The Palio Di Siena Horse Race

What:  The best of Siena, the unique bi-annu­al Palio di Siena see’s a city obsessed as 10 hors­es and rid­ers select­ed out of Siena’s 17 Contrade’s (regions) com­pete in a bare­back pas­sion­ate 3 lap race across the main square of Siena in the Piaz­za del Cam­po.

Begin­ning four days pri­or to race day, the build up con­sists of the draw­ing of lots, the parad­ing and draw­ing of hors­es, tri­al races and a bless­ing cer­e­mo­ny and on the day itself, a catholic bless­ing a parade through the entire­ty of the city and a fire­crack­er dis­play, which sig­nals the start of the race as the 10 race hors­es thun­der around the city square aim­ing to be crowned the cham­pi­on of Siena.

When: The race takes place Bi-Annu­al­ly, every 2^nd of July (Palio of Proven­zano) and 16^th August (Palio of the Assump­tion).

Where: The race itself takes place around the Piaz­za del Cam­po, Siena Italy, which is trans­formed into a cir­cle like are­na, with spec­ta­tors hud­dled togeth­er in the watch­ing pad­dock in the cen­tre and in the bal­conies over­look­ing the cen­tre. The build-up includ­ing the parade and bless­ing and the after­par­ty where the vic­tor is car­ried through the streets of Siena take place in the streets lead­ing to Siena’s main cathe­dral.

Dura­tion: The race itself lasts for around 90 sec­onds, with the build up tak­ing place over the pre­vi­ous four days. The race day itself begins at 8am with a bless­ing and cer­e­monies which car­ry through to mid after­noon and the start of the parade at 3pm which winds into the Piaz­za del Cam­po at around 6:00 – 6:30pm with the race offi­cial­ly due to start at 7pm.

Tick­ets: There are both free tick­et and tick­et & Din­ing and bal­cony options for watch­ing the Palio di Siena Horse Race. The best spots in the free pad­dock are claimed in ear­ly morn­ing with the pad­dock being full by around 4:30 pm. Tick­ets for bal­conies and win­dows which over­look the race start from 300 Euros and are best found at www.jacopodellatorre.com. 

Need to Know: Expect a bustling city, with the entire of Siena obsessed with the race and in full tur­moil, so accom­mo­da­tion, restau­rants and even space will be at a pre­mi­um. For those opt­ing for the free view­ing of the race in the pad­dock, expect a long day stand­ing, with a strong sun and min­i­mal access to food, so it’s high­ly rec­om­mend­ed to bring your own water, snacks and sun­screen.