Siena Horse Race: History and Tradition of Palio - From 4 people

General information

Destination
Siena, Italy

Program details

Highlights

Local tradition: Palio

History of the Siena districts

Walk in the center of Siena

Enjoy the visit of a Contrada Museum

Learn about the famous flags of the Contrade



Palio Tour - tour dedicated to the world-famous Palio, the traditional horse race that takes place in Siena twice a year (with some extraordinary Palios that are not normally scheduled). During the tour you will visit one of the museums of the Contrada where the prizes won by the Contrada and the historical costumes are kept.



To say you know a place means to know its traditions. In Siena, it's all about the Palio, the centuries-old traditions formed around a horse race that takes place twice a year, in Piazza del Campo. Taking part in this 90 minutes tour, you will get the chance to discover the history and the tradition of this important horse race.



The tour starts in front of our office in the main square of Siena, Piazza del Campo. The square is exactly where the world famous horse race, the Palio, takes place twice a year. You will watch the Palio on a screen and the guide will introduce you to this fascinating tradition telling about the rules of the race and the whole celebration that lasts four days, starting from the assignment of the horses to the Contradas (districts of Siena). You will also learn about the traditional rivalry between Contradas to which everyone in Siena participates from birth.



The tour will continue in one of the 17 districts (called Contrade) where the guide will show you the district's fountain, where children born in Contrada are baptized. You will then have an exclusive guided tour of the Contrada museum, where the ‘Standards’, the banners given to the winning Contrada and the traditional medieval costumes of the Contrada members are exhibited. A visit to a Contrada museum is a unique opportunity since there are no opening hours and volunteers from every Contrada open the doors to the guests upon special request. On special occasions, you will be also able to visit the Oratory of the Contrada you visit.