena: the Nicchio district wins – Tittia’s 13th triumph
Florence, 18 August (LaPresse) – The Nicchio contrada, with the horse Anda e Bola ridden by Giovanni Atzeni, known as Tittia, won the Palio dell’Assunta, which took place today in Siena after two postponements due to rain. The Nicchio had not won for 28 years and was the Palio’s ‘grandmother’ contrada. For Tittia, this is his 13th victory on the tuff of Piazza del Campo, bringing him level with Luigi Bruschelli, known as Trecciolino, and Angelo Meloni, known as Picino, in terms of the number of victories. Ahead of Tittia are Francesco Santini, known as Gobbo Saragiolo, and Mattia Mancini, known as Bastiancino, both with 15 victories, and Andrea Degortes, known as Aceto, with 14 victories. For Anda and Bola, a 10-year-old bay gelding, this is their second Palio victory: they won their first last August for Valdimontone, also ridden by Tittia. Today’s race was particularly tense, with three invalid starts and difficulty in aligning the ropes due to the presence of several rival contrade. But once the start was valid, Tittia immediately shot into the lead, remaining there for the entire race.