Siena’s Palio, the Fabled Running of the Horses

It’s the middle of the afternoon and hot, on the day of Siena’s Palio. In 10 chapels and 10 city districts, 10 priests await the contestants.

On one narrow cobbled street in the Aquila (eagle) district, a banner-waving crowd bursts into cheers as a racehorse led by a groom in brilliant medieval attire approaches the tiny chapel. Heavy doors open in welcome. Dutifully, the horse squeezes through. The crowd shoves feverishly behind.

Inside, a priest beams benevolently. Worshipers hush. “Vai e ritorna vincitore” (go and come back a winner), the priest solemnly instructs the horse, bestowing his blessing with the sign of the cross.

Cameras flash. Somehow the horse turns around and well-wishers flatten against one another as the animal is led quickly to safe quarters to await the flamboyant race, a three-lap, frenzied dash around Siena’s beautiful main square, the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo.

Peril and Pageantry

This is the fabled Palio, perhaps the world’s wildest horse race, a contest between bareback riders representing the city’s rival districts, known collectively as contrade . It takes place each year on July 2 and Aug. 16. One of the most magnificent public spectacles ever conceived, it’s an all-stops-out, dangerous event.

Flag twirlers, trumpeters, guards armed with ancient crossbows, drummer boys, horsemen in armor, and horses in leather and brass strut up and down old Siena’s winding streets.

Thousands of spectators stream toward the sharply curved, oval dirt track bordering the piazza. Flags wave from balconies of mellow Tuscan buildings. The excitement is bewitching--even the pigeons seem to sense something extraordinary as they swarm from rooftop to rooftop.

It’s 5 p.m. A cannon announces the opening of the official Palio parade. Bells toll from the tower. Mounted carabinieri in elegant red, white and black uniforms move gracefully forward in smart-stepping formations.

Each of the city’s 17 contrade displays its distinguishing, eye-blinding colors as young Romeos in vivid, two-tone tights and belted, flared tunics throw flags imperiously into the air, catching them with swooping precision. The brigades move at a measured pace, savoring the honor they bestow on their contrade .

The crowd, packed like raisins in a box, presses against the railings. Some faint in the heat. Medics whisk them to the ospedale , a first-aid station sandwiched between marble pillars adjacent to the Gothic Palazzo Pubblico, the town hall.

Peering down at the ospedale from an arched window in the Palazzo Pubblico, a handsome businessman from Rome keeps track of the fallen. “ Numero quindici “ (No. 15), he announces to his richly dressed companions. Cool and pampered by wine and hors d’oeuvres, he basks in his privileged bird’s-eye view of the madcap Palio.

“ Viva Italia! Viva il Palio! “ he shouts.

Afternoon shadows move slowly across the massed spectators. Still the Tuscan bell tower blazes orange in the sun. Still the splendiferous pageant marches on. It’s nearly 7 p.m. on the clock tower overlooking the piazza. Two splendid white oxen enter the ring, signifying the ritual’s end.

At last, 10 jockeys in the gaudy colors of their contrade trot onto the track. Balcony spectators lean precariously forward. With rising passion, the crowd below swarms like bees. The horses charge from the starting rope.

A mighty roar explodes as 100,000 people frantically wave their arms and pivot in unison, following the galloping horses clockwise around the track. Reckless bareback riders without stirrups furiously prod the unruly horses. Three times they circle. Three times the crowd turns for the climactic showdown.

The Lupa (wolf) contrada wins! “ Lupa , Lupa !” the crowd screams.

Weeping, shouting fans break onto the track. Hugging, kissing, slapping shoulders, they carry the ecstatic Lupa rider around the piazza and into the streets. Months of preparation have gone into this 90-second race. Now it’s time for the reward: all-night feasting and celebrating in the Lupa contrada . They have won the right to the coveted prize, the Palio banner with the painted image of the Madonna.

Winning the Palio is complicated. In general, the best rider on the best horse wins. But for a horse race fanned by flames of centuries-old contrade rivalry, that’s too simple. Luck and the art of cheating, Machiavelli-style, mix into the Palio’s caldron of pomp, history and myth.

The magic spectacle has its roots in the Middle Ages when Siena was an independent republic. In those days the 17 contrade flourished as separate military societies, the soldiers of each jealously defending their own special section of the walled city. Horse races, along with fistfights, stone-throwing battles and fencing were an integral part of Sienese life.

Today the competitive contrada spirit of old lives on. Each district maintains its traditional colors, flag, emblem, church, parish priest and civic organization. Their names read like colorful animals in a children’s book: Pantera for panther, Oca for goose, Tartuca for tortoise, along with dragon, snail, giraffe, mountain goat, duck, porcupine and caterpillar.

Children of a contrada are baptized twice, once by the contrada priest and once by the head of the contrada at the district’s fountain. Each child learns early to identify the “enemy,” usually a neighboring contrada .

Only 10 of the 17 contrade compete in each Palio. Contrada contestants are chosen by lot. Horses are also drawn by lot--but only three days before Palio day. As for the jockeys, they are highly paid professionals brought in from the outside.

For example, a particularly daring jockey may always ride for the owl contrada . But if the owl has no entry, for the right price the jockey will ride free-lance for any contrada --except, of course, the owl’s bitterest enemy.

Because luck plays a major role in drawing the best horse, jockeys are the key to victory. Minutes before the race, unabashed wheeling and dealing fills the air. “Only the horses don’t take money,” said a restaurant owner when asked whether a jockey could be trusted.

Most of the bribe money is pledged seconds before the race--by the jockeys. As they anxiously line up for the start, a whispered word or certain gesture may buy their way into a better starting position. Or they may agree to whip a rival’s horse into a frenzy or promise to push a certain opponent off the track.

It’s all part of the game, part of contrada strategy. Growing up in Siena, you intuitively understand such sotto la tavola (under the table) shenanigans.

The Palio over, the Sienese are again brothers as dawn breaks the day after the race. Workmen haul dirt off the track and remove the railings that restrained delirious spectators. Cafes set up awnings, tables and chairs, vendors peddle post cards and souvenirs, shops proudly hang hand-painted ceramic plates on old stone walls.

Now rumors circulate about how the race was won and lost, about how one contrada connived to ensure that a betting favorite--an enemy--got off to a bad start. Stories abound about how much jockeys were bribed. Is it true that the Porcupine jockey was run out of town? How much money did ruling contrade families pledge to the Lupa treasury for the victory feast?

Who knows for sure? But it’s sheer delight to speculate while sipping a cappuccino in the piazza, once again claimed by the ubiquitous pigeons. Ah, the pigeons know. They were the ones who saw it all.

-- -- --

Siena is about 30 miles south of Florence. The old city, with its 17 contrade , is built on three hills encircled by about five miles of walls. The Palazzo Pubblico (town hall) on the main square and the Duomo, the main cathedral, are its most celebrated buildings.

The interior of the town hall is noted for its fine frescoes and superb view of the piazza below. For a panorama of all Siena and the surrounding Tuscan landscape, climb the 286-foot bell tower. The Duomo, with its stunning red, black and white marble facade, is 10 minutes from the piazza.

You discover Siena by walking. No need to worry about traffic because much of the old city is closed to vehicles. Siena is known for its ceramics, pastries, schools of music and medieval art. As in Florence, there are many chic boutiques.

On Palio day try to arrive by 8 a.m. in the Piazza del Campo, where the Archbishop of Siena celebrates mass for the jockeys. You will have to park outside the city walls. Allow 20 to 30 minutes to follow the crowd. Everyone’s headed for the piazza.

The horse blessings are at 3 p.m., but this is Italy and this is the Palio, so ceremonies are not necessarily punctual. Ask a piazza shop owner where to see a chapel blessing.

You have to stand right next to the chapel doors if you hope to push in after the horse. Inside the tiny churches, contrada workers await the arrival of the celebrated contestant. Add the horse and there’s little room for curious visitors.

Before the main procession, contrade groups in centuries-old costumes march informally through the city. Many head for the front of the Duomo, where at about 3:30 p.m. you can watch their amazing flag-throwing skills.

Standing in the piazza center for the Palio parade and race is free, but it’s no place for small children. The crowds are crushing. If you want to be close to the track, stake out a spot well before noon. The sun can be relentless, so take a hat and a thermos. If you go to the piazza after 4 p.m. be prepared for a police-patrolled, steerage-style entrance from one of the streets leading into the main square.

If you have bought a balcony ticket (which means looking out of one of the many windows facing the square), you must be seated at least half an hour before the procession begins.

Before the big race there are several trial races that you can watch free from the piazza. They begin at 9 a.m. and 7:45 p.m. on the two days before the Palio. In the late evening before Palio day, the contrade hold banquets at community tables set up in the street. Tourists are welcome. Visitors may also attend the traditional feast of the winning contrada offered to all Siena.

Times for the two Palio dates vary slightly. On July 2 the procession begins at 5:30 p.m., with the race at 7:30 p.m. On Aug. 16, ceremonies begin at 5 p.m.; the race is at 7 p.m.

Palio tickets are limited, difficult to get and cost $40 to $90 U.S. Most in the vast crowd watch the race free. For information about Palio tickets and accommodations, contact Siena’s tourist board: Azienda Autonoma di Turismo, Banchi di Sotto 20, 53100 Siena, Italy. Another source of tickets is the travel agency Palio Viaggi, 7 Gramsci Square, Siena. On Palio day, scalpers sell tickets for more than $100 U.S. You’ll find a tourist information office on Piazza del Campo, 55/56 in Siena.

You’ll definitely need hotel reservations if you’re in Siena for the Palio. The jolly Hotel Excelsior is a four-star hotel on the Piazza La Lizza in the commercial center of the newer section of town. It’s behind a red brick facade set with neoclassical trim. Doubles are 230,000 lire (about $185 U.S.) a night; breakfast is included.

The Grand Villa Patrizia, 52 Via Florentina, also is a four-star hotel. It’s outside the city in a park dotted with old trees and sculpture. A double is 162,000 lire (about $130 U.S.) a night; breakfast is extra.

For a splendid view of the city, try the Garden Hotel, 2 Via Custoza. This three-star hotel was once a country house built by a Sienese aristocrat in the 16th Century. A double costs 90,000 lire (about $72 U.S.) a night; breakfast is not included.

A three-star pension in Siena with old-fashioned charm is the Palazzo Ravizza, 34 Pian dei Mantellini. It’s an old palace within walking distance of major attractions. Doubles are 76,000 lire (about $62 U.S.) a night; breakfast costs extra.

Siena has many good restaurants, particularly around the Piazza del Campo and the Duomo. Simply walk from restaurant to restaurant and look at the posted menus and prices. If you can’t figure out the difference between a ristorante, taverna or trattoria , just remember that those with white tablecloths are the most expensive. For a complete meal with desert and coffee, the menu turistico (special of the day) is the best buy.

One way to keep meal prices down is to (when ordering a la carte) skip the entree (meat and fish are expensive in Italy) and order soup, salad, a pasta dish and glass of table wine. For desert go to a gelateria for a big cup of ice cream.

For more information on travel to Siena, contact the Italian Government Travel Office, 360 Post St., Suite 801, San Francisco 94108, or call (415) 392-6206.