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The famous Palio of Siena will not be run again until 2021.

Siena Cancels Historic Palio

In the U.S, the Kentucky Derby has been rescheduled until September, while the second leg of horseracing’s Triple Crown, the Preakness, will not be run until October. In Italy, the most famous horserace takes place in the Tuscan city of Siena. Unfortunately, the traditional summer running has been cancelled entirely.

The Palio, a tradition dating back centuries that attracts tens of thousands of spectators each July and August, has been cancelled this year, after the city council unanimously decided it was too risky to hold it amid the ongoing epidemic. This is the first time that the famed race has been cancelled since the World War II. The race around Siena’s central Piazza del Campo draws large crowds who pack together in the center of the square, something that would violate safety advice to avoid public gatherings and maintain appropriate social distance from others.