Ninety seconds of bareback racing around Piazza del Campo
Twice a year, on 2 July and 16 August, Piazza del Campo is covered with earth and turned into a racetrack. Ten of the seventeen contrade, the historic districts of Siena, compete in a bareback horse race of three laps, lasting about ninety seconds, for the palio, a painted silk banner.
The race is only the climax of days of rituals: the drawing of the horses, the trial runs, the blessing of the horse in the contrada's church, and the long historical procession of the Corteo Storico. Alliances, rivalries and secret deals between contrade make it much more than a show: for the Sienese it is the heart of civic life.
Tip: the centre of the square is free and fills hours before the race; seats on the stands sell out months ahead. The trial runs on the days before are easier to watch.
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