In Piazza del Campo in Siena (Piazza del Campo) are the traditional races Palio (from the Italian "Il Palio", which means the banner - the trophy of the winner). 17 districts (counterparts) of the city compete in the competition. Horse racing is organized twice a year - on July 2 and August 16. If you are going to Siena in mid-August, then you have a chance to watch these traditional races.

Riders must ride bareback three laps of 333 meters each. If the rider falls during this extreme race, his horse ends the competition. In the final, not the rider is honored, but the winning horse.

Piazza del Campo is the main square of the city of Siena, where the horse races take place. In the center, the City Hall "Palazzo Pubblico" (Palazzo Pubblico), also known as (Palazzo Comunale) was built around 1297-1310 by the Government of the Nine as the building of the city administration. Siena was a free city of the republic (for comparison - in Ancient Russia Veliky Novgorod was such a free city, in Germany - Hamburg). A government of nine came to power in Siena in 1287.

Seventeen participants - Siena's contradas have their own names and emblems: Aquila (Eagle), Bruco (Caterpillar), Chiocciola (Snail), Civetta (Owl), Drago (Dragon), Giraffa (Giraffe), Istriche (Porcupine), Leocorno (Unicorn) , Magnifier (She-wolf), Nicchio (Shell), Oka (Goose), Onda (Wave), Panther (Black Panther), Selva (Forest), Tartuka (Turtle), Torre (Tower) and Valdimontone (Sheep Valley).

The area where the races take place does not belong to any of the contradas.

Lady of the contrada Bruko (Caterpillar).

Ladies with contrade symbols

Each contrada has its own coat of arms, colors and motto. These funny names for a modern person also have their own history. Each citizen of Siena remains "attached" to his district from birth, even if he moves to another district.

Lady of the Contrada Aquila (Eagle). Looks like the coat of arms of the Russian Federation

In the Sienese chronicles of the 12th-13th centuries, the festive races are referred to as "Palio di San Bonifazio" - "The Palio of St. Boniface".

The symbol of the Oka (Gus) district on a city street. It started to rain

In the Middle Ages, Siena was one of the richest and most cultured cities in Europe, the traditional Palio became a festive event in honor of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, protector of the free city. During the holiday, representatives of the city authorities and citizens solemnly brought candles and gifts to the cathedral as a token of gratitude and devotion to the Mother of God. Chronicles of 1200 tell how the townspeople "brought candles into the temple" in honor of the holiday.

For popular fun, the so-called "Deputati della Festa" were elected, which are mentioned in documents of the XIV century. "Deputies" performed certain festive organizational tasks, for which they received the necessary attributes.

The Palio races were usually attended by noble citizens. The prize was a pallium: a long piece of precious fabric, like a banner-trophy of the winner.

Horse racing in Siena. Contrada page Nikkio (Shell).
Retro postcard.

Victory and defeat were strictly delineated by mocking "prizes". In the chronicles of 1238, a case is described when the loser in the race "did not take the pig", for which he was fined 40 coins. Most likely, the losers were given not a live pig, but a headdress in the shape of a pig's muzzle. This taunt showed the difference between first and last in the competition.

Racing in Siena, 1965

During the Renaissance, the city holiday included ball games, mummer dances, bull racing (later donkeys) and all sorts of hooliganism that ended in injuries.

Traditional races took place along a long route. Noble gentlemen no longer wanted to take part in competitions themselves and hired jockeys. There were gambling, betting on the winner.

In the Middle Ages, fairs were held on the square, merchants from different cities and countries came here. Roads from the square led to Rome to the southeast, to the sea to the southwest, and to Florence to the north.

Equestrian competitions in Piazza del Campo began in 1656 and continue to this day.

Initially, the races were held only on July 2 in honor of the Madonna di Provenzano (Madonna di Provenzano) - the patroness of the city. The second date of the Palio appeared in the 18th century, when the winner from the Oka (Goose) region in July 1701 made a bet that he would win the second race on August 16 in honor of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Madonna Assunta).

"Palazzo Publico" in cloudy weather. The city changes in the rain. (Guests from "bog Petersburg" immediately spoil the weather).

The town hall is adorned with the Torre del Mangia tower, which is 102 meters high. The city of Siena competed with Florence and the city decided to build a tower that would be taller than the main tower of the rival city. The height of the tower in the Old Square in Florence is 94 meters. The construction of the tower began in 1325 and was completed in 1349.

The name of the tower was given in honor of the bell ringer Giovanni di Balduccio, who became famous for his love of a plentiful table, for which he received the nickname Mangiaguadagni (which means a spender who spends a lot of money on feasts). The Sunto bell (the name comes from "Maria Assunta", that is, "Ascension of Mary") is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and was installed on the tower in 1666. This bell signals the start of the Palio race in Siena.

The design uses my photos and illustrations from the site sienafree.it

Since the middle of the 14th century in the Italian city of Siena, competitions between urban districts, the so-called. contradas, which are magnificently furnished horse races and are called the Siena Palio. Despite the fact that the races themselves last a little over a minute, this competition, which, by the way, is quite unsafe, attracts many tourists here not only from Italy, but from all over the world.

(Total 11 photos)

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1. The horse is led through the streets of Siena. 10 horsemen take part in the races, each of which represents 10 of the 17 "counters" - the medieval districts of Siena. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

2. Riders during training. For a whole year, contradas are preparing for the Palio: they sew luxurious medieval costumes, conduct rehearsals, processions, and trainings. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

3. A rider from the contrada Montone rushes past the audience. Competitions take place on the main square of the city - Del Campo. Piazza del Campo, or simply Campo, is the central square of Siena, which, for its uniqueness, has found its way into all textbooks on the history of architecture. Almost all the central streets of Siena converge on this most beautiful square, which, if you look at it from a height, has the shape of a shell. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

4. A horse representing Nichio County, accompanied by a groom. Campo fills with thousands every year local residents in medieval costumes, jugglers and magicians, standard-bearers and warriors. However, the main participants of the holiday are, of course, horses. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

5. The races themselves, during which riders drive bareback horses, include three laps in Piazza del Campo, 333 meters (thus, the total length of the distance is exactly 1 kilometer), on which a thick layer of sand is specially placed. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

6. They usually last no more than 90 seconds. Riders ride in medieval costumes, without saddles, while they are allowed to push each other and even throw rivals off their horses. Sometimes jockeys will fall off their horses during tight turns, after which the horses often finish the race alone, without a rider. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

7. In reality, the Palio is won by the horse representing the contrada (city district). In the case of such a victory, the rider does not receive prize money for winning the races. Pictured: Selva County jockey Alberto Riccieri fell while racing. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

8. Tartuka district Luigi Treciolino is in the lead. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

9. Medics help Alberto Riccieri after his fall. Palio races are not safe, the sharp corners at the base of the Sienese trapezoid are not all horses / riders can withstand. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

10. Winning Paleo is like winning the Olympics. The winner becomes a real hero, but to come second (namely second) means an indelible shame! The race ends with processions through the city that last all night. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

11. Luigi Treciolino celebrating his victory. The winner becomes the most famous citizen until the next race, and his name is forever inscribed in the history of Siena. (Fabio Muzzi/AFP/Getty Images)

If Florence is the Sun of Tuscany, then Siena is its Moon. If Florence is Moscow, then Siena is Tver. Florence got worldwide fame, but it was in the rivalry with Siena that she was forged to become. Siena still retains its proud and unique character and many unique traditions, buildings and art.

The most famous annual event in Siena is the Palio. Palio is a race that takes place twice a year - in July and August. The scale of this event cannot be overestimated. The whole city is in turmoil. Incredible crowds of tourists gather from all over the world. All main streets are blocked. All of Italy, with bated breath, is watching the outcome of the race. The race itself takes only 90 seconds - the horses rush three circles along the rim of the extraordinary main Siena square - Il Campo. But preparing for the race takes at least a few days of rituals, rehearsals, fuss and anticipation. The Palio is the quintessence of Siena and even, in a sense, the quintessence of traditional Italy.

Many years ago, I already visited Siena, was smitten by it on the spot, and for me it has forever become one of the most favorite places in Italy. This time we ended up in Siena literally on the eve of the Palio. Getting to the Palio itself is an almost impossible task, Arab sheiks and American billionaires pay incredible money for the few seats in the houses around the square, and mere mortals take free seats in the center of the square 24 hours before the competition. But the Palio rehearsals - which take place on the days leading up to the Palio - can be attended with much less effort. What we did!

And it's worth starting from the panorama of Il Campo - the main square - on the day of the rehearsal!

Of course, we first walked along it in the afternoon. Piazza del Campo is one of the most glorious medieval squares in Europe. It is decorated with the main building of Siena - Palazzo Publico (town hall) with its tower, Torre del Mangia - whose silhouette, once seen, you will never forget.

Campo Square is also unusual in that it was built in the shape of a shell - its floor is sloping and, as it were, converges to one central point, this gate to the town hall. Now the slopes - the shell flaps - are not visible, because an earthen path has been laid around the square, along which the Palio horses will actually run!

The whole city is full of anticipation. There are posters everywhere that explain exactly which entrances and exits will be open on Il Campo at what time. There will be such a crowd that understanding the complex geography of the old city can be very useful!

The only vehicles that can enter Siena on this day are the vehicles that deliver the horses.

Siena is historically divided into 17 contrades - that is, historical administrative units-communities. Each contrada has its own borders, flag, colors and emblem. For example, there is the Eagle counter, the Dragon counter, the Snail counter and the Tower counter. It is between the contradas that the competition takes place during the Palio. Each contrada is also united by neighborly and kindred ties. Already on the day of the first rehearsal, the contradas begin their festive preparations for the races - which looks like blocked streets and a joint meal. In general, tourists are forbidden to walk along such a street, but I pretended to be incomprehensible and even took a couple of pictures. This is the feast of the Tower contrada.

Wandering around Siena, there is no doubt what kind of contrada you are in - flags are hung everywhere. This street is the boundary between the Tower and the Unicorn countertrades.

Such privacy as in the previous picture is almost impossible to find in Siena these days. This pandemonium looks more like this:

We stumbled upon the flag-bearers of the Turtle contrada, who were impressively rehearsing their dance -

Now throwing flags up, then intricately crossing them -

But finally evening and we took our place in the fenced center of the square.

Looking around the area:

I stop at Torre di Mangia:

Sky look:

The stands at the town hall are full of children of every contrada:

Which are fiercely photographed by photographers:

Worth it! Dragon Contrast.

Children of the contrada of the Tower - it so happened that we lived in a hotel on the territory of this contrada and I also really like its colors, so I have it in almost every photo.

Spectators settled on any available balcony and ledge!

The audience is full of excitement:

We notice the horses and jockeys that go to the victory lap:

Contrad children rejoice when they meet their representatives:

In general, only 10 contradas out of 17 participate in each Palio. The system by which they are selected is as follows. In the Palio of August 2015, there are 7 contradas that did not participate in the Palio of the previous August, plus three more contradas, which are chosen by lot. The same system applies to the July Palio. Thus, in given year a given contrada can participate in both Palios, only one or even none of them - depending on its turn and luck.

The most successful contrada is Goose's contrada. For 400 years, she has won the Palio 65 times. Orel's contrada won the least - 24 times.

Riders in the colors of the Dragon and Snail contradas. For the Sienese, the Palio is a matter of life and death. The contrada that wins the Palio rises from happiness to heaven and arranges a huge celebration. Her traditional enemies - each contrada has its own - are grieving. But the saddest are the so-called "grandmothers" ("nonna") - this is the contrada that has not won the Palio for the longest time. To date, this title belongs to the she-wolf contrada - her last victory was in 1989!

And finally, the cannon fires and ten horses rush to the gallop around the square - the rehearsal has begun! I deliberately publish the video I made in full in order to convey the atmosphere of excitement and chaos that reigns in Piazza del Campo even during rehearsal - I imagine how crazy it is there during the Palio itself!

The rehearsal is over, the tourists are leaving for their hotels, and the Sienese are leaving for the contrada holidays, which will go on almost continuously until the Palio junction!

Then (it was a Thursday) we certainly didn't know who would win the real race on Sunday. The Palio on 17 August 2015 was won by Lesa's contrada. The future winner is visible in the video. This is a horse and a jockey in an orange and green suit.

There is a town in Tuscany, Siena, in which twice a year even the most Good friends can become fierce rivals. And all because of the Palio - traditional horse racing, in which ten teams, each representing their own region, take part.

Siena is one of the most beautiful Tuscan cities, the historical center of which has preserved the buildings of the XIII-XIV centuries. No matter how trite it may sound, all city streets lead to the venue of the Palio - the central square of del Campo. Its semicircle resembles the shells of a shell, and this impression is reinforced by white stripes dividing the area into nine sectors. Thus, even in the Middle Ages, the Italians managed to create a masterpiece of architecture from a not very successful relief. The very pavement of Piazza del Campo is lined with zigzags and divided into sectors with white stripes, the number of which is equal to the number of rulers of Siena in the XIII century. The area is surrounded by: a town hall with a tower 100 meters high, a museum, a reservoir of Fonte Gaia and ordinary residential buildings. And twice a year, the Palio festival comes to Piazza del Campo.

Scene: Piazza del Campo, Siena, Italy.

Official website of Siena: www.comune.siena.it

GPS coordinates:

Latitude: 43° 19′ 6″ N (43.318333)

Longitude: 11° 19′ 53″ E (11.331389)

How to get to Siena. From Russia and Ukraine you can fly by plane to Florence. Then by train or bus to Siena.

By car from Florence, take the E35 (A1) to the Firenze Impruneta exit and after the roundabout go straight south to Siena on the Raccordo Autostradale Firenze - Siena

History pages

The history of the Palio begins in the 14th century with bull and donkey races. Only then riders moved to horses. The official birth year of the Palio in Siena was 1310. It was then that the big city council decided to celebrate it together with the Assumption of the Virgin Mary on August 16th. The equestrian competition was supposed to be the apotheosis of the festivities in honor of the victory over Florence 50 years before. Only in 1656, the charter of the Palio was approved by the bull, since then it has been called the Palio Contrade (countries in the city are called contrades). Two summer dates were chosen for its holding at once: July 2 and August 16.

The very word "palio" refers to the banner that passes from hand to hand of the winners of the competition. key point events are not even horse races, but a competition of 17 city contrades. Each team has its own coat of arms, flag and patron animal. Here you can see an owl, an eagle, a panther, a she-wolf and even a dragon. Of the 17 contradas available, 10 teams take part in the competition. And the jockey of each of them is dressed in the uniform of his district with the flag and coat of arms of the team. List of contradas of Siena: Aquila (Eagle), Bruco (Caterpillar), Chiocciola (Snail), Civetta (House Owl), Drago (Dragon), Giraffa (Giraffe), Istriche (Porcupine), Leocorno (Unicorn), Lupa (Wolf), Nikchio (Shell), Oka (Goose), Onda (Wave), Pantera (Black Panther), Selva (Forest), Tartuka (Turtle), Torre (Tower) and Valdimontone (literally "Valley of the Sheep" - often shortened to Montone).

Preparations for the next Palio in Siena begin immediately after the end of the previous one. The townspeople begin to train riders, rehearse and sew chic medieval costumes. And on the eve of the Palio itself, colorful costumed parades with dances and street performances take place through the streets of the town. A few weeks before the competition in Siena, you can meet groups of drummers, reminders of the approach of the race. And during the days of the Palio, no one is left behind. Even the policemen dress up in medieval costumes, mount horses and brandish fake swords.

The days leading up to the Palio are crazy. Even relatives belonging to different contradas begin to "intrigue" each other, and therefore simply disperse. It even comes to blows. But this is strictly prohibited. And, if the case of a brawl, and, moreover, mutilation becomes known, then the entire team will be disqualified for several years.

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How is the Palio

In total, the Palio lasts 8 days: from June 29 to July 2 and from August 13 to 16. In the first days (June 29 and August 13), called "draft", the selection of participants and the distribution of horses takes place. First, participants are registered, then the mayor of the city and the captains of the contrades choose 10 best horses, distribute them by drawing lots between the teams, after which test runs are held. They take place in the afternoon and, although they do not affect the outcome of the competition in any way, they always gather a large number of spectators on the impromptu stand of the square.

On the second day of the Palio festival in Siena, a procession of contrades takes place. Each team, dressed in "their" colors, marches around the city in a parade march. In June, this solemn procession stops at the Cathedral, and in August - at the church of Santa Maria Provenzano. Two training runs are held on the same day.

The brightest event of the third day of the Palio holiday is the equestrian parade of representatives of law and order. And with the onset of dusk, right in the middle of the streets, tables are laid in honor of the future winner of the Palio. It must be said that an ordinary tourist will hardly be able to participate in this banquet, since for this you need to have an invitation from the hosts. Trial runs are held on this day.

On the last but most important days of the Palio (July 2 and August 16), Piazza del Campo in Siena is filled with citizens dressed in solemn medieval costumes. By this time, the square itself is already turning into an impromptu hippodrome strewn with sand. Jugglers, magicians, standard-bearers and medieval ladies fill the stands, and tourists do not hurt to hurry up: it is better to take your seats before 17.00. Otherwise, the narrow passages of Piazza del Campo may not accept everyone.

The makeshift hippodrome explodes as fantini (riders) appear in the square. Each jockey is the face of his team, obliged to do everything for the victory of the contrada. Riders do not have saddles, but there are whips, which the rules allow to use even against rivals. Such liberalism often leads to the fact that good riders are simply knocked off their horses by less skilled, but bribed jockeys. Frequent and group blockages immediately after the mass start and in the corners.
The race itself, lasting three laps of 333 meters, takes less than two minutes, after which the winners are handed a banner (palio), with which the whole team goes to Provenzano in July, and in August to the Cathedral, where Te Deum sings. Well, in the evening there are mass celebrations with a feast and dancing. The winner jockey becomes, perhaps, the most revered citizen in the city, his name is recorded in the annals. In addition to him, the honorary guests of the banquet are always the captain of the team and the prior of the district church. But the fate of the losing riders is unenviable - disappointed residents of the quarter can even beat the loser. The funny thing is that the winner of the Palio is always the horse. Even without a rider, the first horse to reach the finish line counts as a victory.

And another feature of the Siena Palio is the complete impunity of the winners over the next few days. What on other days would be considered hooliganism is not punished immediately after the Palio, law enforcement agencies simply turn a blind eye to it. For example, there is a case when the winners of the “elephants” daily brought a live elephant to the area of ​​the “dolphins” and walked it until it laid a “heap”.