The Palio di Siena is a horse race that is hosted twice a year in the small town of Siena, Italy. Each race is named after someone important. The first race “The Palio di Provenzano” occurs on the 2nd of July named in honor of Madonna of Provenzano and the “Palio dell’Assunta” which happens on 16th of August is named in honor of the Assumption of Mary. These races have been going on since the 14th century and continue to thrive today as well.
Siena is made up of seventeen contrades. Each year only ten of them compete in the race. These ten are the seven that did not participate the year before and then three wildcards that are just picked at random. Leading up to the race day each contrade has parades and parties to celebrate this year’s race. The parades go throughout the town and at night their parties usually consist of some kind of music dancing and some great food and drinks all open to the public.
Siena is a landlocked city. Inside the walls are the town and in the center of the town lies the Piazza del Campo. During the year it is a perfect place to hang out with friend eat at a restaurant or climb the tower. When it comes time for the horse race they fill the campo with sand and add bleachers along the outside for great viewing.
To win the race the horse must complete three laps around the ring. This usually only takes about ninety seconds. The horse does not have to finish with its jockey so it is very common to see a horse still running without its jockey.
The contrade that won the first race this summer is Andrea Mari, representing to Drago contrade. The last time they won was four years ago on July 2, 2014.