Palio di Siena

Seventeen wards, ten horses

The Palio is a horse race between the contrade, the wards of Siena. Of the city’s seventeen contrade, only ten run in each race: the seven that did not take part in the same Palio the year before, plus three drawn by lot. Horses are assigned to the contrade by another lottery a few days before the race, after trial runs and veterinary checks. The jockeys ride bareback.

The race circles the Piazza del Campo three times on a track of earth laid over the paving, with padded barriers at the corners. It usually lasts no more than ninety seconds. Jockeys are often thrown at the sharp turns, and a horse can win without its rider.

History and devotion

Races in Siena go back to the Middle Ages, and the first modern Palio around the Piazza del Campo was run in 1633. In 1729 the number of contrade was fixed at seventeen, and the number allowed to race at ten. The July Palio honours the Madonna of Provenzano; the August race, first added in 1701, follows the Feast of the Assumption. The winner receives the drappellone, a painted silk banner commissioned from an artist for each race.

The day of the race

For four days the city lives around the Palio: trial races in the piazza, dinners in the contrade, the blessing of each horse and jockey. On race day the Corteo Storico, a two-hour historical pageant with flag-wavers in medieval costume, fills the square before the start. The start itself can take a long time, as the jockeys manoeuvre and deals between contrade play out.

The horses

The Palio has long been criticised by animal-rights organisations, and by some veterinarians, over falls that have injured and killed horses. Supporters point to protocols introduced since the 1990s to protect horses and riders, including registers of approved horses and breeders; critics still call for the race to be abolished.