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Palio of Siena Il Palio di Siena Horse race

Siena is a is a wonder of Tuscany. Known throughout the world for the fastest and most dangerous horse race, il Palio. During the race, the town itself is awash with colour. Each neighbourhood has their own chapel, which is where anyone born in the area is baptised. This gives the town's community a tight knit feel, which is emphasized by the neighbourhood flags. Each one of the flags has different and vivid colours. These line the intricately entwined streets most of the year.

Build up to Il Palio di Siena

Race fervour in this Tuscan village starts about a month before the race itself. This may be as early as June. If you arrive around this time, you will see Il Campo slowly being built up. In the heat of the summer sun, seating is erected around the sides, where there are usually tables for restaurants all day.

You may also notice some groups of young people practicing their flag flying techniques. They do this in groups of 15 or so under cover of shade. We caught a glimpse of 2 opposing groups, with different colours of flags, just behind Palazzo Publicco. This was close to some restaurants next to a car park, out the back.

Colours of Siena - the Palio flags

During the palio, the flags and colours come to life. As each neighbourhood comes to the track they do so with a wave of local people flying the coloured flags with true pride, for all to see. The swathe of colour is breathtaking. The cheers from each team is truly passionate. This is a once in a lifetime experience that you will not forget.

The Race

The horse race itself is hard and fast. It runs around the track which is made of sand. The sand covers the bricks which are exposed the rest of the year. The dangers of the race are obvious to see. When all that counts is coming first, you do everything you can to win. The pride of a fired up Italian neighbourhood population is at stake. Passionate is not a strong enough word for it. Horses charge around the track and if a rider becomes unseated, tragedy can befall him physically, while the supporters will feel the pain of loss even before the race has ended.

Getting hotels for Il Palio

All accommodation and hotels will be filled for months if not years before hand. To be in Siena during June and August, when the races are run, is expensive and needs to be prebooked. Try to reserve your rooms at least one year before hand, if you wish to stay in Siena during the summer months. All of the central buildings are full to capacity with people hanging out of the windows.