The Contradas have met and so has the City Council of Siena in special meetings to decide on whether or not to hold a special edition of the Palio this year. The minimum of 10 Contradas gave their approval, and so has the City Council so a third Palio for this year is set to be run on October 20th to celebrate 100 years of the end of World War I. The last special edition was held on September 9, 2000 in honor of the Jubilee year.
Who will run the special edition Palio?
This decision has set in motion the timetable of events and activities leading up to a Palio, in which 10 random Contrade will participate.
These should be decided by lottery on September 30th at 5:30pm among those that were in agreement with the extra edition (Aquila (eagle), Bruco (caterpillar), Civetta (little owl), Giraffa (giraffe), Istrice (porcupine), Leocorno (unicorn), Nicchio (seashell), Pantera (panther), Selva (forest) and Tartuca (tortoise)) and those that weren’t (the remaining 7, the Chiocciola, Drago, Lupa, Oca, Onda, Torre and Valdimontone) who will be able to decide within 5 days if their names are extracted whether to participate or not.
The flags of the Contradas racing in the Palio will be on display on the first floor facade of Palazzo Pubblico after that date.
The Program
Pre-checkups: October 10 (and 11th, if needed)
Presentation of the Drappellone, the banner prize: October 14 at 5:15pm
Trials: October 16 10am and 5pm
Race: October 20 at 5pm
About Lourdes Flores
An American living in Florence for over 10 years, Lourdes continues to explore and discover new places in Tuscany with the eyes of a tourist but with the experience of living in Italy. She shares her experiences on this blog and website, particularly offering lots of travel planning help on the Forum!
