The Palio di Siena: the biggest festival in the city and its districts

The Palio di Siena is serious, heartfelt business. For most citizens of Siena and its district or contrada, it’s everything: heart and history, passion and personal friendship. It’s something that lasts a lifetime and goes beyond a simple historical or folkloric festival.

For those who don’t know, the Palio is a famous horserace in the Piazza del Campo in the Tuscan city of Siena which pits different districts of the city against each other. The carriera, as it is traditionally called, is carried out on two specific dates each year: 2nd July with the Palio di Provenzano and 16th August with the Palio dell’Assunta. Each Palio lasts a full four days, beginning with assigning the horses and culminating in the exciting horserace itself.

For this occasion, the main square in the city is kitted out with a circular track on which the horses will race, covered in ‘tuff’, a type of volcanic sand.

The rules of the Palio, one the Italy’s most famous historical competitions, are as follows: of the seventeen districts in the city, ten take part in the race with three being chosen at random twenty days before the Palio and the rest participating ‘by right’ as they didn’t take part on the same date last year. The ten districts race their horses, which are selected as the best from a previously drawn-up shortlist of the most adequate horses.

The horses, along with the jockeys, must do three laps of the plaza, manoeuvring dangerous obstacles like the infamous San Martino corner, where there are frequent crashes and falls.

The first horse to reach the finish line (with or without its jockey!) is the winner and the Drappellone, a painted fabric which serves as a trophy, is presented to the winning district.

Get to grips with the best districts

The districts, or contrade as they’re known in Siena, are actually each of the seventeen parts in which the city inside the medieval walls is divided:

Aquila, Bruco, Chiocciola, Civetta, Drago, Giraffa, Istrice, Leocorno, Lupa, Nicchio, Oca, Onda, Pantera, Selva, Tartuca, Torre and Valdimontone.

Each one takes up a certain area of the city and has its own history and hymn, its own constitution or statute and a coat of arms with different colours and slogans. It is easy to tell which district you are in when walking around Siena – you only have to look at the flags and coats of arms which are proudly displayed along all the streets.

How to get to Siena

Don’t worry if you don’t have a car – there are many other ways to reach this marvellous city in the heart of Tuscany.

From the Florence Airport, Peretola, about 35 miles (60km) away, there is a transport service which goes to the Santa Maria Novella station and from there a regional train or bus which goes to the city. You can do the same from Pisa airport, about 62 miles (100km) away.

By train, Siena is well-connected with the national rail network via the stations Empoli, Chiusi and Montepescali/Grosseto and the station is about 1.25 miles (2km) from the historic centre.

The Palio is an opportunity to discover this incredible city in a different and immersive light, a truly unique festival that you cannot afford to miss.