Day 6: 2 July 2010

Almost overslept again today, but somehow woke up just in time to catch the last trial race.  The gates of il Campo were already closed by the time we walked from our free parking spot near the Fortezza on the street outside the old town.  We managed to get underneath the bleachers on the perimeter of il Campo to watch the race.  All of the jockeys in their brightly colored outfits lined up at the starting line and began running at the sound of a cannon.  The trial lasted no more than a few minutes and did not appear to be a full out race.  While some horses raced around the track, others just trotted along.  Afterwards, people jumped out of the stands and followed their contradas out of il Campo led by the captains and jockeys.

Walked up to the Duomo afterwards to attend Mass.  After being what we think was intentionally misled, we managed to find the entrance and caught most of the Italian Mass inside and were able to tour the inside free of charge afterwards. Siena’s Duomo was beautifully built with stripes of white and dark green marble in the 1200s.  It was meant to rival the Duomo in Florence, and was suppose to be much larger, but parts of it were left unfinished outside because the bubonic plague hit Siena in the middle of construction. There were lots of beautiful frescoes, statues, and detailed scenes carved into the Carerra marble on the floors.

Grabbed some pizza for lunch after touring the Duomo, then located St. Catherine of Siena’s home and cell where she shut herself in from the outside world.  Learned that St. Catherine’s claim to fame is that she convinced the pope at the time to return to Rome from Paris, easing schism and resulting in a unified Church in the 12^th century.  For this reason, Catherine is the patron saint of Europe.  Catherine’s home was anything but natural; elaborate chapels have been built with scenes depicting Catherine’s life over the rooms she lived in.  Visited Church of San Domenica afterwards to view Catherine’s relics, including her finger, the ropes she use to flagellate herself, and her preserved head above a side altar.  Not sure what to make of that…

Afterwards, it was time to make our way back to il Campo.  On our way we walked right into the procession of the Drago contrada leaving San Domenica en route to the starting point between 3:30 and 4pm.  Each contrada gathers at its neighborhood Church and parades through the streets towards il Campo.  Costumed flag throwers and drummers go first followed by more men in medieval armor and traditional costumes carrying more of the contradas banners and flags. The jockey on his horse is next lead by the trainer or coach, accompanied by the captains in their blazers and pinned lapels.  Residents and fans of the contrada sporting their scarves follow the horse, usually men first followed by a large group of young girls (young adults) singing and chanting..  Several contradas meet in a square before il Campo, each taking a turn giving a short flag throwing presentation that culminates with two flags being tossed high in the air.

We watched the parades for a while, and then grabbed a quick gelato before staking out a spot on il Campo.  The best and most expensive seats are in the bleachers or balconies surrounding the square, but anybody can watch the race from the middle of il Campo for free as long as you get into the gated area in time and there is space.  People start camping out in the heat on il Campo early in the day to get seats next to the track. When we walked through il Campo at 1ish, all of the perimeter seats were already taken.  At 4:30pm, we claimed a spot on il Campo near the town hall about 3 people back from the edge.  Il Campo fans out upward from the middle so you can get a decent view as long as you’re on the higher edges.  For the 45min, we were able to sit with plenty of leg room and personal space.  Sometime after 5:15ish, everyone jumped up and moved closer to the edge as the cannon sounded and a group of mounted guards entered for a fast lap.  A short time after, the band and banner carriers came into il Campo behind us all in costume of course.  They made their way around the track and sat in the bleachers in front of us.  Each contrada color guard paraded in next with their flags, drummers and banners.  As the flag throwers entered, they did their signature throw, then processed around the track, stopping a few times long the way for additional throws.  When the contrada neared the arch at the front of the city hall, the contrada’s horse would be brought out and lead around for a quick presentation before going back to get ready for the race.  All of the men in the procession then found a seat in the bleachers in front of us.  The parading of the contradas lasted about 2 hrs since it took a good 15 min. for each contrada to make the loop on the track.  The band played several times in front of us every so often, always playing the same song. More and more people piled into the gates of il Campo as the contradas came in.  By the time the parade was coming to a close, we were packed in like sardines with barely room to turn around of lift your arm to take a picture.  Our view went from perfect to obstructed pretty quickly, but we could still see a decent amount. At the end of the procession was the Palio banner surrounded by musicians and Siena’s dignitaries on a cart pulled by enormous oxen. 

Somewhere around 7:45ish, the jockeys and horses trotted out near us and headed for the starting line.  An announcer called each contrada to line up in the correct order at the start. It took 15min or more and many false starts for the race to begin because the horse just line up side by side without any starting gates.  A few people near us also passed out from the heat and needed medical attention from the numerous doctors and police on duty during the lineups causing further delay.  Once the race began and the cannon sounded, the horses dashed around three times before a winner was declared. L’aquila was in the lead most of the time, but la Selva raced to victory in the end.  No sooner had the race ended when people pushed their way through to jump the gates and rush onto the track to celebrate their win or mourn their defeat. We chose to stay until the big crowds had rushed out, and by 8:20 the square was half as full and the garbage trucks and cleaning crews were already in cleaning. 

After the race, we walked around the streets and found the la Selva contrada behind the Duomo.  We arrived just in time to catch the Palio banner being paraded down the street!  Decided to grab the winning Palio’s scarf and some pizza before walking back to the car.  We were exhausted on the way home, but it was a fantastic experience!  Surely, Il Palio in Siena will be one of the highlights of our trip!