Il Palio, Siena, Italy. Il Palio delle Contrade, the ancient horse race, remains the focal point of citizens of Siena – rich and poor, young and old – as the different districts (contrade) of Siena compete every 2 July and 10 August. I have seen the race eight times if I count three times I watched on TV with friends in Siena. 

Belonging to a Contrada. The Palio is run with three laps around the main piazza (Il Campo) in less than two minutes but, more importantly, it runs through the arteries of every true citizen of Siena every minute of their lives. You are a member of the contrada (district) where you were born or where your father was born. Your contrada is more important than Siena, which is more important than Tuscany, which is more important than Italy. Allegiance to a Super Bowl or World Cup team pales in comparison to your identity with your contrada. Look at spectators in the picture I took of horses coming around the final corner of the 1987 Palio. There is real passion. The blue shirt of one guy is torn (above black, white and orange jockey’s hat), but it was not ripped on the first lap of the race.

Il Campo. The track is composed of dirt placed around the sides of the Piazza del Campo (known locally as Il Campo) in front of the City Hall or Palazzo Publico in Siena. I took one picture shown here from the bell tower attached to one corner of the attractive City Hall. The dirt track, which is on for about a week, is seen in this and in another picture taken from a high vantage point to the west.

Who gets to race? The track has room for only ten of the 17 contrade to participate. The seven not participating in the last race are joined by three who are drawn by lot from among the last ten racing contrade in an elaborate ceremony with drums, bugles and flag throwing. Thousands of excited Sienese outnumber the few visitors on the last Sunday in May. A roar goes up from a distinct section of the Campo as the flag of each of the three lucky contrade is hoisted outside Palazzo Publico (City Hall) to join the flags of the seven already participating in the 2 July Palio. 

So, how does this really work? A contrada’s members contribute money to hire a good jockey (fantino; typically from Sardinia) who can race bareback – no saddle or stirrup. A second pot of money is raised for the jockey to bribe other jockeys.

Seriously? Bribery? Three days before the Palio, the crowd is back in the Campo for another colorful ceremony when the ten competing horses are assigned by lot to the competing contrade. Some horses are better than others, so each assignment is accompanied by cheers, groans or sighs from different regions of the Campo. If your contrada draws a real contender, you may expect that a “friendly” contrada will use their jockey and less-capable horse to block the horse of your “enemy” contrada during the race, although betrayals – usually blamed on a bribed jockey – are not unusual. 

The Trial Run (La Prova). For each of the two days before the Palio, horses and riders are brought onto the dirt track. The alleged purpose is to run some trial races. Few jockeys seriously run their horses. The real reason is this is an occasion when jockeys can talk to one another. They have not had a nanosecond away from the hiring contrada members for weeks. One job of a jockey with a good horse and a purse is to persuade jockeys of other good horses to make less effort or jockeys with mediocre horses to aid him by troubling other contenders, especially from enemy contrade. Indeed, I have seen one Palio in which one jockey was paid simply to grab the jockey from an “enemy” contrada that had a very competitive horse and pull him off the horse; he did the job within 7 seconds of the start of the race. Naturally, people in the crowd at the Prova become anxious if certain riders have extended conversations.

The Prova Dinner. After the last trial race, members of each contrada will gather for a dinner in their largest piazza with much singing and cheering and some speech-making. 

On the day of the Palio, members of each competing contrada, dressed in 15th century costumes, march through the streets with many beating drums while flag throwers whirl and throw their flags high into the air in any available piazza.

Blessing the horse. The horse is brought into the contrada’s emotionally-charged chapel to receive the priest’s blessing that ends with “Go and return a winner!”  In the horse blessing in two different contradas that I’ve witnessed, it was the same, and the jockey remained unblessed. All day long, several thousand people trickle into the center of the Campo where they are encircled by the racetrack. In late afternoon, police close further access to the center; those who paid dearly sit in wooden bleacher seats outside the track.

The ceremonial procession begins with costumed officials, representatives of “dead” contrade (there used to be more than 17), marching groups led by their flag throwers, and finally the prize, also called the “palio” – a large painting on fabric by an artist who has freedom to create while incorporating prescribed Sienese elements.

The start of the race. Horses and riders emerge from the courtyard of the Palazzo Publico. The race entails going three times around the track, and it begins when the last horse enters the starting area proscribed by two ropes pulled across the track. A lottery held minutes before the race decides the order of the horses to enter the starting area and to line up. The last rider makes money from other jockeys, since he determines when they start. For example, an agreement may be struck to start when one contrada’s horse is ready and the enemy contrada’s horse is acting up or turned backwards.

The perils of the race. In each Palio I have seen, crashes occurred eliminating many horses, usually on the first lap in the eastern corner as the horses come slightly downhill and make a sharp right turn. The bareback riders are easily thrown, so the winning horse sometimes lacks a rider. There are few rules, so jostling, pulling an opposing rider off his horse, and using the riding crop on a competing horse or rider is part of the game.

At race’s end, the winning jockey is naturally jubilant, and the others apprehensive. Hot-heads, who feel their jockey was bribed to throw the race, may jump onto the track and pummel the jockey. Members of rival contrade who perceive some slight also resort to fist-fights. Police quickly have these under control. Tears stream in the winning and non-winning contrade. Passions run high, but there is only one winner owing to skill, luck, cunning and connivance. Partying goes on all night in the winning contrada, which a visitor can enter. Asking to see their collection of palios won in the past will get you into the museum housing the contrada’s trophies.