Palio di Siena: Much More Than a Horse Race
From our balcony perch in a men’s clothing shop, looking down on the piazza we anxiously watched the jockeys riding their horses bareback get in position to run the August 2022 Siena Palio race. In a rare circumstance, the race had had to be postponed the day before due to rain, but this day, the sky was clear with a bright blue backdrop over the makeshift racetrack. It was the setting of a cultural tradition that dates back hundreds of years.
Piazza del Campo before the Palio race
My guests on their custom tour wanted a unique Tuscany experience and the 2022 Siena Palio was just that. All week long we were treated to this cultural dance that takes place twice a year in the summer, and both are in honor of the Virgin Mary. We participated in watching costume parades, the blessing of the racehorse in the Tartuca contrada (tortoise district) chapel, and even the pre-race dinner with over 1,500 contrada residents as they celebrated their horse and jockey the night before the big race.
I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing many things in Italy, but this has to be the most exciting experience I have ever had, and I loved every minute. The Palio di Siena dates back to the renaissance era where public combative games were displayed and even bullfights were common in the 16th century. Public horse racing was popular as far back as the 1400s where races were run throughout the Italian Peninsula and Sicily. In 1590, the contrade focused on holding this race in the Piazza del Campo in the center of Siena. The first modern-type race took place in 1633, and began when horses raced around on a track of a thick layer of earth laid down around the perimeter of the piazza. The three-lap race around the piazza lasts less than 90 seconds, but the excitement one feels after the experience lasts much longer for those who experience this tradition.
There are only 17 contrade that remain from as many as 59 in the past. Contrade districts were originally established in the Middle Ages to supply troops to the many military companies protecting Siena that fought to preserve its independence from Florence and other invaders. This military function lost its way through the years, but a strong connection of localized patriotism remains. It is now a micro community within the city of neighborhoods where people share important events such as baptisms, deaths, marriages, holidays, festivals and, of course, the Palio. Each contrada has a symbol, a flag, and colors that distinguish the ward. The 17 contrade are:
Aquila (eagle), Bruco (caterpillar), Chiocciola (snail), Civetta (little owl), Drago (dragon), Giraffa (giraffe), Istrice (crested porcupine), Leocorno (unicorn), Lupa (she-wolf), Nicchio (seashell), Oca (goose), Onda (wave), Pantera (panther), Selva (forest), Tartuca (tortoise), Torre (tower), and Valdimontone (valley of the ram).
Today, only ten contrade rather than 17 can take part in the historic pageant and the race at each Palio, because of the size of the track. The seven contrade who were excluded the year before, are automatically qualified and three more are drawn by lots. As you walk through the city, you can identify which contrada district you are in based on the colors and the unique emblem on the street lamps and in other places of the neighborhood. However, you will only have the aid of flags displayed throughout the neighborhoods of the contrade that won the race that year. All other contrade can only display their flag during the race celebration week.
Wetting down the track surface
The Sienese work 365 days a year to prepare for the famous 90-second race. The gray flagstone around the piazza is covered with dirt brought in by the truckload. Mattresses and padding are placed around the hairpin turns to make them less dangerous. In the piazza, workers hose down the surface of the dirt track to keep the dust down and harden the surface.
I got to Siena a day before our guests arrived in order to get ready for them. Thankfully, I was able to squeeze into my schedule a climb to the bell tower of the Comune building at the Piazza Del Campo. I happened to be the last one to make the climb up the tower before it closed for its afternoon cleaning, so I was able to enjoy the breathtaking views alone and just sit in meditation to ready myself for the coming week. The sky was blue and filled with cotton-ball clouds and the cool breeze was a welcomed relief from the hot August sun.
I promise I wasn’t the one who unhooked the clapper of the bell!
From this vantage point I could see clearly over the rooftops of the medieval buildings that make up the historic center. The city hall has a museum with rooms covered with various frescos depicting the history of Siena. Unlike most commissioned works, these frescoes were commissioned by the government, rather than by the Church. The portrayal of secular subjects sets them apart from the typical religious subjects of Italian art of this era.
Just beyond the piazza, I could see the Duomo di Siena and its belltower piercing into the skyline. It was the first time I had ever been in Siena at nighttime. Walking back to my rented apartment that first night, I was blown away by the beauty of the Duomo silhouetting the dark sky with the lights illuminating the white marble of the cathedral’s exterior.
Duoma di Siena
The beautiful white marble
Our group of three couples settled in the panther district in three apartments of a building with a beautiful courtyard in the center for our breakfasts and dinners. I found a nearby enoteca (wine shop) called Aimone di Vino and placed an order of local wines and scheduled a tasting with the knowledgeable owner. Chef Alessia prepared many meals over the week, and we scouted out several restaurants for our guests to enjoy as well.
The following day our guide, Cristina, gave us a personal tour of the Tartuca contrada. It was such an honor to visit there and see their museum. An unknowing visitor of Siena might never look behind the inconspicuous building facades to find the many chapels and museums that house the cultural artifacts of this centuries-old tradition. As I looked at the various “Palio” flags (the trophy for winning the race) in the museum, some dated back to the 1700s. I was fascinated at just how long this tradition has held on and I took pleasure in learning about this truly unique custom. Over the years, I have visited several contrade museums and the recently renovated Tartuca museum is one of the most impressive ones I’ve seen yet.
Tartuca Museum – tapestries honoring the Virgin Mary, flags and helmets of different contrade
The area where horses were housed
One of the first events we watched was the selection of the horses and lottery for assigning them to each contrada. Some of the horses are more favored than others so the crowd gives out a great roar by the contrada members after receiving the lucky assignment of a coveted horse. Normally, after the lottery there is a practice trot around the track with the newly assigned horse with each contrada’s jockey, but some rain delayed that practice so it took place the next morning. I was amazed to see so many people come out to see a simple trot around the track, but these people take this Palio business seriously. After the practice run, each contrada parades their horse through the city escorting the horse to the closely-guarded stable located in their neighborhood.
I enjoyed the weeklong celebrations we witnessed as neighborhoods gathered to dine, drink and sing traditional songs together. This yearlong event is woven into every part of the Siena society, from children marching and singing songs, young adults volunteering at neighborhood functions, flag throwers, and the preservation of the 17 contrade neighborhoods that have their own social halls, museums, and chapels.
Our tour package included a special dinner in the Tartuca contrada the night before the race. We didn’t expect much from the outdoor dinner since the contrada provided food for over 1,500 people, but the food was enjoyable, and the wine was good. There was so much excitement in the air, and we all were thrilled with anticipation for the race to happen. The morning of the race, we attended the blessing of the horse in the Tartuca chapel where the members of the contrada surround their representing horse as it receives a blessing from the priest.
The blessing of the horse inside the chapel
We got to our seats well before the race started, however, from our balcony seats earlier we witnessed a long parade of contrada members performing on every part of the track. We had heard the “March of the Palio”, an ancient hymn that accompanies the historical costume parade called Corteo Storico. It was like a ten-ring circus across the huge piazza. As the afternoon progressed, the infield of the piazza began completely filling in with an estimated 1,500 people jam-packed together to watch the race. Our makeshift VIP box gave us the opportunity to enjoy some refreshments during the pageant and a panoramic view of the entire racetrack.
It was time for the race to start, so the ten jockeys riding bareback hustled for position along the starting line, an area between two ropes. Nine horses, in some pre-determined order, entered the starting lineup. The tenth, called the rinorsa, waited outside. Then the rinorsa entered the lineup, the ropes dropped instantly, and the race was on. The roar from the crowd was continuous during the entire race and when four horses crashed on the third corner, voices of concern could be heard for the jockeys thrown about on the track surface. The four riderless horses continued to race and could actually still win the race if they happened to finish first. However, this wasn’t the case on this day when the Leocorno (unicorn) contrada won with jockey Giovanni Atzeni, aka Tittia, who led the race from the start on the horse named Violenta da Clodia (Violent from Clodia). It was his 9th Palio victory and fourth in a row which included the last pre-COVID race and the July 2 race just a month earlier. But before Giovanni crossed the finished line, the crowd went wild with excitement at every turn of the three-lap race. Then the sound of three gunshots were heard with three big puffs of smoke rising from the finish line to designate the end of the race with Tittia and his horse clearly in lead as the winner.
The winning horse being petted by the Leocorno fans
Then the track was covered with excited Leocorno fans jumping for joy and making their way to the horse and jockey. Just below us on the track, we could see fans reaching out just for a chance to pet the horse before the happy contrada members joined together to parade the horse up to the duomo for a special post-race ceremony. The party and celebrations continued that night and I’m told can go on for several weeks after the race for the winning contrada. To see such a spectacle was truly an experience of a lifetime and sharing in the enthusiasm in this sacred event is something I will never forget.
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