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One visit to the enchanting walled city of Siena in Italy will leave you completely under her spell and planning to return before you have even left rsspect.org Set amongst the rolling hills and valleys of the burnt Tuscan landscape, walking in Italy in and around this ancient Etruscan town will open a portal into a world of history, culture and true romance that can only be found in Italy. Apart from its stunning natural setting, which offers arguably the most beautiful walking in Italy, and its fascinating Etruscan history, Siena is most famous for the unique bi-annual ‘Palio’ horse race ambafrance-kwt.org The Palio di Siena is one of the most exciting events on the Italian calendar and the thrill of attending this frenetic, heart-stopping race is a true once in a lifetime experience. The race is steeped in the loyalty and history of the town’s ‘Contrade’; the districts into which it is divided nailmarketplace.com Each individual Contrada has its own coat of arms, emblems and patron saints, and each is fiercely loyal to their ancient roots nashvillesearchengine.com There are seventeen Contrade today, but the number was originally as high as fifty-nine, and ten take part in the pageantry of the Palio which is held in July and August every year newusedaircompressors.com The Campo – the central town square – is transformed into a sawdust-strewn track, and thousands of people pack tightly into the central piazza around which the race is run ourtreasuredtraditions.com The only entrances to the square are closed off minutes before the race begins, and once you’ve been locked out there’s no way to enter, even by walking in paelonline.com Italy’s most celebrated traditional horse race is all year in the preparation; three days of festivities in the build-up; yet unbelievably, the race itself is over in a mere two minutes. The preparation for the Palio begins as soon as the previous year’s race finishes, but the true party kicks off with the three-day festival which precedes the race. The entire city is adorned with the brightly coloured flags and emblems of the Contrade, and the carnival atmosphere is contagious. There are banquets, parades, blessings of the horses and all other manner of pomp and circumstance which the Sienese so love. If you are lucky enough to be in Siena for the Palio, it is hard not to get tangled up in the allegiances of the Contrade and everyone will find a favourite to cheer on. When the hour of the race approaches you must join thousands of spectators jostling and shoving for a prime position in the square. If you are one of the very, very lucky, or know a local with an apartment overlooking the square, you can sit back from a prime position and watch the crowd, like so many thousands of ants, walking in. Italy’s most famous horse race is about to begin. It is hard not to get caught up in the excitement of the moment, and the roar of the crowd from the piazza as well as the overlooking apartments is deafening. After several circuits of the track by traditionally dressed horsemen, musicians and race participants, the race proper is ready to start. The steward calls for silence and after an obligatory two, three and sometimes many more, false starts – they’re off! Two hair-raising laps around the piazza, with many thrills and quite a few spills, and the victor is decided. It’s over for another year, but the festivities continue well into the next few weeks for the winning Contrada – the prestige associated with winning the Palio is the best prize of all, and next year, they’ll be back to do it all again.
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