For this blog, I wanted to discuss the most traditional and unique holiday in all of Siena’s culture: the Palio! To oversimplify, the main event of this medieval festival is a horse race between ten of the seventeen contrade, or neighborhoods, of the town that takes place on July 2 and August 16 in the central Piazza del Campo. I had read plenty of articles about it before arriving in Siena, but I don’t think anything but seeing it take place firsthand could have helped me recognize how central this event is to Sienese culture. To elaborate, I’d like explain how historians and average citizens perceive the Palio!
Our cultural professor at the Dante Siena program may not be a Siena native, but his extensive knowledge on the history and customs of the Palio is truly second to no one! As he explains, the Palio is actually more about the horse than its jockey. Some hours before the race, every horse is taken to it’s contrada‘s church to receive a special blessing: to go and return a winner! The titular “Palio” is the name for the large painted silk banner that the winning contrada will be able to display in their local museum. These often feature the flag patterns of the ten participating contrade and some graphic of a horse, but will always show an image of the Virgin Mary—to whom the race and the city are specifically devoted to.
In medieval times, as the professor explained, contrade were strictly divided, with various rivalries and alliances. This horse race was both an event to blow off some steam (as post-race fistfights between very devoted fans are accepted as part of the Palio culture even today!) and to establish which contrada would have rule of the city for the year. There’s plenty of customs that may come off as strange to foreigners, he adds, but it’s most important to note that the Palio is a nearly five-centuries-old tradition that tourists should respect. For example in my experience at the Palio the other day: the Piazza, even crowded with thousands upon thousands of people, must be in dead silence while the horses’ starting lineups are announced! And while not as grievous, most native citizens of Siena prefer that tourists who aren’t strongly invested in their culture do not wear the fazzoletti (bandanas or scarves featuring their contrada‘s flag).
I found that average citizens are more likely to talk about their own contrada in the Palio, and this is where the aforementioned rivalries and alliances dominate conversation. Speaking with my host the night of the race, she said, “So long as Valdimontone doesn’t win, everything is good!”
Most contrade have a rival, and all will have at least one ally. Our contrada, Nicchio (“the seashell”) is rivals with Valdimontone (“valley of the ram”), and allies with Bruco (“the caterpillar”), Tartuca (“the tortoise”), and Onda (“the wave”). Allies are known to help each other out either financially or—as it’s whispered—with certain maneuvers during the race itself. My host adds: the gravity of these ties between contrade remains present all year! She rarely enters Valdimontone, despite it being a few streets away, because they are Nicchio’s enemy.
As extreme as some of these traditions may seem—and this doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface!—the spirit and excitement of the Palio truly can’t be matched. The dedication to this holiday even after five centuries is unbelievable, and I highly encourage anyone who is interested by what I have to say to read up on it or watch videos in their own time.