{"id":97180302,"date":"2016-08-09T19:24:19","date_gmt":"2016-08-09T19:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/?p=97180302"},"modified":"2016-08-09T20:39:56","modified_gmt":"2016-08-09T20:39:56","slug":"palio-di-siena","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/palio-di-siena\/","title":{"rendered":"Palio di Siena: The Italian Medieval Horse Races (That You Can See!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sixty thousand people gather at Piazza del Campo in Siena <\/a>to watch a 90-second horse race around the square. Crowds cheer, jockeys maneuver the narrow curves of San Martino and struggle to stay on their steed. Children, as well as adults, root for their jockeys as they go through emotions of joy, frustration, and anger, all in a minute and a half. The stakes are high: The winner receives the Drappellone<\/em>, a one-of-a kind hand-painted silk banner specifically made for the race, and the bragging rights to parade\u00a0throughout the city for at least three months.<\/p>\n

If you find yourself in Siena during Palio di Siena<\/em>\u00a0(or simply just Il Palio<\/em>), you have to understand that it’s not just a horse race… It is a cultural event that is a year-round obsession for the people of the Tuscan city.<\/p>\n

\"Pic<\/a>

Pic by Sucheta Rawal\/ goeatgive.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Held twice each year \u2014 on July 2 (Palio di Provenzano<\/em>) in honor of the Madonna of Provenzano, namesake of\u00a0the famous church in Siena, and on August 16 (Palio dell\u2019Assunta<\/em>), in honor of the Assumption of Mary \u2014 the Palio di Siena<\/em> is a Medieval action-packed event that dates all the way back to\u00a01644.<\/p>\n

Both races feature ten horses with riders, bareback and dressed in full regalia, representing ten of the seventeen\u00a0contrade<\/em>, or city wards, throughout Siena. Established in the Middle Ages for military reasons, a\u00a0contrada<\/em> was originally nothing more than a few streets but it became a strong symbol of identification among the locals.<\/p>\n

Members of a contrada<\/em> share a strong bond and regularly come together to celebrate important events including baptisms, deaths, marriages, church holidays, and food festivals. Even today, inter-contrade<\/em> marriages means that husbands, wives, and their children\u00a0celebrate special occasions with their respective birth districts, as one can only be born into a contrada<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Each contrada<\/em> is named after an animal or symbol and has a long history as well as a complicated set of heraldic and semi-mythological associations. While visitors are usually not allowed into their private community centers, I got a chance to visit the\u00a0Bruco<\/em> (Caterpillar) Contrada<\/em>\u00a0to\u00a0get\u00a0a sneak peek at\u00a0how they prepare for the palio<\/em>… Which, as one former\u00a0Bruco\u00a0<\/em>jockey told me with great pride, the\u00a0Bruco\u00a0<\/em>Contrada<\/em> has\u00a0won 37 times.<\/p>\n

\"pic<\/a>

pic by Sucheta Rawal\/ goeatgive.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Horses that are chosen to run the palio<\/em> are picked by a lottery system, while jockeys are hired by each contrada<\/em> based on their expressed desire to win at any cost. Horses are blessed inside the church of the campus, as everyone prays to win against their rivals. A horse can still win the race without a rider. The members of the contrada<\/em> raise millions of Euros to cover the expenses of designing the expensive costumes, training horses, hiring jockeys, and throwing endless parties.<\/p>\n

Tips for\u00a0Traveling to\u00a0Siena during Il Palio:<\/h2>\n