The famous Palio di Siena is one of the biggest traditional events to take place in Italy each summer and is certainly one of the most exciting. For those who were looking for one more reason to find a luxury villa in Siena or a villa with pool in Tuscany, it is a pretty darn good one and definitely and once-in-a-lifetime experience to tick off your bucket list. Taking place over the course of two days in the summer, the Palio di Siena 2022 dates are the 2nd of July and the 16th of August.
But what is the Palio di Siena?
Maybe you have heard the name before, maybe you have not. Maybe you know what it is, maybe you do not. Never worry either way – we’re here to explain it all for you! In the simplest terms, the Palio di Siena is a traditional horse race that takes place right in the heart of the historic core of the medieval city of Siena, with representatives of the different 17 quarters of the city (though only 10 can actually enter the contest each race) competing to win and bring back the honour of the win to their neighbourhood.
In more detail.
The Palio di Siena event and festival can trace its origins all the way back to the 13th century, when it was first conceived as a horse race to be held between the various contrade as the closing event at the annual festival celebrating the city’s patron saint, the Virgin of the Assumption, one of the Madonna’s many iterations. The contrade were named after specific streets in the city or after a church or, even, an illustrious family of the city. There were once many different contrade but the number reduced to 42 after the plague of 1347 and then to the current 17 in 1729 when the city was reorganised under the governor of the time, Violante of Bavaria. In 1605, the race was moved to the iconic shell-shaped piazza, the Piazza del Campo, where the event continues to take place to this day. Then, in the 18th century, the idea of holding a second race each summer was put forward and these two races themselves soon became the main events, though one was still held in honour of the Madonna of the Assumption. This, therefore, is how we got the Palio di Provenzano, dedicated to the Madonna of Provenzano, in July and the Palio dell’Assunta, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, in August.
What does the race actually involve?
On the days of the Palio races, the city is abuzz with excitement. Lots of people are dressed in medieval costume, the colours of the city’s contrade are flown throughout the winding little streets, thousands of locals and attendees flood the streets, there is a mass in honour of the event, there is a test-run, the horses and riders are blessed, and the Corteo Storico parade of about 700 people dressed as if they came right from the Middle Ages passes through the city to the event. The race then takes place in the evening, around 7.30pm for the July race and 7pm for the August race, with the 10 contrade representatives – three drawn by lots from the contrade that did compete in that month’s race the year before and the seven who did not. Riders wear their contrada’s colours and ride the horses bareback. The losing team is the one that came second, not the team that placed last, and the honour of the win goes entirely to the horse and not the jockey and a horse can even win if it crosses the finish line alone, without the rider. After presenting the winning horse with as banner of silk that has been hand-painted for the occasion by an artist the intense celebrations by the winning contrada then begin and can go on for months.
What should you keep in mind?
The palio is a big deal and the contrade become very competitive. Sometimes the celebrations can lead to scuffles between people from different parts of town. Be wary of this and try to avoid these disputes. It is also worth noting that the crush of the large crowd, while invigorating and exciting, can get quite intense. Those who are more frail or those bringing kids along should be extra careful as a result and might want to avoid going too deep into the crowd or too close to the front.
Once the race is over, there are all sorts of events and celebrations around town and, for many, this festive atmosphere, filling the streets with energy and excitement, is just as important as the event itself. In fact, some might not actually attend the event itself for various reasons – it’s too hectic, they don’t agree with the treatment of the animals, etc – but will soak up the unique energy and enjoy the experience of Siena at its most vibrant.
So, whether you are actually planning on attending the event itself or not, if you love to get a real taste of a place and their distinct local traditions then you should browse our villas with pools in Siena and plan a trip this summer. And, as we get closer to the dates themselves, if you’re thinking about just going for it all of a sudden, then be sure to check out our last-minute villas in Tuscany and come tick it off your bucket list stat.
