Text © World of Showjumping

They say all roads lead to Rome, and Piergiorgio Bucci’s emotional home win in the 2026 Rolex Grand Prix in the eternal city certainly serves as an example of how many paths can lead to the same outcome. “Obviously, my horses are the main reason for my results, not only my mood. However, I believe my move back to Italy has had a positive impact on my riding,” Bucci tells World of Showjumping.

Another saying that rings true in Bucci’s case is that Rome wasn’t built in a day. While Bucci and the 11-year-old stallion Pallieter Vd N.Ranch (Cornet Obolensky x Toulon) topped the CSIO5* 1.60m Rolex Grand Prix at the 100^th edition of CSIO Roma Piazza di Siena, their great run of form has been months in the making.

Last November, the two won on home soil in Verona, taking top honours in the CSI5*-W 1.55m class. From there on, they have continued with a win in a three-star Grand Prix in Valencia in February and another top spot in a four-star Grand Prix in Bedizzole in March. In April, they won the CSI5* 1.60m LGCT Grand Prix of Mexico City, after placing third in the LGCT Grand Prix of Miami two weeks prior. With an obvious fine form building, Bucci arrived hopeful at the picturesque Villa Borghese showgrounds in Rome.

To World of Showjumping, the 50-year-old – who moved back to his native Italy at the beginning of the year after nearly two decades spent in Belgium and the Netherlands – tells about his magical day in Rome, the genius that Pallieter Vd N. Ranch is and how the recent results have confirmed he was right in staying true to his inner voice and returning to Italy.

“I woke up with a great feeling,” Bucci tells about his thoughts on the day of the Rolex Grand Prix in Rome. “I ride one of the best horses I have ever had in my life, and I knew that he was ready. If I ride well, he can win any class, and especially after the win in Mexico, I feel we can be competitive. I don't know why, but I knew that it was going to be a super day. Pallieter felt amazing already during the first day in Rome, and he had a day off before the Grand Prix.”

Winning this Grand Prix has been one of my biggest dreams

“I said to myself; be focused, be hungry, your horse is ready to win. I felt confident, but to win, obviously everything has to go perfectly. It was my lucky day, because others, who maybe could have been faster than us, had fences down.”

“Winning this Grand Prix has been one of my biggest dreams,” Bucci says. “I'm Italian, and Piazza di Siena means the world to us. We have all been there since we were kids, following and cheering on other riders. When we won, I had a feeling that the whole crowd was happy for us. It was unbelievable; they stayed until the last moment of the prize giving. Winning in Rome was a big thing, even bigger than I was expecting it to be. Also, it was special to have so many prominent figures from the Olympic Committee and Italian politics present during the prize giving ceremony.” 

“I was living between Belgium and the Netherlands for 16 years,” Bucci explains about his move back to Italy at the beginning of 2026. “It was a great experience, something I always wanted to do, and I'm very happy I did it. However, during the last three to four years, I started feeling the need to go back to Italy. I was going more and more to the shows there, and every time I had to leave, I felt heavy. It was a feeling from deep within; I missed Italy’s culture, the people, the food… everything.”

I missed Italy’s culture, the people, the food… everything

“I always said I wanted to move abroad to learn and compete with the best riders in the world – and I have learned a lot,” he continues. “When I first left Italy, I only spoke Italian and now I can manage in four languages. I met so many people and made so many friends. However, I didn't feel it was necessary for me to stay away from home anymore; it is 2026, we have the internet, we can follow horses and shows every day from anywhere in the world.”

“Last year, I was lucky to meet Emanuela Bedini, who has a huge riding school with a big indoor and a lot of land for the horses in Italy. She proposed that I could move to her place – and I didn't hesitate. In the beginning of January, I moved to Italy, and I'm really happy I did it. I'm much happier now, I have new motivation. I'm based near Milan, and we have a lot of nice shows nearby, like Gorla Minore, Busto Arsizio, Arezzo and Bedizzole, and St. Tropez is not far away either.”

Bucci got the ride on the now 11-year-old stallion Pallieter Vd N.Ranch in June last year. “I was lucky to meet his owner, Francisca Castellani, through Marco Porro, the former Italian coach,” Bucci explains. “She was a rider herself, but she had to stop riding due to back problems. However, she is so passionate about the sport that she wanted to support other riders.”

“I had an amazing feeling with Pallieter straight away the first time I rode him,” he continues. “He was produced really well by Loewie Joppen, his previous owner, but he didn't do a lot of big shows before I got him. At first, I took him with as a second horse and then he started to do some four-stars with me last year. He was always jumping good, always improving, but never really catching top results. Our first big win came in Verona, when we won Saturday’s small Grand Prix – and from there on, he has kept improving enormously. He is such a superstar; he is clever, and now that we have built a good connection, he would do everything for me.”

If I ride well, I believe he is a horse that can win any class

“The first thing is to keep him happy, fit and sound,” Bucci says about his future plan for the talented stallion. “I have the responsibility to make the right program for him. I want to let him finish growing to this level, which is why I have already said that the World Championships later this summer are out of question for him. For sure I'm not going to ride him there, because it comes a bit too quick for him. Even if he's already eleven, he does not have enough mileage for a major championship like Aachen.”

“If I ride well, I believe he is a horse that can win any class,” Bucci points out. “I am a part of the St. Tropez Pirates team in the Global Champions League, so I will follow that tour and hope we can continue to improve. For next year, the dream is obviously to have him ready for the European Championships, and I hope we can help Italy qualify for the Olympic Games. The 2028 Olympic Games would be the ultimate goal for us.”

For Bucci, his recent results have served as a confirmation that his decision to return home was the right move. “I didn't see it as giving up because I am 50 and I want to go back home, although I did question my move a lot,” Bucci says. “I believed I would only get better. Also, I believed it would be easier to find people to support me, and that is exactly what has happened with Francesca. I'm happy for the good results, they have given me a lot of confidence; what I did was the right decision for my future.”

Although Pallieter is obviously in great form, and Bucci’s other top horse Kiss Me Fabulesse (Scuderia 1918 Casago x Plot Blue) is firmly on her way back from injury, the Italian has no plans of pushing for more. “I also have Hantano, who has been another incredible horse for me. He is the horse I am aiming towards the World Championships in Aachen,” Bucci notes about the 14-year-old gelding that earned him the award as the best athlete of the Longines League of Nations™ 2025-season with the most clear rounds.

I have my program and I want to trust it; I am not going to chase anything

“What happens, happens,” he says. “I don’t want to stress over results. I'm very happy to be ranked number 22 in the world, and I'll be very happy if I can go even higher in the rankings,” he says. “My horses are in great shape, and if I would start running every week behind the ranking, I believe we could go far. However, it's not what I'm going to do because I believe that what happens, happens. The world ranking has never been my priority – I dream of championship medals and Grand Prix wins.”

“After Rome, I was supposed to compete in Cannes, but I cancelled because that felt too much for my horses. Their wellbeing is my priority, and my responsibility,” Bucci concludes.

“I never take for granted what my horses do for me. I don't want to overdo anything just to be ranked number four or five in the world for one or two months. I have my program and I want to trust it; I am not going to chase anything. I'm not going to change my program even if others maybe are competing more than me. I want to keep believing in my program, and keep being fair towards my horses.”

9.6.2026 No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.