St. Alfio: the battle scenes

The harnesses worn by the horses at the St. Alfio festival often include elaborate embroidered, painted or beaded battle scenes.

Al Zammataro, who provided these photos, explained that these scenes depict characters from an epic poem from the 1500s called Orlando Furioso, which recounts  battles between the knights of Charlemagne and invading Saracens.

Sicily was invaded by many nations over the years, and tales of heroic battles have become part of the folk culture of the region.