The Palio of Siena

The Palio race is named after the prize: the Palio was a very fine cloth, it became a painting in the eighteenth century, some of them have been designed by well known artists.
Since 1656, the municipality of Siena (then called Balia) takes charge of the organization of the Palio, from that year the victories of the Contradas are registered . In 1729 the governor of Siena, Violante from Bavaria, establishes the boundaries of the 17 Contradas, and it is decided that no more than 10 Contradas can partecipate to each Palio. The Palio takes place twice a year (July 2nd and August 16th): each time the "festa" goes on for four days and various events take place.
In the first day there is the "tratta": the extraction and subsequent matching of race horses to the Contrade. In the ring of stone around the square, covered with a layer of "tufo", six times they run (each morning and each evening, until the date of the Palio) during these rehearsals the jockeys have the opportunity to better understand the behavior of the horses and get them used to the square, to its sounds and rhythms. The rehearsals, "prove", and also the Palio itself, can be seen from inside the square (free admission) or on the stages around the Piazza (fee). The Palio is won by the horse, with or without rider, who first has completed three laps of the square. In the afternoon of the Palio day, at about 4 pm, from the Cathedral starts the Corteo Storico (historic parade going through town), which includes representatives from the City and the knights and historical institutions of town as well as representatives of the contrade.
The race starts when the first nine horses are lined up in front of the hemp, but only when the jockey riding the last extracted horse enters galloping between the ropes. Once the race is over, hundreds of Contradaioli rush under the stage of the Captains to withdraw the Palio, which will be first taken to church, then preserved forever in the museum of the Contrada. Who wins celebrates also the defeat of rival; for those who did not win, to see its rival losing is still a success.

Additional information and schedules can be requested at the reception of the Hotel.
The hotel can also reserve tickets for the stages around the Piazza (at least a few weeks before the race)