Chapter 43
Palio degli AsiniAbout two o'clock on Sunday afternoon, large crowds began to drift in the direction of the Piazza Cagnasso where the Palio degli Asini would be run. The permanent bleachers were augmented by additional stands to handle the crowd at Alba's biggest celebration of the year.
All day, parades of costumed actors had marched through the streets, announcing their approach with trumpets and drums, dressed in the colors of their borgo, or neighborhood.
The donkeys and riders assembled on the oval track as the crowds filled the stands. The donkeys established early that they would decide when to go and when to stop, even which direction to go if they chose.
Every race has winners and losers, and usually the results matter. The borghi of Alba no doubt cared about the re
