Il Palio di Siena

Siena’s city center is divided into 17 Contradas, each of which is represented by an animal or symbolic object and boasts an individual museum, motto, statue and baptismal fountain. Siena residents have a deeply rooted sense of local identity and patriotism that is rooted in the Contrada into which they were born or adopted. At the heart of the Contrada culture is the annual Palio festival and horse race, which takes place each July and August in Piazza del Campo. The winners of these two, minute-and-a-half long races around the Piazza bear the honor of their victories for the following year. Newfound residents of Siena quickly catch on to the importance of the Contrada system to local culture; please read on to hear current CET students tell you about Siena’s Contradas as they have experienced them.

As part of the natural instinct of human nature, we continually seek acceptance and belonging. The sense of belonging to something, whether it is a place, group, or spirituality, is important to each of us in order to have an identity, to feel like we matter. The seventeen contrade within the centro of Siena illustrate this universal belonging in a most conspicuous fashion, that all culminates in the Palio. After reading over the background of the different contrade, this week I began to see the passion behind each symbol. While sipping a coffee at a cafe that overlooks Piazza del Campo, I asked my Italian friend, Edoardo, about these passions of the Palio. Edoardo, although not from Siena, has a full understanding of what the deep-seated rivalry between the contrade is all about. In one word, “sleale,” he described the behavior of the contrada members during the Palio. In English, this term translates as “disloyal”or “unsportsmanlike.” In America, we would frown upon such obnoxious behavior. But in Siena, of course! Why be polite when your own identity and sense of belonging is on the line? As men of flesh, we fight most violently when our own self-interest is at risk. Thus, the Palio, although seemingly petty to outsiders, is truly a life-changing event. To the people of Siena, this competition is not just a horse race but a ninety second whirlwind that determines their state of existence for the following three hundred and sixty five days. Edoardo knows this from only being here three years. Now after just three weeks, I am starting to crack this shell of understanding.

Clare Hogan

CET Siena Student, Spring 2010

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I trudged home in the snow today after our tour of the contrada dell’Onda. As I walked through the Campo and down Via Pantaneto, I spotted two individuals wearing their contrada scarves (whose flags, yes, I am working on memorizing!), and despite the minor blizzard, took notice of the countless snails of the Chiocciola as I walked to Silvia, my host mother’s apartment in Piazza Santo Spirito. Silvia greeted me with tea, and I sat at the kitchen counter as I told her about our CET visit. I told her what I had read about the Palio, and she was so pleased to talk about her own experience and love for the Chiocciola contrada. It was then that I had one of those moments that hits me daily, where I realize just how spoiled I am to be living in a homestay: Silvia got up from the table for a moment, and returned with her childhood photo album. We went through the entire album together (in Italian), and she arrived at photographs from her baptism in the Chiocciola contrada in 1949! Alongside the photos, there was the actual baptism announcement, which she explained was carved and printed by “the best” painter in the city at the time, who happened to be a member of the contrada. The photographs are beautiful black and white prints depicting Silvia in her white baptismal gown, the residing member of the contrada dressed in traditional medieval regalia standing above her. She explained how her two sons were baptized into the contrada when they were born, and that the tradition remains the same today, as her granddaughter was baptized into it as well.

The reading I have done for the Italian Cultural History class has provided a wonderful frame about the part a contrada plays in the lives of Sienese people. The anecdotes were incredible, and the explanations extremely helpful and informative. However, it was the actual visit to the Contrada dell’Onda compounded with Silvia’s personal experience, as well as our professor’s personal love for l’Onda, that really illustrates the all-pervasive community element of contrada life. The fact that a mass text was sent out to the l’Onda contrada concerning the heavy snow that fell on the day of our visit, or the ribbons that still announce the birth of children within each contrada, the beautiful costumes in the Onda museum; these are all markers of extraordinary community pride. That there are 17 contradas in the city is even more remarkable. The rivalries and alliances and the intensity of the Palio - the poisoning of the Porcupine Contrada and the sabotaging of horses! - was also demonstrated by the film that we watched on the Palio during our class trip. My initial scepticism about the true gravity of contrada life melted away completely. There is such love for this integral part of Siena’s persona. I found it fascinating to read about and even more incredible to witness first hand. Another CET student, Tiernan, and I are putting “Returning to Siena for the Palio” on our bucket lists. At this point in time, I can’t help but think of the Piazza del Campo as a tranquil, beautiful center. Apparently I need to return in July or August to do away with this impression!

Sean O'Hanlan

CET Siena Student, Spring 2010