Experience the Thrill of the Palio in Siena
One of the most famous Italian Palio events is the Palio di Siena held in the city of Siena in the central Tuscany region. To celebrate their historic Palio event, the people of Siena stage a famous horse race twice a year; one on the 2nd of July and one on the 16th August. There is a great selection of luxury holiday villas and simple vacation rentals located close to the city where you can easily commute to witness this spectacular event. The participants in this exciting race are horses and jockeys representing their ‘contrada’ or region of the city of Siena. The competition and rivalry between the contrade is fierce and attracts thousands of city supporters and tourists every year. There are seventeen contrade in total but only ten are allowed to race on each date for safety reasons. The ten that are chosen to race in one Palio are then replaced in the following one by the seven that didn’t race plus three that will be chosen by drawing lots between the other ten. The months leading up to the Palio di Siena is filled with choosing the best ten horses to race and the jockeys to ride them as well as organising the smaller events that will be held in each contrada in the days leading up to the main event. The race is preceded with a group of the national military police or ‘carabinieri’ on horseback wielding their swords as they demonstrate a mounted charge twice around the track. As they exit, a pageant enters the Piazza which includes flag wavers, and trumpeters marching around the track to signal the beginning of another thrilling year of racing rivalry!
The main race circles the Piazza del Campo in the city centre which is laid down with a heavy layer of dirt and where the ten jockeys and horses, dressed in their contrada’s colours, will line up and wait for the starting siren. When it blows, the horses race each other around the track three times and battle it out to be the first to cross the finishing line. The jockeys are riding bareback and are allowed whips to encourage their horses to go faster and ward off other competitors that get in their way! The bends are treacherously sharp and it’s a common sight to see an unlucky jockey being flung into the air if he attempts to steer his horse around it too quickly! This burst of speed and excitement usual lasts around ninety seconds. Strangely, a horse can win without its jockey as it’s considered to be the horse and not its rider that wins the race for its contrada. The loser is not the last horse to cross the finishing line but the one that comes second in the race.
The winning contrada is presented with the Palio, known commonly as ‘the rag’ which is a long silk banner topped with a silver plate. There is a different plate for the two Palio events in July and August. This trophy belongs to the two triumphant contrade until the following year. If you’re lucky enough to be in this region on these dates, try to get into the Piazza del Campo early in the day to find a prime position to witness one of the most adrenaline fuelled horse racing in the world!
