Palio di Legnano training track fence stolen in night-time theft

In the night between Monday and Tuesday, thieves removed the entire fence that encloses the Palio di Legnano training track on via Novara in Legnano, Italy. The damage, estimated at around €40,000, has left the historic race preparation area without its symbolic barrier.

The Gran Maestro of the Collegio dei Capitani, Alessandro Airoldi, described the act as a “vile” assault on a cultural heritage asset and called for support from the municipal administration and the Fondazione Palio. The theft has raised concerns about the future of the training races, which already take place on a modest, temporary agricultural strip, and highlights the vulnerability of the Palio’s infrastructure.