Siena and the Palio

A few years ago, 60 Minutes aired a segment about the annual Palio horse race in Siena. It was fascinating.  So much so that Harold and I decided if we were ever to travel to Italy again we would add the Palio to our list of must-see events.  We can now check it off our bucket list.  But rather than saying we "saw" the Palio, it would be more apt to say we "survived" it. 

FIRST A BRIEF EXPLANATION

The Palio is a horse race that takes place twice a year (July 2nd and August 16th) in Piazza del Campo, the main square (actually oval) of Siena. It has been an ongoing annual event since the 1100s. The Palio's  cancellation due to Covid was the first time it had been cancelled since World War II. 

Seventeen horses compete in the race, each representing one of the 17 contrade (districts) of Siena.  The contrade were established in the Middle Ages in order to supply troops to the many military companies that were hired to defend Siena as it fought to preserve its independence from Florence. Today, the communities are held together by their histories and sense of civic pride of the residents. Each contrada has its own church, flag, symbol, museum, fountain and adversary contrada. Every life cycle event is celebrated only within one's own contrada.  We were told that Sienese children are baptized twice; once in the church and once in their contrada.

The Palio is not some campy reenactment of a 12th century tradition. It is not like going to the Renaissance Faire in Lancaster County, PA.  All of Siena turns out for the event, and everyone takes it very seriously.  Months of preparation go into the planning of a race that takes 70 seconds to run.  (The horses run three times around the Piazza.) The costumes are historically accurate. The swords and armor are real.  

It is not unusual for violence to erupt on Palio Day. It is not unusual for jockeys to accept backroom bribes.  The rules are sketchy at best.  The only steadfast rule is that a jockey may not grab the reins of a horse that isn't his. Otherwise, no holds barred.  A jockey may whip the jockey next to him or even push him off his horse.  And, if a jockey falls off his horse, the riderless horse may still win the race. Did I mention the jockeys ride bareback?  Fifty horses have died in modern Palio events.  We truly did not know what to expect.

OUR EXPERIENCE

Zack arrived to share the Palio experience with us.  We were delighted to have him, torn ACL and all. (He will be having surgery in August).  The three of us wanted the full, authentic experience, except for the part where you stand in the middle of the piazza, crowded like sardines in a can, with tens of thousands of hot, smelly people in what I feared could be a super-spreader event.  

THE TRIALS

The Palio takes place over the course of several days.  There are five trial races prior to the actual race, two trials on the days prior to the actual event and one on the morning of the race.  The trials are used to eliminate the losing horses.  There are 17 contrade, but only ten horses qualify for the race.  As you wander the streets of the city in the days leading up to the Palio you are likely to see and hear much of this. 

Even the children participate in the lead-up to the big day.

In the evenings, each contrada sponsors a dinner for their members plus assorted guest ticket holders. We bought window seats for the first day of trials and tickets to one of the dinners. The windows are in the buildings that surround the piazza and overlook the hullabaloo. The apartment owners "rent" their windows to people who prefer a cooler, safer space from which to watch the proceedings.  

Our window was in the center building third floor, third from the left. 

And here is a view of the uncooperative horses. They had no interest in lining up in an organized fashion.

We were assigned to the Owl Contrada. We purchased our contrada scarves to fit in with our fellow civette (owls).  The owl contrada colors are black and burgundy. Burgundy is the absolute worst color for me given my hair color and skin tone. I would have much preferred to be included in the Eagle Contrada.  It would have worked for me on several levels. The colors are green and yellow, my personal palette, and being from Philadelphia...but ever the good sport, I rocked the burgundy as best as I could.  

To say the dinner was lively is an understatement.  Here is a small snippet.

We stayed at the dinner until just before midnight, a record for Harold and me, but the truth is, we didn't want to go back to the Airbnb I rented.  In a totally uncharacteristic move, I had neglected to notice that the apartment I rented did not have air conditioning, central or otherwise.  Here is the forecast for the days 

 

Call me a spoiled brat, but would you want to go home to an un-airconditioned apartment in that heat? The host did provide a few fans, but opening the windows to allow the fans to circulate cooler nighttime air instead of the trapped hot and heavy indoor air was akin to sending a formal invitation to hordes of mosquitos to swarm in and feast on the banquet of our bodies.  Needless to say, no screens on the windows.  Somehow we survived the night. If Harold and/or Zack was mad at me, they graciously didn't show it. 

PALIO DAY

We brought handheld fans.  We brought water.  We brought curiosity. We brought enthusiasm.  We brought sunblock.  And I brought a small helping of dread.  We could not score window seats for race day.  Instead, we had seats in the grandstand under the blazing sun. (Still better than standing in the piazza.) The event kicks off with a two-hour parade beginning at 5 pm.  The actual race takes place at precisely 7:45.  I made a personal pledge not to whine about the heat. 

It was a very easy pledge to keep. How can you whine about the heat while watching this?

Don't these youngsters look delighted to be wearing those costumes?

Have you ever seen happier oxen?

There were scads of EMTs scattered around the premises to jump to the aid of the heat-stricken, but surprisingly I didn't see any marchers being carried off the track.  However, several spectators succumbed.  

At 7:45 the unruly horses were ridden onto the field.  Lacking the dividers that are used in today's races, it was practically an impossible feat to get them to stand at attention at the starting line.  There were several false starts, including one during which a horse tripped, ejecting the jockey and sending him into flight over the horse's head. He landed on the ground in time for the horse to step on him with the full force of his equine weight. The crowd was horrified. The medics removed the poor man from the piazza and most likely raced to the hospital. I pray he is okay.  The crowd's horror dissipated with remarkable speed, I suppose figuring that the jockeys understand the risk they take when they sign on to this perilous exploit.

Finally, the race began and 70 seconds later it ended. The owl did not win. The dragon won.

We walked back to our steamy apartment from which we could appreciate this view of Siena. 

Rather than staying for one last sweaty night which is what we had originally planned, we packed our bags and headed back to our air-conditioned home in Florence.  

And that was that.  Another Kasdin/Weinstein adventure is in the books.  I can't think of an American event that parallels the Palio in scope or enthusiasm. The Super Bowl?  Nah.  Washington crossing the Delaware River each Christmas Day?  Hardly.  This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be sure.  Are we glad we went?  You betcha!  Would we go again?  Not even if they made me an eagle!