Siena's Palio Horse Race

Still today, many people also in Siena wonder how the Palio has come to our days keeping its charm, its beauty and its integrity. In effect, when we talk about the Palio delle Contrade of Siena, we do not refer to a historical commemoration, but to a rite, a tradition that was born in this Tuscan city hundreds of years ago.

The signs of the ancient cultural roots of the Tuscan city, such as the Etruscans, the Romans, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, can be found in the race, in the emblems of the Contrade, in the historical parade. For the Sienese, the Palio mainly represents the feeling of revenge of a population that was able to preserve its unsubduable spirit and its pride, even it had lost its ancient independence in the XVI century.
Today, the Palio is one of the most representative popular manifestations of the Italian culture, a moment of intense emotions followed with deep interest by the whole peninsula. The 75 seconds of one of the most absorbing and unusual horse races in the world represent its apex. Nevertheless, some rules established in 1644 still regulate this race and they establish that the jockeys ride their horses without saddle and defy each other with forbidden blows and any kind of tricks. Often, the visitors that cross Piazza del Campo in the days before the Palio are stunned by how this horse race can be organized in such a small place, with its peculiar shell-like structure and with very insidious bends and such a difficult course.
On the 2nd of July and the 16th of August each year ten of the sixteen Contrade in which the city is divided challenge each other to get the Palio, a cloth painted by famous artisans that is preserved for the future years. This city experiences days of celebration and race rituals that foster the interest of the visitors and arouse the tension and the emotions of those who lives it as a "contradaiolo".
The draw of the horses is one of the most expected and exciting moments. The trials are followed with trepidation and this is when one can see what horses are the best. Finally, the race takes place and the winning Contrada is celebrated.