Ciao Fans if Italy,
Yes, today is another post about historical traditions in Tuscany…August 16th…the ‘Palio de Siena’: A glorious, beautiful, historically significant circus of absolute chaos!
(But before I start, I thought it only fair that when I do a post on what some might view to be a boring lesson in Italian history, I should at least share one of my recipes with you, so if you go to my Blog you will find one for a Lemon, Pistachio and EVO Torte that is great with your morning Cappuccino or with a scoop of gelato for dessert.)
It is one of Italy’s oldest and most beloved traditions…a twice yearly horse race dating back to the Middle Ages, fun in the Piazza del Campo, a public square that looks like a Renaissance painting but behaves like a gladiator arena.
It began as a way for Siena’s neighborhood clans to show off civic pride, military readiness, and general swagger. Today, it’s still about pride and tradition, but also about bragging rights, questionable strategy, and horses who have no idea why everyone is screaming.
The different clans, called ‘contrades’ spend months preparing elaborate pageantry, parades, blessings and strategy sessions. It’s all very solemn and ceremonial until the moment the horses line up…and then it becomes a mediaeval version of ‘Mario Kart’ but with real consequences.
The race itself is only 90 seconds but it’s pure, unfiltered mayhem. The track is a tight, sandy loop around the piazza’s sloping edges, causing horses to skid, jockeys fly, crowds roar, and somewhere kin the chaos a victor emerges. The horses start from a standstill but not in gates…they’re lined up between two ropes, which is basically the horse version of ‘good luck brother.’ The jockeys ride bareback because apparently stirrups are for candy asses and people who don’t appreciate danger. They are allowed to ‘interfere’ with each other which is a polite way of saying they can whip the s**t out of the other guy.
A horse can even win the race if his jockey falls off, which happens often. Siena is the only place where a riderless horse is celebrated like a conquering hero.
Why both we and the Italians love it? Because it is magnificently whacky…I can’t think of any tradition like it that we have in this country…at least one that garners national attention like the Palio does. It’s absurd, beautiful, chaotic, ancient, emotional, dangerous, poetic and ridiculous….and it’s Siena.
Gotta love the Italians…I do…
David & Valentino
