Siena: A land of horse races, contradas and saints

We're standing in the Piazza del Campo in Siena, the stage for the famous Palio race that takes place on July 2 and August 16. Built on the site of a former Roman market place, the Piazza del Campo today, has little cafes frequented by tourists and students. “The Palio is a horse race that dates back to one of the famous or infamous battles in Florentine. It is also the name of the flag and represents Siena's victory over Florentine,” informs our guide. According to the Commune of Siena website, ten of 17 Contradas (a district or ward within an Italian city) run the Palio of July 2; seven who have not raced in the Palio of July of the previous year and three drawn from among the ten who ran the previous year. The draw takes place on the last Sunday of May. The Contradas for the Palio of August 16 are chosen in the same way on the first Sunday after the July Palio. Before the race, the horse and the jockey are blessed. Jockeys ride without a saddle and even if they fall off, it's not a problem as long as the horse continues; the horse can go on to win the race even without a jockey. The Square, which has a few tourists relaxing and soaking up the August sun, gets very noisy on these two days. “Wooden bleachers, which can hold more than 40,000 people are set up and the prices for the best seats go up to Euros 600. For a race that lasts 90 seconds, not many want to pay that much, but those who enter for free do not end up seeing much,” says the guide. We are told that the participants do everything they can, including spreading sand and clay all over the Square, to win and keep the flag in their community, which is then taken back to their museum. The winners run to the cathedral to sing their victory. 

piazza del campo

From Piazza del Campo, we make our way to Siena Cathedral or Duomo di Siena, dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta or Holy Mary, Our Lady of the Assumption. We are told that the old Gothic church was built facing Jerusalem. The exterior and interior are constructed of white and greenish-black marble in alternating stripes, which is typical of Tuscany architecture. Next to the façade stands a column with a statue of the Contrade Lupa, a wolf breast-feeding the twins Romulus and Remus.

Interiors of the Siena cathedral

We enter and I am awestruck by the interiors—breathtaking masterpieces by Donatello, Bernini and Michaelangelo; the inlaid marble mosaic floor... It is said that the dome of the cathedral is 54 meters high. The figures on the pulpit, made of Carrara marble, narrate the life of Christ and is also concerned with the doctrine of Salvation and the Last Judgement. If you decide to count the number of figures of the pulpit, you will find 370 human heads and 70 animals. Above the entrance to the church is a beautiful stained glass of the Last Supper. We walk into the Chapel of St. John the Baptist, which is home to a bronze statue of the saint by Donatello. It's getting late and we need to leave, but I'm not yet ready. There's so much to take in; I don't know where to look and what to stop and admire. 

Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico

We pay a brief visit to Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico, which contains several relics of St. Catherine of Siena, before we set out on a small walk down a street lined with green flags with a picture of a goose. Our guide tells us that the flags mark a contrada. There are 17 contrade of Siena, which take place in the Palio each year. Each is named after an animal and have their own symbol. The flags we see belong to the contrada Oca and it is believed that the people of this contrada traditionally made dyes. 

A street lined with green flags with a picture of a goose

Soon it's time to head back to Florence. It's been a long day with much learning and walking and while I'm glad to finally sit down, I can't help but wish I could go over the day all over again.