The wild horse race in honour of Constantine
Every year on the evening of 6 July and the morning of 7 July, the village of Sedilo, in central Sardinia above Lake Omodeo, hosts the Ardia di San Costantino, one of the most spectacular and dangerous horse races in Italy. It is held in honour of St Constantine, the Roman emperor Constantine the Great, venerated in Sardinia as a saint, according to the Byzantine tradition, and commemorates his victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge in 312, which tradition links to the triumph of Christianity.
The race takes place around the sanctuary of Santu Antinu, a church outside the village surrounded by a sacred enclosure. The leader of the race, the Prima Pandela, holding a yellow and red banner, sets off at a gallop followed by two assistants, the second and third pandela, and three "escorts"; behind them about a hundred horsemen launch themselves in pursuit, trying to overtake him, while the escorts must prevent anyone from passing. The riders gallop at breakneck speed down a steep slope, through a narrow stone arch, the Arco di Costantino, and around the sanctuary seven times, among the cheering crowd and the gunshots fired into the air by the riflemen. It is a race without a winner: the Prima Pandela must arrive first, as Constantine did. Accidents are not rare, and the Ardia expresses the deep faith and the warrior spirit of central Sardinia.
Tip: watch from a safe position behind the barriers; the evening of 6 July is the most spectacular. The sanctuary is full of ex-votos.
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