Many of the stories told here are exactly what I tell people, having lived in Siena for a summer in 2000 during the July Palio, as a young student. My host father, whose contrada, Istrice, won that night the first time in 25 years, spent every night for a month drinking red wine from a baby bottle, pacing the streets of Siena singing songs at the top of his lungs before stumbling home drunk with stained teeth. I can still hear those songs in my dreams...
1
The photography in this article is fantastic. The writing was pretty good too!
July, 2000. I was a student in Siena, on a homestay with a young family in the Istrice (porcupine) contrada. They told me wild stories--they were a "mixed marriage" they said, since dad was from Istrice and mom was from Pantera (panther). In other such “mixed marriages,” tales abound of grandparents taking the mixed offspring for a walk and secretly baptizing them in their contrada's church; another couple decided to give birth in a hospital outside the city walls, so the child wouldn't be born in either contrada. In the delivery room, the woman’s father threw a handful of dirt from his contrada under his daughter's hospital bed so the baby would be born “on” his contrada's earth.
Istrice hadn't won in 25 years. I recall that Contrade drew random lots in a ritual supervised in City hall to determine who would race. By some miracle, Istrice would be racing. My host father told me the people of Istrice pooled their money together to come up with a sum their jockey could use in last minute bribes while in the line-up. Istrice won that day. Grown men sobbed openly. It was a rebirth they said. 25 years coming.
My host father was basically drunk for a month. He sucked red wine out of a baby bottle tied around his neck, and with his fellow contrada-men, donned diapers, parading every night up and down the streets of Siena, singing ad nauseam the contrada's anthems, keeping many up and driving me nuts. He sang himself hoarse and ragged. I can still sing that haunting tune.
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What a wonderful recounting and inside look at Italian culture!
2
I believe it was Garfinkle who rode Simon, not the other way around.
"To watch Valentina secure one in the front row is to witness charm, fortitude and kung fu Italian-language skills in action.."
An excellent article. I've stayed in one of those houses under the Duomo, with frescoed cinquecento rooms, for the Palio and remember it just as it was told here. Very touching to see the locals so proud of their little town.
All of Tuscany is simply magical. Palio or no Palio. Thanks for a great piece here.
Wow having also been to the 2017 August Palio and love the event I am very disappointed with this article.
The article is poorly researched and contains in my very very average photographs. The author clearly hasn't spent much time actually talking to the people of Siena. The article reeks of, I have watched the film that's enough. As a side note the people of Siena do not much care for the film as it portrays this very myopic view of the event.
Il Palio in Siena is what binds the city and Contrada members together. The community spirt there is not something I have experienced anywhere else.
When I constructed my blog of the event in August 2017 I took the time to discuss it with people from Siena to make sure it was both accurate and sympathetic.
Additionally I was there for the main for days of the event not just the pageant and race capturing images that reflect the amazing people and their emotions.
I include my blog link below and urge the NY Times to look at it and reconsider this article.
http://blog.simongking.com/il-palio-an-outsiders-view/
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I live in Italy, and while I have not seen the Palio first hand I have friends who have. This article certainly brought me there. And yes, it did make me wonder what Hunter S. Thompson would have written. A writer I know in Italy has said that many people in Siena did not like the article and said it reflected poorly on them. Perhaps. But she and I both enjoyed the article. Kudos. And wonderful photographs!
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Siena is superb.
Too bad it, like most of the jewel-box cities of Europe, are likely to be overwhelmed in coming decades by immigrants from radically different cultures.
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The anecdote about the endless loudspeaker taunting made me fondly recall my visit to Siena, which was in late July 2000, a few weeks after the first Palio of that summer. The Istrice (porcupine) contrada had won the race for the first time in 25 years, and suffice to say they were excited about it -- we were awakened every few hours throughout the night, each of the two nights we stayed in Siena, by young men from the neighborhood beating drums, singing and marching through town.
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Beautiful pictures Mr Haslam.
But looking at those balconies filled with gullible tourists while hanging over the packed stands, one just has to cringe at the terrible danger if there is ever even a minor earthquake during that time. It is, after all a very earthquake prone country.
I once had that same feeling of dread while sitting in a unmoving traffic jam on the Frisco Bay bridge. A mere week later, on of those sections dropped during a devastating quake.
I love Siena. But despite the melodramatic romanticization of the author, the horse race should be left in the past. It is dangerous and traumatizing for the horses. We have to start showing some empathy for animals, instead of using them for our own pleasure whenever we want.
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Bravo! I completely agree, Katie!
Wow. Andy Haslam! Great work!
Thanks, Dwight Garner, for this great article. Even in my wildest, craziest days, I would not have been able to withstand the heat and crowds for hours, so thanks for this glimpse into the loony bin.
The torture museum is also a must see in Siena.
Have never been there (or to Italy at all) but loved this article! And thanks for the reference to the documentary, which I will hunt down.
There is a lovely children’s book, “Gaudenzia, Pride of the Palio,” by Marguerite Henry, that I had as a child, probably in the 50’s (?) that gives a pretty accurate description of what is described here. I have no idea if it’s still available but would be worth looking for. Also has great illustrations.
I found this article charming and the photographs stunning. I wonder, Mr. Garner, if you are familiar with Marguerite Henry's book Pride of the Palio? Check it out!
I enjoyed dinner in the Piazza Publico a month after the 2015 race. Our hosts described the frenzy/chaos/excitement in a way that mirrors the photos included here. Then we walked to the contrade of the August winner, to see their banner and their put-downs of the also-rans. But I think that’s as close as I ever want to come to experiencing Paleo...it’s a bit like New Year’s Eve in Time Square, which is to say something for the young [at heart]. Certainly not for the crowd-phobic.
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While this writer/observer captures many interesting details, his summary of the Palio as having a "part-festival, part-theatre ambience", misses an important ingredient. The "track" is on a graded slant, and, when I watched, many years ago, paved with smooth stones. As horses hurtled the track, jammed together, jostling and bumping, a few slipped and fell. One had to be put to death afterwards. Jockeys were thrown under thundering hooves. Along with excitement and pageantry was the ambience of barbarity and terror.
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How are horses getting injured and dying, without having consented to participate, something that people celebrate? Where is their empathy?
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"It is as strenuously male and macho as Nascar or professional wrestling" you state. I don't wish the to argue with that description, but you missed a chance to mention August 16, 1957 when the only WOMAN to ever race in the Palio--Rosanna Florini Bonelli--rode for the Aquila (Eagle) contrada. She lives today in Chianti and she and her children run a fantastic B & B there--Villa Astreo. We spoke with her back in 2011 and she autographed her autobiography "Io, Rompicollo" covering her experiences riding in the race and all that led up to it and afterwards. Fascinating woman, amazing stories, lovely family.
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I lived in Italy for six years and I had the very good fortune of attending the Palio - and the weekend - in July, 1995). I would add that the 90 seconds for the race was probably the longest amount of time I have ever gone without breathing. I finally understood what "breathless" really meant when applied to an event!
And as much as this article contains, it also misses some key points.
It is as non-commercial (no advertising badges on the jockeys, for example) as a competitive sports event can be. Probably the closest thing to it in the US may be a lower Division college football game on a Saturday in the Fall. I say this also because I had dinner the night before the race in one of the competing contrade. This was a pep rally on steroids - and in the tradition of cucina Italiana - a block party with food served hot, on china, with metal silverware. And wonderful singing.
During the weeks leading up to the Palio, factory workers who work side by side - but who come from different contrade - find their relationship turning very cold.
It is said that the race is felt by Sienese as the chance to defeat the much hated Fiorenze (Florence).
The horse representing the contrada was properly blessed in the local church that day.
I watched the race from one of the balcony windows overlooking the Piazza and it was magnificent and would be worth whatever the price.
Dinner afterward in one of the Piazza ristorantes was excellent and attended by a number of celebrities.
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Pls tell what was served for dinner! Wld love to attend one!
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I wish I could remember the details, but it was over 20 years ago. I can tell you though that it was a full Italian meal, primo, secondo, etc., and served hot even though they served over a hundred people! Unfortunately, it is an "invitation only" dinner.
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Dwight - You’re à screech !! & can have all of the sun-/Heat-drenched standing you’re up to. Thanks also for describing it; I’ll stick to Siena extra- Palio season. Keep On Writing !!!
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Timing is everything, sometimes. In August 1988, I spent the entire month traveling Italy alone. From Lake Cuomo in the north, to Sorrento in the south, the best day, by far, was the one I spent in Siena, the day before the Palio. I had never heard of the Palio until I showed up in Siena that day. A feast for the eyes! What was this glorious pageantry of medieval costumes, horses, etc.? The contradas, lined from one end to another with white cloth-covered dining tablesI How can I get an invite to this party? Ever since then, I have wildly encouraged friends to time their trips to Italy to coincide with the Palio. It's really a spectacle not to be missed.
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We went to Italy a few years ago for 18 days & spent 3 wonderful days in Siena. It was our favorite city in Italy. We got to see the kids practice band waving for the palio & it was great fun to watch. Siena is a real working town & it was nice to experience the less touristy part of it by being there after the hordes of tourists left each day. Staying over night & experiencing the town in the early morning & late evening made us feel we were seeing the real Italy & we feel is a must. We stayed inside the city walls- expensive but worth it to be able to walk back & forth into town at our leisure. The Duomo was well worth the trip to Siena alone. Siena is best experienced by taking things at a slow pace. We would definitely return. Tip: for better meals & cheaper prices head a few blocks away from the main square.
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The wine may be low priced but I’ve never had what you call cheap wine in Italy.
Ma de gustibus non disputatem.
Siena, even without the Palio, pure Tuscany. My favorite city in Italy. Visiting a few of the different contradas, to see their history, is a great way to understand Northern Italy.
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Loved ur article. I'm Italian and laughed all the way thru it! Been to Siena twice and it's a beautiful city and one of our faves. To linger in the piazza and imagine the Palio ... it's chaos ... But of course all beauty and culture in Italy is chaos in the best possible way.
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I attended a Medieval joust in Arezzo, near Siena, back in the 90's. Basically identical to this but with pikes and jousting dummies. It was an all day affair, beginning with watching the contradas march into town, chanting, drumming tossing flags high into the air. Later in the piazza, the contradas staked out homes all around the square, 3 and 4 stories high, and taunted each other with banners and song. By the time the joust began there were 2 busloads of carabinieri in riot gear standing by, just off the piazza. It was the most intense sporting event I've ever been to. Just an unforgettable day, full of color and sound and sweat. If you can make it to Arezzo or Siena for one of these, do it!
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This article and some of the comments leave me speechless. Promoting a spectacle in which scores of horses have been killed and hundreds (probably thousands) more injured is way out of bounds in this day and age. But the writer shrugs off what must be an utterly terrifying experience for the horses, reassuring us that no human participants were hurt on this occasion, giving it a big thumbs-up from Benito Mussolini, and moving on to pizza margherita.
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Maybe you could stop by bibo or bar centrale and buy a round of Vin Santo.
I couldn’t agree more. The endless video replays of previous races in all the Piazza bars were stomach churning. I could never watch that race. For that matter, after seeing a horse die during a recent Kentucky Derby, I can’t watch any horse-racing...
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Yep, slipping and sliding on the stones, as they did in the past, would knock any horse off its feet. I couldn't watch that.
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But the horses. This should be just for willing participants. Make it a piggyback ride or a footrace.
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Thank you for that brillant article, just loved it.
I was there in August 2013, arrived at 3 pm at Il Campo to secure a place. After 5 hours under the blazing Tuscan sun, endless parade and having made couple Brit fiends, the horses aligned at the start line. But it wasn’t to be yet. Two horses started bumping into other horses, backing off, causing the other horses to follow suit. What followed was 30 minutes of riders horsing around, whipping other horses and riding in circles. I had a crash course in Italian swearing as impatience, anxiety and stress mounted among the spectators, not without amusement. When finally the last horse has decided to join the party and the front rope was dropped, the whole Campo erupted in a giant roar in unison that would be uninterrupted for the 30 seconds or so that takes the career to finish. Never a better spectacle.
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Wow! This is quite an interesting and unique site to see, especially since there is a medieval based part.
Although everyone is saying that this is cruel, this is how many rodeos and shows work. They have to whip their horses to get them to go. Although it may be really cruel this doesn’t only happen in rodeos and other shows- this also happens in horseback riding, polo, etc. It is definitely understandable if you wouldn’t want to go because of animal cruelty though, as they have been forced to be in these shows.
Overall, I think this is really cool! Each type of show or rodeo have different aspects, but this one is extremely different and unique in a really good way. Not only does it express one certain section, it expresses multiple such as a medieval concept, a racing concept, etc.
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NYTcomment, it's not true that a jockey or competitive rider has to whip a horse in order to get him or her to go. I ride every day. I have a hard time holding my horse back when the weather's cool, and he's 23 years old.
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"The winning banner" IS the palio. Next time, have someone who lives and breathes the tradition of Siena's Palio write the article. Tourist impressions are sweet but cannot begin to touch the historical roots of this tradition.
And if you want complete lunacy, try the Ceri in Gubbio.
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I love Siena and can't wait to go back. I just wish they stopped the horse race. It is cruel. Can't they use hippy hop balls or something?
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You have glorified and made exciting the story of animal abuse, pure and simple. You write :"During the race, jockeys take their lives into their hands. "
That is the jockeys’ own choice! "The race involves three clockwise laps around one-third-of-a-mile track and there are tight turns. There have been dozens of serious injuries; videos of spills are all over YouTube. Horses are more vulnerable. More than 50 have died in these races since 1970; animal rights protesters have staged repeated protests." Many more horses than the 50, I assure you, die later from agonizing internal or external injuries, I promise you this. And, might you please explain what happens to these horses who are seriously injured either during or, as often happens, afterwards from having been in race? (Many die afterwards from being pushed beyond endurance. The lungs bleed, the horse collapses later, etc.) Why don't you finish your horrible story and tell it all? Please write about the selfishness and cruelty. The callousness. How the badly injured horses are sent alive to a slaughterhouse, many, if not euthanized on the spot, how they are cut short to a few years on this earth (most are young, well under 10 years, often only 3 or 4 years old, and a horse should live to over 30)? Doesn't this bother you? You should hang your head in shame. "Last August, I finally witnessed this spectacle, the world’s greatest horse race, for myself. " https://horseracingwrongs.com/
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Do you feel the same passion about what the human race is doing to each other?
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Great article. Wish there were more images of the loony bin.
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Martha: Thank you. I agree with you.
If this cultural event doesn't make acculturalized Italians of the wave of Syrian and other Arab immigrants, they probably neverl will join the Italian family.
Of course, if this was happening on the American Gulf Coast we'd be seeing young women on the backs of tipsy athletes.
Jockeys kidnapped,horses drugged - sounds iike a script of a Bond movie. Which sport is clean now-a-days? Why cannot journalists dig out the tricks played in horse racing for a win? When Panama Papers can be revealed,why not tricks in sports - horse racing,bull fighting,or cock fighting among others? Those who come to watch such sports are real fools. Or is it human psychology,to watch such sports? Jockeys bribing each other - sounds interesting. In India,gambling is not allowed,but horse racing is allowed. Strange.
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The tower of PALIO DI SIENNA is a remarkable building worth learning about
how is was constructed and what keeps it from falling underneath all those bricks.
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This is what all sport's contests should be; honest in their dishonesty! The illusion of fairness be damned!! Let foul play rule and you'll have the ultimate fairness!!
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Sienna is “must see!”
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The crazy thing is that each contrada has a nemesis contrada.
If your contrada draws a good horse, you can bribe other jockeys for the win and to block your enemy.
If you draw a bad horse, your jockey's mission is to ruin the race for the nemesis contrada.
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Horse racing is barbaric. When oh when will horses get liberated from humans? One would think motorized vehicles would have liberated them from us, but no, we had to condemn them to HUMAN racing spectacles of drunkenness and gambling. Spare me the “but they’re treated so well!” Horses are killed on racetracks around the world every day, just one part of the myriad injustices they suffer. Wake up people and evolve!
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Did no one but me read "Gaudenzia, Pride of the Palio"?
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The 'truffle dogs' mentioned at the end of the article must be the Lagotto Romagnolo. They are a very suspicious dog.
Photos of the dogs appeared in a Feb 18, 2018, Wall Street Journal article entitled: "The The Elusive American Black Truffle."
Oh my! Palio lawless? If I listed all the rules I could write a book. The Palio was raced with buffalos and donkeys in the past? Really? C’mon! Bleacher seats cost several hundred dollars? I can easily find them starting from 200 to a max 400 on the finish line. Bribery? Bribery is illegal, I would define it strategy since making agreements with allies IS part of the game. Not a word (probably has no clue) on the social role the Contrade hold during the entire year. Nothing about what breed the horses are, how they are selected and assigned by lottery. How about a few lines to explain the protocol in favor of the horse introduced this century? Did he know that the winning horse he witnessed belongs to Mark Getty? Why mention Noriega, Berlusconi and Mussolini in an article dedicated to a Medieval event that is not a glorification of the past but the past that in Siena has reached our present days intact. A vere distorted view of an event that goes on 365 days a year and where the race is just the tip of an iceberg of the hard work the Contrade members endure all year round. The irony and the paradox is that to learn about the event is best to come the furthest possible date from the Palio itself and hook up with a local that can show you and explain what a Contrada is. Pity because he writes so well! PS August is white truffle season?
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DON'T GO !! It's not worth it !!!
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When I read “lawless, medieval horse race” I thought oh oh, unmitigated cruelty will abound and yes, shallowly buried beneath the pageantry it is pretty clear that the horses are disposable chattel with injuries and death being the normal outcome for them after a race like this. All the pageantry and tradition in the world doesn’t make that fact any more acceptable.
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Ehm no...very few accidents in the Palio in Siena. They are of a special cross breed, very tough and raised specialy for these type of races. All the horses that participate are intitled to a pensionary (retirement home) when they end their career or even if they get injured in some other event, rather than being put to sleep, in that case the owners can simply send them to the Siena pensionary where they get healed for free. The average life expectancy for a horse that raced the Palio is 28 years. In America it's twelve...
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I agree!
Leave the animal cruelty out. Thanks.
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This is a moving and excellent article about the Palio- and the photos are superb.
My friend and I went shopping in Siena a few days before the Palio many years ago- the streets were vibrant with energy, the rival contrade singing with lusty voices, marching through the streets. To be even that close to the event was unforgettable.
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I was there in July 2016 for the “Rehearsal.” I was pressed right at the rail of the race track. There is at least one full rehearsal per race, so that means Siena holds FOUR Palios per summer. They know where their bread is buttered.
The “rehearsal” looked like an exact replica to me. Massive unbreathably dense crowds, gorgeous heraldry, insane chants and a weeping winning contrade. The real race was to be held the next day. Get me outa there! If you have no crowd phobias to speak of, you will not mind.
I liked Siena before the Palio. Once I felt its insane reality, I realized I could never live there. I would never fit into that intense repetitive old story. What the writer does not mention is that the race was instituted this way in the late Medieval era to stop murders/wars throughout the Sienese lands. That was the state of the entire peninsula we now call Italy. Everyone was stabbing everyone else. In order to stop the bloodshed, Siena instituted duking it out with horses. It worked. In Siena.
So excuse me if I don’t see this present nuttiness as cute. It only reminds me of the greater nuttiness of the past.
Siena now is the Palio. (Its famously faultless bank has badly stumbled.) I think I need more than a form of Italian Kabbuki Theater to feel at home. One well-off Siennese I met wanted desperately to move to Spain. Go figure.
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Bliss Travels goes every July and we have those amazing balcony and private apartment seats! It's an incredible show and a day full of energy and history. Love it!
We go to Siena at least one day every year as part of our summer vacation, but we avoid the chaos of the Palio weekend like the plague.
Siena is best experienced in the early morning hours of an early summer day, before the hordes of tourists invade it. Only at this time can one experience the real Siena - a time of the day when the locals get out of their homes to enjoy a cappuccino and cornetto in the local bars, reading the morning newspapers and talking about soccer results before heading to their offices, banks and shops for a day's work.
The real Siena is a live city with real live 21st century people, and in my opinion this is the best way to experience it, not as some sort of Disneyland amusement park.
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Having done both (in Arezzo, not Siena), my recommendation would be - do both!
2
Siena is a wonderful town! I spent four months there in 2011 and went back for the July Palio in 2014. I have to say- it was not as crowded as I expected! You imagine being shut in to the center of the race track smashed up against others but that wasn’t the case at all! There was plenty of room and the race is so quick there’s hardly time to get tired of standing. Very congested getting in and out of the center, of course! I’d recommend wandering off the Campo for your post-race meal, it will be less crowded and less expensive with better food and friendlier service! The Palio is truly a cornerstone of this beautiful city, Siena would be a very different city without it!
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Perhaps a centuries-old tradition involving terrorizing horses so the humans can have a little fun is what should die, rather than the horses. Maybe the "macho" men could compete in a mud run or something and forgo the abuse of the animals...?
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Was there six or seven years ago about this time. It was not during the running of the palio, but right before as the neighborhoods paraded in their colors. Quite fantastic. Siena is singular, even in Italy. I won't tell you my favorite hangouts, because I don't want to see Americans there, but it is an exquisite place
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I had the wonderful opportunity to study and live in Italy in the late 80's. My work brought me back there often . I have been to many Palios and stood in the Campo and on the bleachers and even a few times from an apartment balcony. I've experienced many of the contras events with local friends. Palio is an intense and very local experience - it would continue as is if no tourist showed up. Some of my best memories are associated with Siena. I have also seen the dark side of Palio and that someday many parts may have to change - that is a fight for others . My feelings about Palio are way to conflicted
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A few summers ago when my husband and I were visiting Siena, we walked outside and below the city walls and with a few others, watched a falconry demonstration. Watching the birds released and circling down from the walls high above us silhouetted against a brilliant blue sky was breathtaking. The respect and affection that the head falconer - a tall, older gentleman who had the bearing and profile of a latter day Medici- showed when he talked about, spoke to, and caressed his returning birds was clear. We were entranced.
That afternoon had none of the noise, “blood, sweat, and tears” ( and cruelty) of the Palio, but it was certainly equally magical.
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I’ve been to Siena, not for the Palio, and was amazed at how small the square is and it slopes too.
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"plentiful and inexpensive white truffles" ??
White truffles are neither. The inside of a black truffle is whitish, which is perhaps why the writer was confused.
As most European do not understand US societal events and dynamics equally most of the US citizen do not grasp what old EU custom are about. Of course some horses (maybe 1 or 2 each year?) are injured, suffered and died. Should we then abolish (as some of the commentators quickly say) the whole thing? Little dirt in the right place creates debate and the historical controversy that keeps things alive over centuries. We can modify and adapt, of course. But don’t bleach it for the sake of politically correctness at any cost. Great article BTW. Thanks.
Competition, bribery, corruption, collusion, craziness--- and more--- what lesson are Americans missing as our own socio-political culture seems out of control?
In this event the Sienese confirm their community, their culture, their history. What city or community in our country can compare a similar evocation of humanity? What city in our country has such deep traditions or such solid relationships of families, friends, and neighbors? Yes, the spectacle has medieval foundations and confronts our modern sensibilities and values. But witness that people from around the world, who have none other than a tourist's reservation, come to participate in an event that expresses the depth of community that is so missing in our modern, technologically de-humanizing world.
Portland, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, or Plano may not need a Palio, but all American cities need to become great communities of such integrity and complexity based in each city's uniquely diverse and rich history that they could manifest events an/or rituals that would be worthy of the celebratory participation of residents and world wide tourists alike.
1
Thanks for your vivid description and the beautiful pictures of the Palio and the city of Siena itself.
We regularly rent a house in a village near Siena, which makes Siena the focal point of our vacations in Tuscany. Siena is absolutely unique (like all the other beautiful cities in Tuscany are unique). Our routine is to go to Siena late afternoon, have a drink on the Campo and have dinner in one of the many fantastic restaurants in the streets behind the Campo.
We have obviously also experienced the Palio. Going to the Palio itself is quite a challenge, but it is worth the effort. And being on the square itself is the best way to experience it, though you have to be there hours before he event and the square is really packed. But may be even more fun than the actual event are the preparations before the event and the after parties. After the Palio, whole streets in the medieval town are converted into huge outdoor restaurants. We will definitely be there again in July.
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Have you ever been able to actually EAT at one of the contradas after the race? If so, how, and pls. give great detail as to what you had and what it was like!
It is an ever-lasting contradiction that many extraordinary things are purchased with hard work, suffering and, often, cruelty. If life were orderly and
compassionate it would be like living in Hollywood's 1950 vision of small time America, lots of tranquillity but little excitement Orson Wells, alias Harry Lime, remarked: " After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock." Maybe, you can't have one without the other.
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Cuckoo clocks are not Swiss. Source: I am Swiss. We have produced watches (PP), drugs (LSD, but also some that cure), machines, medtech devices (trauma chirurgy), tax evasion and massive wealth.
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@symolan. Actually, to sustain my point, the reference to Switzerland could have easily be removed, but I felt obliged to give the full quote. Its inclusion makes for a short smile, but it is far from the reality of Switzerland, of which I am a great admirer.
Orson Wells,The Third Man.
To economists, Siena, a most beautiful city, is famous for being the place where the oldest bank was founded on March 4th, 1472
Banca Monte dei Paschi di_Siena
Still in business.
https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/BMPS:IM
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Still in business? Just barely. The bank was close to collapse in 2016 thanks to huge losses in derivatives contracts covered by Deutsche Bank. A separate foundation of the bank supposedly helped finance this Palio di Siena and other grand plans for a biotech center to the tune of $150 million. The money disappeared. Without a HUGE bailout from the Italian taxpayer, it would have shut its doors in 2017. Siena is a beautiful city, but this bank is nothing but an ongoing racket. But Bloomberg probably would not mention this.
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Just barely. The bank has been in all kinds of trouble over the last decade.
1
However, the bank was also in big trouble and had to be saved by the Italian government. On the other hand, they occupy the most magnificent head office building of any bank in the world, a centuries old palace, smack in the center of Siena.
1
The Palio, like Thoroughbred racing is simply a cruel and unjust use of horses and should be banned forever.
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As explained in the article,the horses are not thoroughbreds.
you can keep your ethics and apply it to US politics instead of trying to change a centuries old tradition.
2
The horses used in Siena are not thoroughbred, they have to go through 8 vetinary check ups, two anti doping tests and the city of Siena pays for a "pensionary" where horses that have raced the Palio can retire and die of old age. People in Siena love horses. Btw, the horses are NOT property of the Contrade. They are randomly assigned by a lottery three days prior to the event. The last horse that won the Palio belonged to Mark Getty,
1
In early October, at the start of white truffle season, the town of Alba does it's counterprogramming to Siena, with a donkey race around the town square. Equally outrageous, riotous and no-holds-barred. The donkeys are infinitely less cooperative and predictable than horses.
31
We don't hesitate to criticize or abolish traditions involving harm to humans - why do we hang onto those causing injury and death to animals?
39
In the last 74 Palios (since the protocol in defence of the horse was introduced) no horse has been seriously harmed during the Palio. You want to ban horses from running? When you have succeeded maybe you can try prevent kangaroos from jumping.
6
Andy Haslam has a great eye.
5
I went to the Palio in the mid 1980s. We didn't have tickets so snuck in and crawled behind the bleachers and watched it from between peoples' legs. We were young, agile and slim enough to do that without being noticed.
The crowds, the colors, the noise, the flags, the speed, the sheer beauty of the scene straight out of medieval Europe - we will never ever forget it.
It is, of course, horrifying when you think of what's going on but of course we didn't know that at the time. All we knew then was that we were in the middle of something extraordinary, unlike anything we've experienced before or since.
10
If of any interest to other readers, I grew up in Europe and at several points in my younger life was made to spend the Summer in my mother's cousin residence.
Witnessing a horse race in Piazza del Campo is much more exciting than watching the Kentucky Derby on TV.
No mint juleps or roses - just raw horse racing in one of Tuscany's most beautiful cities, with the best Italian food anywhere.
Since then, I have taken my children there to sa
9
The photo by Andy Haslam is outstanding! I lived in Siena for two months after graduating college and then visited the city on our Luna di Miele last summer. My wife and I have named our daughter after this beautiful city. Tuscany is wonderful but this jewel shines above so many other amazing views. A word to the wise about attending the Palio if you decide to enter the center of the piazza.: its very hot, packed with people, BYOB but...you can not go to the bathroom, and can not leave the center area until the race is over. I guarantee you will never forget the experience. During the race I attended a horse literally crashed and died along the walls, and no one seemed at all surprised nor upset. Be brave, and good luck!
5
The Palio is certainly an amazing event; however, there are a huge number of other towns with equally spectacular festivals in Italy. Another festival takes place each year at the end of May called the Festa dei Ceri in Gubbio, Umbria. Now that's an experience!
3
The most colorful and interesting spectacle. Great for people watchers like me.
1
We managed to secure an invite, at a price, to attend a contrada pre race dinner. Long tables seating A few hundred people, with unlimited vino and table service by kids. A really great meal and very festive. Alas, our contrada did not win, but we did get to see their horse and accompanied pageantry at the dinner.
3
I studied at University of Siena in the summer of 2002 and attended Il Palio with my classmates. We were crammed into the center for hours and the race only lasted a few moments. Happily, the horse representing our contrada won (Contrada Tartuca)! Thanks for the memories.
4
Our semester at Univ. was the Fall of '67. Same Contrada! Ciao!
I have 2 Tortuga scarves. The Palio I "saw" was Summer '68 w/ my Sienese boyfriend, standing in the midst of the crowd- I hardly saw the race itself. Otherwise, an amazing event.
Several visits to Siena over the years,- with my host family-( during which they took me to see The Godfather film for the first time, in Italian, of course) & with my husband and children in '01. I am thrilled-thrilled to see so many commenters have experienced the incredible beauty and timelessness of a truly Civilized place and people. Also- Siena is the home of St Catherine, who in the 1400's had the audacity of addressing the then Pope directly. btw I am a Buffalo native, too, Christopher,- so happy to see your post. Stai bene. Thank You, NYX.
i saw this one year in the late 80's when i was lucky enough to do a year abroad in college. thank you mom and dad! what a great tradition and these excellent photos do it justice.
5
good piece.
I've been to siena four times, but never to the race.
the last time was in October 2015 and there were all sorts of marches in the streets and in the campo with many people dancing and/or playing musical instruments. i assumed they represented different contrade.
the previous time, also in October, i sat in the campo for five hours soaking in the history and people watching.
it was fabulous.
4
Sounds like a great time! A pleasure to read this article.
10
It’s something that it’s something that no one going to Italy should miss, too. This is really how these races, jousting, competitions of all sorts, were conducted all over Europe in the Middle Ages. and it was incredibly fun. The arena is filled with sand and the crowd in the center are as much a part of the spectacle as the riders.
3
Some commenters are referring to horses dying. According to the Telegraph, 50 horses have died since 1970.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/11708483/Death-o...
5
Thanks, Nellie, for that link. Yes, the exploitation of horses for this competition, and horseracing generally, is a great injustice; and that conditions at the Palio are not just stressful and cruel but actually often deadly is all the more of a reason for our refusal to support it. "Competitiveness is the root of all moral evil."
2
Mark: Is it competitiveness or cold cash that is at the root of all moral evil? In the end, aren't they competing for a cash prize? (I freely admit that I could be wrong, here?)
Thank you, Nellie! I am hopeful that many of the commenters will read this!
We visited and watched the Palio in the 80s. The pageantry was magnificent, as described in the article.
We bought bleacher seats at the last minute and they were in the second row...with no one seated close by...right on the turn before the finish line...best seats!....hmm...
The race was off, with one rider turned backwards at the start. On the far turn a horse fell and slid into the wall. Didn't get up. We were all fixated by that when the leaders came to our turn. Three abreast. Apparently only two can make that turn. The outside horse comes halfway into the stands, hitting my mother as she dodged . The rider was tossed into the stands and was beaten with sticks by his (or another?) contrada's fans and chased onto the track. Seconds later, a riderless horse comes around the track for the third and final time, dodges its former rider and crosses the finish line to win the race.
Chaos, indeed. Unforgettable, beautifully unique chaos!
31
Classic
The most exciting sporting event I have ever witnessed -- even though you wait for the start of the race for hours and it is over in maybe 90 seconds. Most fascinating to me -- the densely packed crowd in the Piazza Publico -- frantically cheering their contrada, hysterically weeping if they lost -- melted quietly away minutes after the race ended. The days of pageantry on the days preceding and on the day of the race itself and the rivalries of the contradas are like a magic door opening the era of the Renaissance to gawkers from the 21st century.
36
Great piece and wonderful photos.
"The 10th horse made multiple exploratory false starts. This to-ing and fro-ing took more than 10 minutes."
From what I know, that was a very quick start.
8
I loved the photography - it was extraordinary.
I also loved the descriptive phrases: "pretend you’re visiting a huge outdoor loony bin” and "If a jockey is thwacked off his mount, his riderless horse can still win on its own, like Garfunkel arriving without Simon." So funny and so vivid.
I just worry about the horses. All those people, the heat, the chaos. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them kept running even after the race, just to get away from everything and everyone.
Refreshing article. Thanks for sharing.
27
Hey Dwight you had my interest about the race - and then it became a travel brochure of Tuscany. After reading and giving up half way thru I lost interest. For me this was a switch and bait article.
1
"Horses are more vulnerable. More than 50 have died in these races since 1970." So bull-fighting is considered unconscionable savagery, but this is described as quaint?
A "strenuously male and macho" event, in which horses are viewed as disposable is, quite frankly, contemptible. No amount of colorful costumes can cover it up, any more than decorating circus elephants makes their forced captivity, solely to amuse people, ethical or humane.
87
A few years ago The Wall Street Journal had a picture from the Palio - I think it was on the first page. Anyone who looked closely could see that one of the horses had just broken its leg very badly. I thought it was awful especially since there was no comment about the horse's injury.
10
Here in USA, we should have a 'Festival of Scolds" to run contemporanisly with the Palio in Siena.
2
Why not look within the confines of North American horse racing, simply tabulate how many horses die each year on race tracks.
This race is steeped in history and culture, something American's should learn to appreciate.
1
All jockeys jump off at the starting gun leaving the horses to finish the so-called race by themselves. Great tourist attraction.
We spent a couple of delightful days in Siena in 2016 while wending our way from Firenze to Roma. It wasn't Palio time, but the contrade had their banners flying anyway from the flagpoles, as illustrated in the photo. A charming, smaller-scale city, good for hilly walks, a Duomo nearly as beautiful as Firenze's, friendly people and good food. Sigh...ready to go back.
10
I'm fortunate to have been able to visit Siena twice but never during the Palio. I'm sure it's an amazing spectacle and I can appreciate the intense passionate rivalry the 17 contrade have with each other, but I'm not sure I'd enjoy this beautiful city as much when it's so mobbed with people. My first visit, in the fall of 1987, was a tiny appetizer, just a day trip from Florence.
My second visit, in the spring of 2002, was a banquet I'll never forget. My then-girlfriend & I stayed there for four nights (part of six-week trip to Venice, Rome, Tuscany, Cinque Terre & Nice -- the "honeymoon without the marriage") in a locanda with a gracious host and a secret stairway. We sat in the campo, basking in the sun, watching people and awestruck by the beauty all around us. We wandered the narrow streets. We found a romantic osteria. We rented a car and drove north through Chianti. east to Cortona, and south to Montepulciano, Montalcino, Pienza and the sublime Abbey of Sant'Antimo (and to Volterra on our way to Cinque Terre.)
In my retire-to-Europe dream, Siena -- along with Nice & Barcelona -- is one of the places I would live. I think the contrada I'd pick would be the Valdimontone (which last won the Palio on August 16, 2012.)
11
Those are my three: Siena, Nice & Barcelona
1
50 horses have died since 1970-and how many more injured? Macho fun is not worth causing even one beautiful animal to suffer.
59
Siena had the best pizza in Italy on my visit 20 years ago!
3
I will never forget the Palio of 2001 when the horse threw the jockey into the stands and went on to win the race -senza fontino, solo cavallo!!!! This chorus was repeated all night long on television - it was deemed the best of all possible outcomes and I agree - it was the most memorable horse race I have ever seen.
18
I saw the Palio when 1965 - when I was ten. There is a phrase in Italian: "si arrangia" which loosely means "to make do or get by," and the Palio embodies that quintessential Italian phrase. If your jockey is not the best, don't worry, a bribe will take care of that. If the horse you were appointed is half blind, don't worry, something will get done to the other horses (maybe some wine) to level the playing field.
The Palio, in short, embodies the Italian spirit for survival when all seems lost. When I ask most of my Italian friends about what I hear through the foreign (non-Italian) media regarding unemployment, taxes, or budget deficits, invariably I hear "non ti preoccupare, si arrangia." - something will get figured out - always does - for millennia.
18
jockeys openly bribe one another. Betrayal is common. Guile is prized. - Sounds like our Congress.
69
Sounds like American politics...and business. We have one of those everyday in Congress and on Wall Street.
3
This event was described in a long-ish bit in Herman Wouk's "The Winds of War"
4
Utter, blatant animal cruelty, which should not be so aggrandized. “Horses are more vulnerable. More than 50 have died in these races since 1970.” Enough said.
54
Barbaric and needs to end, along with bullfighting. What no one tells you is that multiple horses trip, tumble and break legs racing along the narrow, sharply-cornered streets of Siena, and subsequently must be put down. It's shocking and heartbreaking to see Palio in person, not thrilling.
59
They don't race along "the narrow, sharply-cornered streets of Siena" --- at least they haven't since the 16th century or so when the activity moved into the Piazza del Campo, the central square. A temporary track is created using a combination of clay and soft earth and the corners are lined with mattresses as buffers. I have seen the Palio at least 20 times over the years and it's quite rare that a horse is hurt. The Sienese love their horses (much more than they do the jockeys) and those that run in the Palio are treated like royalty. In the U.S. we shouldn't throw stones. The conditions and treatment for horses at our own race tracks are much much worse.
21
The fact that our racehorses are treated worse than those who are forced to participate in this event is hardly a testimonial. All "entertainment" involving animals should be banned.
The fun doesn't end on the day of the race: people from the winning contrada parade around the campo (where the race was held) for several nights waving the Palio (a huge banner) to annoy everyone else. And on the night of the race the horse is frequently a guest at the dinner held outdoors in the winning neighborhood. The pageantry is unforgettable; it transported me back to renaissance Italy. Like the author, I was choked up several times. I guess the Palio will do that to you, which is why you should go!
12
Competitiveness is the root of all moral evil; and it can be argued there are no Italians so vain and chauvinistic as the Sienese (the Florentines are up there, though). Still, their little city is gorgeous, and fun to see come alive with international crowds.
2
Chance had my family and I in Italy as a teenager in the summer of 1969, and, again by chance, we were in Siena for both runnings of the Palio that year. My brothers and I were all in for the contrada Lupa. The experience, and indeed the whole summer, was filled with experiences that would have fit nicely into a Fellini movie. "Lu, Lu, Lupe!"
2
I love Italy and the gracious Italian people. I am fortunate to travel to a relative's home in the Tuscan hills every couple of years. I attended the Palio about 8 years ago - as an animal lover, I was truly appalled by the insensitive treatment of the horses - it took one hour of false starts before they were able to officially launch the race - the horses were in a terrible state. The bond of human and horse was nowhere to be seen in the conduct of this race, and it was sad and painful to sit through.
66
that steeply sloping main square Piazza del Campo is a unique place to linger - it has magic in it - an amphitheatre for life.
4
Siena is perhaps the most quintessentially gorgeous Medieval city in the world. More than Florence, there are moments in Siena and in the Piazza del Campo when one can actually find oneself alone in blissful communion with the magnificence of the place and not have to share it with anyone. Such was the case for myself and my husband not more than a year or so ago when we awoke at the crack of dawn and had our "prima colazione" in the square with no companionship other than that provided by a few pigeons. Now as to The Palio, well it IS an historic race and it IS taken seriously by the Sienese but frankly, I must confess that it's not my thing. I prefer my espresso and "panforte" (the quintessential Sienese sweet) without the throngs and screams and sound of horses hooves but if you're in Italy and happen upon Siena during The Palio, there's no doubt that Siena with The Palio is better than no Siena because it is sublime.
4
nothing in this describes the actual course, which is really steep. no wonder the poor horses die.
10
Spectacular scenery. And Siena is a lovely place to be. This medieval-style horse race must require an 'obligatory' visit, insofar some of us are concerned....as long as we are not asked to replace the fallen jockeys.
There is a good dramatization of this race in the mini-series "War and Remembrance." Supposed to take place in 1939, right before war breaks out, but utilizing live film from sometime in the 1980s.
You're thinking of The Winds of War (War and Remembrance is the sequel), but you're right - I couldn't help but think of the novel and the miniseries while reading this article. (I'd recommend both novels and both mini-series, by the way - I've never seen anything like them on television. Though the second series, in particular, is not for the faint of heart.)
2
I have been to Europe fifteen times, and Siena is my favorite city by far. None of the crowds of Rome or Florence, no cars in the city center, and great food. Never been to the Palio di Siena, but have on one occasion taken a day trip, and another time spent three nights there, which I remember as among the best in my life. The Cathedral is amazing! It is like walking into a time capsule, practically none of the architecture has changed in 600 years, as no new building was allowed during the Medici reign as they wanted to ensure the hegemony of Florence.
5
As mentioned, it's really the horses who are the contestants and can, therefore, win all by themselves. Horses are led into the church of the contrada for a blessing before the race. Then, later that night, the winning horse joins the winning jockey at the head of the long dinner table at the contrada with it's own meal of hay.
The white bulls and cows in the parade are the famous Chianina beef cattle from the surrounding area (Valley of Chiana River-- Val di Chiana)). The ancient Romans would cover these animals in purple silks and gild their horns for their own parades through triumphal arches in Rome. Due to the tireless efforts of the 20th century English Humane Society, mattresses have been strung up at the most treacherous corners of the piazza. Many layers of history.
2
so much great and awesome its my dream to go places with such wonderful history with leadership and patriosm about custom and culture preserved by their ancestor leaders
Italy, its traditions, people, art, food and wine — never fail to put a smile on my face. Evocative writing & wonderful photo essay, grazie mille, NYT!
3
Siena is indeed a beautiful city; I love the hurly-burly of a medieval city. Personally, I prefer it to Firenze. Toward the end of the article the author talks about the "plentiful and inexpensive white truffles"; he actually means the widely available "black truffles". White truffles are NEVER inexpensive, and are usually associated with Alba, in the Province of Cuneo near Torino. That being said, I love the fact that food can be lathered with black truffles in Tuscany; they are earthy, tasty and wonderful!
3
I agree about the truffles. The white ones are an autumn treat.
2
Herman Wouk described this race in his World War II work The Winds of War.
1
Don't watch the race inside the Piazza del Campo if you are in the least bit phobic about crowds. You will barely have enough room to breathe and you will see little of the race itself. But the city is beautiful and the pageantry magnificent, so see that. Skip the race, download a photo and tell your friends and relatives you were there.
18
But by not watching from inside the Piazza you'll miss the excitement and verve of the event.
8
What a great, fun piece...and beautiful pictures, too. Thanks!
39
I'd love to go. I have collected all the neighborhood plates, beautiful hand painted ceramic wall plates that make for a lively discussion at the dinner table. Thanks
7
One of my dreams is to attend the Palio de Siena and be in the scrum!
16
Unfortunately, travel articles in the NYTimes are quite poor. This is an example. In contrast, travel articles in the Financial Times are universally excellent.
5
Aaaah! Shucks.
6
It's a most enjoyable article, much more readable than the alternative you suggest. And the superb pictures made me long to return to the lovely Campo.
19
I thought it was wonderful!
3
Nice article, but in reference to "A few years ago, when the Contrada Pantera (the Panther) was beaten by its long-established enemy, the Contrada dell’Aquila (the Eagle)," -- Aquila has not won the Palio since 1992, nearly 26 years ago. Aquila now has the distinction of being called the "Nonna" (grandma), because it is the contrada with the longest dry spell since its last victory.
20
Thank you so much for taking me back to a Sunday evening last June. We had made an unexpected stop in Siena and were strolling in the Piazza del Campo. There was drumming in the distance and the excitement grew as the drums came closer. The contrade were parading through the narrow streets, the drums were beating, the flags were flying, the men and boys were so charming, proud, and handsome. I was in Italy for 9 weeks but that's the evening I'll remember forever. Great writing - thanks!
61
I what way is this article a survivor's guide? I read it hoping to get some tips but it is only an account of the authors experience
10
Travel with a friend who has been attending the Palio each summer since she was a child and who speaks perfect Italian.
39
Well, the title of the article is a survivor's tale, not a survivor's guide.
1
The people in the photographs accompanying this article generally seem better dressed for April and/or mid October. They’d probably better enjoy the races in these months!
1
I am pretty sure you mean July 2006, when Pantera beat l'Aquila in a thrilling last-minute push that has sometimes been called "Il Palio del Secolo"! (the Palio of the Century). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC6ZN6Y4Y54
23
Has the body of the l'Aquila rider ever been found? I'm guessing he didn't receive a rapturous response to the second place finish.