Facts about Italy presents Il Palio di Siena - Unique experience
Imagine this. A jostling, impatient crowd of 33,000 people closeted in a square. An absolute cacophony of bells, bugles, trumpets and drums. Fluttering flags, spectacular banners and myriad colors all around. Charged excitement in the air. A boom echoes around the arena and suddenly a group of horses appear goaded by their jockeys. The crowd goes crazy, voices at their peak. The horses race around the arena, the jockeys intent both on racing as well as displaying open hostility to fellow jockeys. For two minutes, the entire world is filled with thundering hooves and the din of the crowd.
Twice each summer ten horses are selected to represent ten of the seventeen contrades (or “city wards”) of Siena, in a horse race celebrating a famous apparition of the Virgin Mary. The Palio di Siena always sees the piazza packed with spectators, but it’s not due to the particularly complicated tradition and history of the event; in spite of the detail in its preparation, the Palio is really all about the spectacle – it’s a colourful cultural celebration, a high energy, patriotic sporting event. The pageant that precedes the race builds excitement amongst the crowd as flag-wavers in medieval costumes parade through the streets and mounted, sword-bearing carabaneiri charge around the track. The race has a history of being taken very seriously, and in the bleachers of the Piazza del Campo, it’s difficult not to be consumed by the infectious enthusiasm.
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