News from Italy
Palio Di Siena: A medieval city dream
by Isabella Laiden
July. We joined thousands of spectators from all over the world and headed to Siena. The Palio has been the city’s most important event for more than five centuries, taking place in the stunning Medieval hilltop town of Siena, located in the region of Tuscany.
We are in the historic Piazza del Campo to participate in one of the most famous folklore events in Italy and the city. The city is dressed in unique magic, and the evocative atmosphere brings to life the most seductive and exciting aspects of the past, involving all the spectators who crowd Piazza del Campo every year.
We sat in one of the cafes overlooking the square and began our journey through the Palio di Siena. The Palio di Siena is one of the most renowned folklore events and is undoubtedly the most important one organised in Siena. It occurs twice a year, on 2 July and 16 August, and involves thousands of spectators yearly. Ten horses and riders, bareback and dressed in the appropriate colours, represent ten of the seventeen contrade, or city wards, in a tradition dating back to the 17th century. The Palio held on 2 July is named Palio di Provenzano, in honour of the Madonna of Provenzano, a Marian devotion particular to Siena which developed around an icon from the Terzo Camollia area of the city. The Palio held on 16 August is named Palio dell’Assunta, in honour of the Assumption of Mary.
Siena is divided into 17 neighbourhoods, also known as contrades, of which ten are selected by drawing to participate in the Palio. Historically, each contrada is a rival. It is believed that the contradas are the descendants of various ancient Sienese military companies.
The rivalry and hostility of the contrade may date back to ancient border disputes. Each contrada represents a specific colour, flag, and mascot, whether a porcupine or unicorn, worn and flown all year round. Each competing contrada’s horse is chosen by a lottery. Once selected, the horse is showered with love, with the contrada washing, grooming, and housing it in an upscale, five-star stable. On race day, bets are placed on which contrada will win, and the competing horses are taken to their contrada’s church to be blessed by a priest. It is considered a sign of good luck if the horse leaves its dropping within the church.
The actual race, in which the jockeys run bareback, goes around the Piazza del Campo, on which a thick layer of earth has been spread. The race takes place in three laps around the square and usually lasts no more than 90 seconds. It is common for some jockeys to be thrown from their horses while making the treacherous turns in the square, and indeed, it is not uncommon to see riderless horses finish the race. A horse does not need to have a rider to win the race.
Ten horses and riders, bareback and dressed in the appropriate colours, represent ten of the seventeen contrade, or city wards, in a tradition dating back to the 17th century. Great entertainment is provided in the neighbourhoods during and before the day of the Palio. Historical shows, band tours, and neighbourhood flags were thrown into the air, taking the city back to the Middle Ages. The town’s inhabitants begin to live as a large family again as ten districts compete for the Pallium, a spider’s web from which the event takes its name.
The Palio horse race, the symbol of Siena, has a long and fascinating history, which began in the Middle Ages. The earliest known antecedents of the race are medieval. The town’s central piazza was the site of public games, pugna, a many-sided boxing match or brawl, jousting, and bullfights in the 16th century. Public races organised by the contrade were popular from the 14th century onwards; called palio alla lunga, they were run across the whole city.
When the Grand Duke of Tuscany outlawed bullfighting in 1590, the contrade took to organising races in the Piazza del Campo. The first such races were on buffalo back and called bufalate; asinate, races on donkey back later took their place, while horse racing continued elsewhere. The first modern Palio (palio alla tonda to distinguish it from the earlier palio alla lunga) occurred in 1633. The equestrian race recalls the famous medieval tournaments and jousts: warlike games helpful in learning the art of fighting on horseback in which two or more knights competed. Ten districts are competing for the Pallium (Palio), a delicate fabric cloth from which the event’s name derives. In the 12th century, the Palio was run “in the long run”, that is, along a linear route that started from outside the city walls and ended in front of the Duomo. In Piazza del Campo, however, other types of games and competitions were held, such as buffalo races called “buffalo”. In 1605, when Siena had already lost its independence, the city authorities obtained permission from the grand ducal authorities to move the horse race to Piazza del Campo, completing the circumnavigation three times. The so-called “Palio alla tonda” was born and held on two dates. 14 August is joined by that of 2 July in honour of a miracle performed by the Madonna of Provenzano, celebrated on that day.
Some sources say the genesis of the Palio dates back to around 1260 on the celebration of the battle of Montaperti when people raced on horseback through the city to reach the Sienese Cathedral. Other historical references instead attribute the Palio of Siena to a legendary event that occurred in 1594, when an enemy soldier shot at the statue of the Madonna of Provenzano and was killed by the explosion itself. After this event, the citizens of Siena, oppressed by the Florentine and Spanish occupation, wanted to celebrate the miracle by establishing the Palio as we know it today, with the race around the field. The race was then modified around the 18th century by Violante of Bavaria, then governor of the city, who dictated new rules for the execution of the race. The governor established the boundaries of the seventeen districts to compete for the Palio, which has remained unchanged.
In short, the Palio is one of the methods used to educate and entertain the public. Neighbourhoods compete with each other in specific periods and prepare together for the long term. The city’s neighbourhoods participate in this horse race held in Piazza del Campo in the centre of Siena. There are 17 neighbourhoods called Contrada, but only ten neighbourhoods manage to access the final and compete for the Pallium, which is made of thin fabric, from which the event takes its name.
Contrada life
This feature became a topic of conversation both before and after the Palio. The legends and traditions each Contrada has kept alive for centuries are told in this period. It is truly an excellent opportunity to experience this tradition in its place. You don’t choose a Contrada, but you belong to the Contrada, where you were born for the rest of your life, working for it and offering all the resources you have (including free time and sometimes money). Contrada is a family that is different from the natural one but equally united, with bonds formed over the years. The Contrada can help in every situation and is also a place to meet other people (always belonging to the same Contrada and never to another), live in safety, grow and form your own family.
Competition is also part of the life of the contrada and, especially as the day of the Palio approaches, people tend to become more shy and reserved, especially towards Contrada members from other regions, minimising relationships and sometimes avoiding them. Have. The Palio is the last preparatory event of the year, with its most essential moments before a week in which Siena becomes a colourful city full of life and activity. Each Contrada organises a big party in the streets’ main events, to which everyone is invited. A shared moment to be together, but also a day in which Siena returns to its old life: every street is full of people and tourists trying to get in touch with the true spirit of the people of Contrada, to grasp its most characteristic aspects.
The city’s neighbourhoods participate in this horse race held in Piazza del Campo in the centre of Siena. There are 17 neighbourhoods called Contrada, but only ten neighbourhoods manage to access the final and compete for the Pallium, which is made of thin fabric, from which the event takes its name. Since the Middle Ages, Siena was made up of three “Terzieri”, whose territory was in turn divided into districts. In 1729, Violante Beatrice of Bavaria, wife of Ferdinando de’ Medici and governor of Siena, established the number of districts – 17 – and their borders. The neighbourhoods have great entertainment during and before the day of the Palio.
Historical shows, band tours, and neighbourhood flags thrown into the air take the city back to the Middle Ages. The city’s inhabitants begin to live as a large family again, as ten districts compete for the Pallium, a spider’s web from which the event takes its name.