Siena's Palio is all intrigue, writes Kevin O'Sullivan.

Went in search of Siena once in an attempt to sample the mass ecstasy and trauma associated with the July running of the Palio, the frenetic 90 seconds horse race around the perimeter of Piazza del Campo, the Italian city's main square.

It may have been due to disorientation caused by a hot Tuscan sun but we missed the event by about 14 hours. Yet a post-race frenzy was still palpable. The colourful banners of the contrade, the old town's districts, were still festooned everywhere. Perhaps it was to do with the 700 years plus of running the race and its associated ritual and tradition - and the intrigue that still makes the event so vibrant.

Unquestionably, the Palio defines the people of Siena - laced with all its community rivalry, not forgetting its strong religious and sporting undertones. Natives are enveloped from a young age by their contrada; it drives their fervour which is only calmed by victory in the Palio. "Once a contrada wins, it becomes reborn," is how native writer Cristina Fassio described it in 2002. Some have not won for decades. The horses have to circle the track three times after undergoing a complex selection and line-up procedure. Trials are staged around the square in the days before each race. The Palio is, in fact, a banner - the winner of the barebacked race gets a unique banner painted by a local artist.

To attend the race, there are essentially two options: Most spectators cram into the middle of the piazza. This is free of charge and provides a great opportunity to mix with the locals. Almost anywhere you stand affords a good vantage point for most of the race. Since the race track actually encloses the piazza, the fences are closed, however, before a pageant (about 4.30 p.m.) and it is impossible to leave until the race is completed (about 8 p.m.). Also, the piazza is in the sun most of the afternoon - so a parasol or at least a hat is needed along with plenty of water to cool off if pursuing this course.

Other viewing requires booking a ticket, often up to a year in advance. Private viewing is provided by bars and apartment owners encircling the "race track". Clearly for out-of-towners this is a better and safer option - a typical price at an excellent viewing position this year is €350.

The August 16th race coincides with the blessing of Il Palio, a banner bearing the image of the Madonna del Voto, inaugurating a day of activities which includes a procession and the race. The July 2nd race commemorates the Madonna di Provenzano.

For those stuck at home all is not lost. The Irish Film Institute in Dublin is showing The Last Victory, John Appel's documentary which captures the passion and intrigue of this extraordinary event.

Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian provides the following mini-review - Only the English Premiership soccer matches it for fanaticism: Siena's annual horse race, or Palio, where each of the districts has a horse assigned to it by lottery and a local jockey rides for glory (or ignominy or serious injury) around the historic town square, whose unresisting hardness is mitigated for the poor steeds' hooves by a thin layer of sand.

It's not like morris dancing; as in Florence's quaint "costumed football" contests, the tourists are regularly astonished by the unflinching seriousness of everything, and the way it habitually concludes in outbreaks of punching and gouging. Dutch documentarist John Appel follows the Civetta district's team, immersing us in their euphoria and heartbreak. The first person to say "It's only a game" gets lynched. You have been warned.

The Last Victory is showing daily at 3 p.m. and 7p.m. until August 15th at the Irish Film Institute, Temple Bar, Dublin - more information at: www.ifi.ie