{"id":229,"date":"2023-06-28T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-28T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fontegaiatour.it\/en\/blog\/?p=229"},"modified":"2023-09-13T07:26:39","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T05:26:39","slug":"our-palio-di-siena","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fontegaiatour.it\/en\/blog\/our-palio-di-siena\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Palio di Siena: four days, 96 hours and a sense of belonging that lasts for a lifetime"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Palio di Siena<\/strong>: four days, 96 hours and a sense of belonging that lasts for a lifetime. For most of those who come to Siena during these four days, everything seems crazy, out of reality. And it’s a little bit true<\/em>! It is as if the city went back in time, as if the ordinary flow of events followed its own rhythm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a complex cog that works all year round through the work of the “contrade<\/strong>“, we can call them districts. They are the heart of the city. 17 small industrious worlds that carry out many activities such as the courses for the flag makers, the district archive, the courses for bishops and drummers, the contrada museum\u2026 And within each of these little universes, everyone dreams, lives the four days of the Palio in their own way<\/strong>, following their own superstition, their own feelings, their own heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why in our article we will not tell you about the “ordinary” Palio but about our 96 hours of Palio!<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Piazza
Prove di notte<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Night trials<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the essential things for us is to see the “night trials”, during which the admitted horses are chosen to participate in the \u201cbatterie\u201d. It is now a ritual, such as breakfast with brioche and cappuccino at Bar Fiorella!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You enter the square when it is still dark and you leave with the first ray of light!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First day of Palio<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first day of Palio we go to Piazza del Campo early in the morning. That’s necessary to ensure the best perspective for taking pictures! We usually choose San Martino. Sometimes we are so close to the track that the tuff scratched by running horses hits us! In the time between the batteries, the choice of horses and the assignment of these to the districts, we make our considerations, hypotheses and breakfast at Pizzeria San Martino!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We look at the assignment of horses, after which we accompany our horse to our district, (if we take part to the Palio!) singing or in silence according to fate! Then the captains of the districts make agreements with the jockeys to define who will ride the horses. At the same time, the \u201ccontradaioli\u201d try to get information as soon as possible!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s talk about the horse.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It is generally not allowed to approach the stable or the horse during the four days of the Palio. But we always try to see it because the horse is the true soul of the Palio<\/strong>! Some districts, such as ours, are lucky enough to have a large garden where the horse can move around. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are truly fascinated by horses. Their beauty, elegance and strength is addicting and every time we make predictions on who will win! There’s usually one of them that makes our heart beat. That’s why we often get attached to it, which is not necessarily the strongest or the favorite. About photograpy: we really like to photograph the horses of the various districts on the tuff. As if we were professional photographers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s get back to our Palio…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We use to watch the morning rehearsals on TV, while we always participate in the afternoon ones. We usually wait for them in the district, playing table football or following the children in training for the flag. Before entering Piazza del Campo, a slush at the Masgalano ice cream shop is a must! It’s our favorite in the city!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that, we do a couple of laps on the tuff to listen to the various “capannelli”. These are small groups of contradaioli who chat and exchange ideas on what will happen during the race!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>
\"\"<\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>
\"\"<\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When requested, we also organize visits to our contrada museum where <\/strong>you can find the palii<\/strong>. There are also the dresses worn on the day of the Palio or for the contrada’s festivals. Moreover, the museums keep important objects collected over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We like to observe the \u201cProva generale\u201d from a particular point of view, from the gates behind San Martino. That’s where the carabinieri on horseback enter. This spot is loved by children who can stroke the Carabinieri’s horses<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Palio Day!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On this day, the colors of the flags, the sounds of the drums, and the emotions of the Sienese people invade the city. We like to observe the raising of the Bishops to see which flags go higher!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the incomparable stuffed ciaccino at Poppi pizzeria, at 2.00 pm we join the district for the blessing of the horse and the jockey. The most exciting moment culminates with the anthem of the district that echoes in the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We await the race, wandering around the city, following the historical procession and the emotions of the moment. After that, we get back to the district where we have our usual location to follow the race on TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a time that can be very short or very long, the winning contrada reaches the \u201cbandierino\u201d after three laps. Then we run to Provenzano<\/strong> (in July) or to the Duomo<\/strong> (in August) as winners or as spectators of the triumph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while we sing the Te Deum<\/em> in honor of the Virgin Mary, everything ends but everything begins again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Palio di Siena, four days, 96 hours and a sense of belonging that lasts for a lifetime. For most of those who come to Siena during these four days, everything seems crazy, out of reality. And it’s a little bit true! It is as if the city went back in time, as if the ordinary flow of events followed its own rhythm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[20,1,3],"tags":[22,21,6,7],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fontegaiatour.it\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Palio_di_Siena_agosto_2011_-_Palco_dei_Giudici-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa7uIP-3H","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":293,"url":"https:\/\/fontegaiatour.it\/en\/blog\/paulo-coelhos-alchemist\/","url_meta":{"origin":229,"position":0},"title":"Travelling with Paulo Coelho\u2019s Alchemist","author":"Fonte Gaia","date":"11 October 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In addition to being one of my favorite books, \"The Alchemist\" is the emblem of THE journey: a journey understood in a physical sense, which lasts for two years through three main stages and an even a deeper journey, understood as the revolution that happens inside ourselves.","rel":"","context":"In "Travel Diaries"","block_context":{"text":"Travel Diaries","link":"https:\/\/fontegaiatour.it\/en\/blog\/category\/travel-diaries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fontegaiatour.it\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alchimista-cover_copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C848&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fontegaiatour.it\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alchimista-cover_copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C848&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fontegaiatour.it\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alchimista-cover_copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C848&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fontegaiatour.it\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/alchimista-cover_copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C848&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":262,"url":"https:\/\/fontegaiatour.it\/en\/blog\/handbook-for-a-summer-car-trip-in-europe-with-your-dogs\/","url_meta":{"origin":229,"position":1},"title":"Handbook for a summer car trip in Europe with your dogs!","author":"Fonte Gaia","date":"9 August 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Taking your dog with you on holiday is certainly a priority, but we must pay attention to his needs in order to guarantee him a pleasant and safe journey. 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