May 2, 2007

Italian Festivals: Il Palio, Siena

Tuscany in Italy has many treasures, from Chianti wines to Leonardo Da Vinci and the art of Florence, but for sheer excitement, it’s hard to beat the Il Palio event in Siena.

This is an ancient festival, steeped in tradition and going back nearly 1,000 years, and involves bareback horse racing amongst much pageantry in Siena’s main square, Piazza Del Campo. It takes place twice a year, on July 2nd and August 16th.

Whilst great for tourists to watch, this spectacle is a contest between the districts – or contrade - of the city. Each has its own colours and banner, and the Sienese take it all very seriously, with arguments often resulting about the allegiance of offspring coming from members of two different contrade.

Pomp and ceremony aside though, it is the racing itself that is the real adrenalin rush. A makeshift – and highly dangerous – course is made around Piazza del Campo. With a slippery surface and lots of tight twists and turns, often half of the riders don’t make it to the end. ‘

The riders – most of whom have been hired for their skills from elsewhere in the country – take incredible risks in getting their horses around the track as quickly as possible.

The results are often brutal, with no rules restraining the riders from using violence and whips against other riders and horses. It’s certainly not pretty to watch, and it’s quite cruel, but it’s an undeniably great spectacle, and one well worth shelling out the money to get the best seats in the arena for.