Virginia Tacci

Virginia Tacci
Born1566 or 1567
Diedafter 1581
NationalityItalian
OccupationJockey
Known forFirst woman to ride in Sienna's Palio horse race

Virginia Tacci (1566 or 1567 – d. after 1581), was an Italian equestrian who was the first woman to ride in a famous horse race in Siena.[1]

Horse and jockey (fantino) turning a bend of the race course at Piazza del Campo

Tacci rode on 15 August 1581[2] in the challenging race that was the predecessor of today's Palio di Siena. As a 15-year-old girl, she came to be regarded as a role model for women in Siena and has been remembered as a pioneer female jockey.[3]

  1. ^ Lita Crociani-Windland: Festivals, Affect and Identity: A Deleuzian Apprenticeship in Central ...
  2. ^ "Virginia Tacci-Archivio del Palio di Siena". www.ilpalio.siena.it. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  3. ^ "Le donne del Palio di Siena - Virginia Tacci, la prima donna che corse il Palio di Siena nel 1581". www.ilpalio.org. Retrieved 2021-10-02.