Story highlights
- Race has been run since the 13th century
- Medieval festival attracts thousands
- Jockeys represent different districts of Asti
(CNN)The oldest recorded bareback horse race in Italy has been run since the 13th century -- and it's still going strong.
The Palio di Asti, which takes place on the penultimate weekend of every September, culminates in a saddle-free showdown between 21 riders representing the city's districts.
The medieval festival, which attracts thousands to Asti, a city in the northwest Piedmont region, also includes a parade involving more than 1,200 people and a flag-throwing contest.
The Palio takes its name from the Latin word pallium, which means a piece of cloth worn as cloak -- one of these was used to mark the finishing line in the earliest Asti races.
Photos: Racing on the streets of Siena
Photos: Racing on the streets of Siena
The Palio di Siena horse race takes place twice a year, in July and August, in the central piazza of the Italian city.
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Photos: Racing on the streets of Siena
Thousands swarm to the venue to watch riders from each of the districts battle it out for race glory in front of their fellow citizens.
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Photos: Racing on the streets of Siena
All the riders wear the respective colors of their districts but, in a race dubbed by some "the toughest horse race in the world," they must ride bareback.
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Photos: Racing on the streets of Siena
Glorious sun shone on the crowds for this year's opening event on July 2. The race is said to date back to medieval times.
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Photos: Racing on the streets of Siena
Jockeys can use whips not only on their own horse, but also to disrupt a rival horse.
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Photos: Racing on the streets of Siena
The winner is the first across the line but, unlike traditional horse racing, victory can be sealed even if the horse has unseated its rider during the course of the race.
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Photos: Racing on the streets of Siena
A supporter of the district (or contrade) of Lupa cheers on his horse during the July 2 running of the event.
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Photos: Racing on the streets of Siena
Animal rights protesters, complaining that seven horses have died on the course since 2000, have tried to get the event abandoned.
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Its first recorded running was in 1275, but it has been staged in several different locations throughout the city throughout its colorful history.
Since the 1980s, the race has been run at the Piazza Alfieri on a triangular course, preceded by the blessing of the horses and their jockeys at the cathedral.
Following the flag-throwing -- which is another competition between districts -- and the dazzling parade in which medieval costumes take pride of place, racing gets going as the Palio di Asti reaches its climax in the late afternoon.
And when it's all over, the winning jockey receives a crimson banner, emblazoned with the Asti's coat of arms and the image of San Secondo, the city's patron saint.
Giovanni Atzeni, riding for the district of Nizza, was this year's winner. The 31-year-old, cheered on by a crowd of 10,000 people, headed off jockeys representing San Lazzaro and Santa Maria Nuova.
