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Horse races unlike any other: Crowds of over 40,000 cram a medieval square in Siena for the wild contests

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The Palio di Siena is considered the world’s oldest continually held sporting event. | WIKIMEDIA

This month in Italy marks the celebration of Ferragosto, or Assumption Day, on Aug. 15. The term Ferragosto comes from the Latin Feriae Augusti meaning Augustus’ rest which was a celebration introduced by the emperor Augustus in 18 B.C. with ties to an existing festival celebrating the conclusion of the harvest.

During these ancient celebrations, horse races were organized across the Empire, and beasts of burden were released from their work duties and decorated with flowers. Such ancient traditions are still alive today. They remain virtually unchanged in their form and level of participation as is exemplified during two historical horse races which take place respectively on July 2 and then again on Aug. 16 in the city of Siena.

The Palio as depicted in 1913. | WIKIMEDIA

The first is called the Palio di Provenzano, in honor of the Madonna of Provenzano, a Marian devotion particular to Siena. The second race is known as the Palio dell’Assunta, better known as the Palio di Siena. The word “Palio” comes from the Latin pallium, a piece of precious fabric given as the usual prize to winners of the horse races in ancient Rome.

Siena, located in Tuscany, is one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations. The medieval city has always attracted visitors with its museums, cuisine, and unique cultural traditions and the historic center has been recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site.

Banners of various contrade are proudly displayed. | ADOBE STOCK

Both races take place in Siena’s Piazza del Campo, the main medieval square. The events are a competition among the city’s districts, called contrade. This tradition dates to 1633. Considered the world’s oldest continually held sporting event, it draws over 40,000 people and is celebrated with great passion by the participants.

A historical procession takes place before the big event. | WIKIMEDIA

Siena has 17 contrade, each of which has a unique name. These are Caterpillar, Dragon, Eagle, Forest, Giraffe, Goose, Owl, Panther, Porcupine, Ram, She-Wolf, Seashell, Snail, Tortoise, Tower, Unicorn and Wave. Each contrada features its own emblem and colors which are displayed throughout the winding streets of the city to identify each district.

Citizens in each of these districts work year-round for the activities taking place in their “neighborhoods” Each contrada has its own museum of memorabilia and many churches. Pride in one’s contrada is so deep you can only be a part of it if you are born there.

The horses and fantine at the starting gate. | wikimedia

Both races take place over a four-day period from warmups on the first day until the actual race. The first day is for the tratta, which is when horses are assigned to each contrada and based on a lottery. Private owners, including some jockeys, offer the pick of their stables. Capitani, officials from the participating contrade, then choose 10 horses three days before the race. Since bribery is commonplace the residents of each contrada, known as contradaioli, guards their stable and rider carefully.

The horses are of mixed breed; with no purebred horses allowed. The field consists of 10 horses, so not all 17 contrade can take part each year. The seven contrade that did not participate in that month of the previous year are automatically included; three more are chosen by draw. This takes place in the last days of May and at the beginning of July.

Each contrada has their own fantina (jockey) but not their own horse. There are six trial runs before the official race, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Both races take place in the evening and are preceded by a historic procession followed by dinner outside hosted by each district. On the day of the palio the city holds a Messa del Fantino (Mass of the Jockeys) in a chapel next to Palazzo Comunale. The identity of the jockeys is announced at 10:30 a.m. during the segnatura dei fantini and then around 3 p.m. the horses are blessed in churches of the contrade which they will represent.

The race only lasts a little over a minute, as the horses must complete three full laps around piazza del Campo. The jockeys ride bareback from the starting line, an area delineated by two ropes. Nine horses, in an order decided immediately before the race starts, enter the space. The 10th horse, the rincorsa, is held outside the starting area. When brought inside the mossiere (starter) activates a device that instantly drops the canapo (the front rope). This process, known as the mossa, can take a while, as deals are made between various contrade and jockeys which determine when the rincorsa is brought in.

Of course, the winner is the horse that first crosses the finish line with the symbol of its contrada. Surprisingly the horse can be declared the winner even if the jockey is not on the horse.

While the majority of horse races must adhere to specific standards and regulations the Palio can be a perilous race for both horses and riders. Much of the danger stems from a lack of standard rules for the race. A major part of the race is for the competing contrade to prevent rivals from winning. Districts are known to form alliances and this of course forms rivals who will try anything to cost the opponent’s victory.

When a contrada fails to win, its historical enemy will celebrate that fact almost as much as their own victory. Few things are forbidden to the jockeys during the race; they can pull or shove their fellow riders, hit the horses and each other, or try to hamper other horses at the start.

Considered the world’s oldest continually held sporting event, it draws more than 40,000 people each year.

Viewers who are willing to pay 250 Euros and up can take all this in from stands set up around the racetrack or from the houses around the square. Spots that are standing-room-only are free, but visitors should be prepared to arrive hours early to get a better view. This is especially true for those who want a prime spot next to the racetrack.

The prize for the winner is il palio, a banner which is hand-painted by a different artist for each race. It is affectionately called the cencio (the rag) or drappellone and is held vertically on a black-and-white shaft halberd with a silver plate on top and two white and black plumes flowing down the sides. The award is given promptly after the race finishes and is followed by celebrations which go on for months for the victorious winning district. The prize remains in the possession of the winning “team” but is returned to the city the following year after the date and name of the winner are inscribed on the back.

The most successful district is Oca, the Goose, which has won 64 races according to records first noted in 1644. Oca is followed by Chiocciola, the Snail, with 51, and Tartuca, the Tortoise, with 46. Oca also has the most recent wins with 21 victories between 1900 to 2010. Just behind them are the contrade of Selva, the Forest, with 18, and Drago, the Dragon, with 17.

The most feted fantina of all time is Andrea Degortes, also known as Aceto (vinegar) with fourteen wins from 1964 to 1996. Coming in second is Angelo (Picino) Meloni with 13 wins and Luigi (Trecciolino) Bruschelli is in third place with 12 wins. Bruschelli actually claimed he won 13 races because his horse won during what would have been a 13th victory, but the horse crossed the finish line without him, and he was not given credit as the jockey.

The most successful horses were Folco and Panezio with eight wins each, followed by Topolone with seven. Since 1900 only three contrade have won both the race in July and the one in August with the same jockey. Tartuca had this honor in 1933 with the jockey Fernando Leoni on Folco. In 1997 the contrada Giraffa won both races with jockey Giuseppe Pes and in 2016 the jockey Jonatan Bartoletti, riding “Preziosa Penelope,” won both races for the contrada Lupa (the She-wolf).

The significance of the banner presented to the winner is unique because it represents a particular historical period of Siena. The banners often reflect the symbols of the various governments that have ruled at various times, including the crest of the grand duchy of Lorraine, the crest of the Kingdom of Sardinia, the crest of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, symbols from Fascist Italy, and more recently, imagery of the Republic.

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