The Palio of Siena. By Maria J. Falco, PhD

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1 The Palio of Siena By Maria J. Falco, PhD Why is the Palio of Siena called the craziest horserace ever run? Not being a horserace aficionado myself, I leave that question for you to answer. I ve only seen it once in person, in August of 1954 (!) but you can find videos of both 2015 races online on Youtube that were held on July 2 and August 17 of this year. The Tuscan city of Siena, located just south of Florence, began holding these races twice a year in The costumes and equipment used clearly reflect that time and place. The horses are not professional racers, nor are they bred to be. They are selected by each Contrada (city district) by lot three days before each race. No rider is professional either; they too are selected by their Contrada leaders from among their residents. The city is divided into seventeen Contrade, each with its own flags, colors and prospective participants. Ten horses and riders are chosen by lot from among those seventeen for the July race, followed by the remaining seven plus three also chosen by lot from the original ten, for the August race. If all this sounds confusing, it was meant to be: no Contrada, horse or rider is specifically known much before the first

2 2. race ahead of time, so as to make it extremely difficult for anyone to attempt to rig the outcome, although in times past, drugs and other factors were known to have been used. Since the race is run virtually bareback, the equipment for the race has never included saddles or stirrups. Every rider does have a whip made of dried bull s hide, to do with as he will: to hit his horse, or any other horse or rider that may get in his way! He may also attempt to push a rival into the wall if he thinks it necessary! (Nowadays, thankfully, the wall is padded to protect the jockeys and their horses from serious injury.) And, unbelievably, to push a rival off his horse and out of the race altogether is also not considered out of bounds!! Each race is held in the Piazza del Campo or public square, on which a thick layer of dirt and sand has been laid to prevent the horses from skidding on the stone pavement beneath. In front of the Palazzo Pubblico or city hall, as many as 28,000 people may be roped off in the center of the Campo to view the race, while approximately 33,000 others may rent boxes in or stand on the roofs and turrets of the buildings surrounding the square. The Palio itself is a specific banner ( Drappellone ) celebrating a particular Holy Day: The Madonna of Provenzano (unique to Siena and named after a thirteenth century Sienese hero) on July 2, and another on the day after

3 3. the feast of The Assumption of Mary on August 16 (or, in this case, August 17). Occasionally a third Palio may be held to mark a special event: the end of World War II in 1945, the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, the centennial of the unification of Italy in 1961, and in the year 2000, the new millennium itself. Early in the afternoon of each race, every Contrada has its horse and jockey blessed in the principal church of that district. Then, just before the race begins, a squad of Carabinieri or national police, on horseback wielding drawn swords, walk one lap slowly around the Campo and then run a second lap rapidly in anticipation of the race. Next comes a representative of the Commune of Siena bearing its standard (the black and white Balzana) followed by his groom, groups of drummers, trumpeters and other musicians, plus a series of representatives of the Podesta (city government), the Captain of the People, plus flagbearers carrying the flags of the old Republic of Siena. These are followed by representatives of the ten Contrade who will race in that day s event, accompanied by a row of young pages carrying festoons of laurel leaves (as in Ancient Rome), who are in turn followed by representatives of the seven Contrade who will perform in the next race.

4 4. Last comes the Triumphal Chariot (or Carroccio) drawn by huge white oxen, in which are seated four administrators of the current event, bearing the Palio (Drappellone) to be awarded to the day s winner. These individuals accompanying the Palio are then led to a platform erected in front of the Palazzo Pubblico from which they witness the race in its entirety. When they are seated, the flagbearers of all the Contrade perform what is called the gioco delle bandiere or game of flags in which they repeatedly throw their flags into the air and catch them before they fall to the ground (similar to the demonstration performed here in the New Orleans area in 2013 by the flag throwers of San Sepulcro). The race itself takes barely ninety seconds for the participants to complete three trips around the Campo, with a loud boom of a shotgun announcing the beginning, and another when the winning horse arrives at the goal. (Incredibly, the horse is the winner, not the rider, and it can win without the rider!) The loser of the race is the horse that comes in second, not last! This is accompanied by wild exaltations and applause by all those present, as well as by occasional violent skirmishes among rival attendees. The Contrada that goes the longest without a victory is disparagingly called a nonna or grandmother. Some districts have gone for over 30 to 40 years and longer

5 5. without winning a race. The Torre Contrada, for example, went without a victory from 1961 to Each Drappellone, is presented to the city about a week before the race: the one in July is usually commissioned to a local artist, while the one in August or on a special occasion, may be designed by an internationally recognized one. Attached are pictures of some of the races found on various websites, including my own: These were taken by me in 1954!! Picture # 3 should go at the end, after the picture of the banner (Drappellone)!

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10 Pictures from more recent Palios taken from the web: The Contrade of Siena

11 The Carroccio and Drappellone of 2015.

12 Flag Throwers.

13 Blessing of a Horse for a Contrada.

14 The Public Square and the Palazzo Pubblico with horses, riders and attendees.

15 OOPS!