The horses are selected and allocated by lot just three days before the Palio race, must run bareback and there are only six trials beforehand. The race only lasts for a little more than a minute. This image, taken during one of these trials from a balcony overlooking “Piazza del Campo” just above the famous and dangerous “Curva di San Martino” (the hardest curve on the track), shows every detail of the race visible in all its ancient glory. The curve forming a 95° angle, is slightly downhill and sloping diagonally with a height difference of more than a meter; the most difficult section, where at times accidents do happen. This curve is often the spot where the outcome of the race is decided.