Palio
Cultural & Historical Tours
Palio - Cultural & Historical Tours
Have you ever been to Palio?
Twice a year, a shell-shaped piazza in the centre of Siena becomes the setting for one of Italy’s most thrilling events: Il Palio. This quick-as-a-flash horse race is a battle between the districts of the city, and thousands of locals and visitors pour into the Piazza del Campo each year to watch the spectacle unfold. It’s a quintessentially Italian event, with excitement, grandeur and plenty of passion from all sides.
What is the Palio di Siena?
The Palio is a bareback horse race which follows a course around the edges of Siena’s medieval Piazza del Campo. Ten horses take part, representing 10 of Siena’s 17 contrade (districts). Each contrada has its own emblem and colours, which you’ll see plastered across the flags and banners that decorate the city in the days leading up to the race.