Madonna rings in birthday at Italian horse race

Madonna watched the race from the Palazzo Pannocchieschi d'Elci, a noble palace overlooking the Piazza del Campo.

According to media reports, she continued the celebrations afterwards at a five-star hotel in Siena's centre.

This is not Madonna's first Italian birthday getaway.

Last year, she celebrated in Pompeii, the ancient city near Naples famously buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.