The Palio

Two Days of Madness in Siena

The Palio is surely the maddest horse race in the world, and the most spectacular festival in Italy. It takes place on two dates each summer, July 2nd and August 16th, in the main piazza of Siena.

Siena has 17 Contrada, or wards. Each has a traditional animal motif, and these can be seen displayed on banners in the Duomo. The Contrada draw lots each year for the 10 places allowed in the Palio, named after the silk banner awarded to the winner.

The horses and jockeys are also drawn by lots. These are the butteri, the traditional cowboys of the Meremma region, and their semi-feral horses. Both horses and riders are drawn by lots, and so have no particular affiliation to any Contrade. This makes the whole performance highly susceptible to threats or bribes, and in reality only 3 or 4 horses approach the Palio with a realistic chance of winning.

The race consists of 3 laps around the piazza, and lasts less than 2 minutes. Nine horses line up in the starting enclosure, and the race is started by the 10th horse, who charges the other 9 at a time of their own choosing. If a contrade cannot win the race, almost as important is to prevent their chief rival from among the other contrada from winning, so the timing and manner of the starting charge can be highly tactical.

By some miracle no jockey has ever been killed, but many are thrown from their horses. This doesn't especially bother the spectators as it is the horse that wins the race, regardless of whether it still has a jockey on it. The winners spend the whole night, and even the following week in wild celebration.

While the Palio itself can be hard to see, the rehearsals and parades in the days and weeks before can readily be seen.