The Palio dell’Assunta: the city’s passion and traditions
A little history
The origins of Siena’s Palio are lost in time: it is however certain that in the thirteenth century a race “alla lunga”, with a different course, was held. The nobles brought their best horses and devoted their victories to the saints. The prize that was given to the winner was a pallium, that is, a precious piece of cloth that gave the name to the event. It was during the Renaissance that the Contrade appeared, and the nobles began to delegate the race to their colored jockeys whose nicknames have been handed down to this day. It was, however, only in 1633 that the first Palio “alla tonda” took place, and it was held in today’s square in Piazza del Campo. The ‘600 is also when the obligation for jockeys to run “alla bisdossa” was introduced, that is without a saddle, and to assign the horses to the Contrade a few days before the race.
The Palio today: the sacred and the profane
Today, the Palio is regularly held twice a year, on July 2 and August 16, and only 10 districts take part in every race: the 7 who did not participate in the previous competition and 3 which are drawn among those who participated. On August 16th, the actual race begins around 19, but the historic procession winds in the afternoon for the streets of the center with knights and figures dressed in the traditional clothes of their Contrada. About 19 jockeys go to the area of the mossa, that is, the starting line, and the only judge of the race, the mossiere, tells them to the order of alignment to the canapes, previously extracted by lot. It is the entry of the tenth horse, which arrives galloping at the canapies, to determine the start of the race: this is the most delicate stage of the race because it is the time when the jockeys try in secret to agree on a departure that disadvantages the opponents and, with the resulting confision, the entry of the tenth horse can be invalidated several times. Once they start, the horses have to run three rounds of the Campo and the first one that reaches the finish line, with or without jockey, wins and is brought to triumph by the cheering Contradaioli.
Visiting Siena during the Palio dell’Assunta
Attending the Palio of Siena is a unique emotion because it is an extraordinary way to live the true spirit of the city. The Contrades come alive and you can breathe in the air at first the tension and rivalry, and then the explosion of the greatest joy: a plunge of sacred and profane that repeats year after year always with the same strength and intensity. Visiting Siena on the occasion of the Palio dell’Assunta, therefore, is a wonderful way to really get to know the city and all its folklore. A great idea in this regard, to avoid the hustle and bustle of the center, can be that of staying in a structure just outside the walls, such as our 3-star Hotel Italia. Alternatively, to fully enjoy the holiday but with more detachment, you can choose our 4-star hotel, immersed in a green park, the Hotel Garden or our farmhouse Villa Agostoli, from which you can enjoy the relaxation and beauty of Siena’s hills of the countryside while being in proximity of the city center.