Siena’s thundering Palio

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, June 26, 2004

Siena, an Italian hill town just south of Florence, offers Italy’s greatest medieval city experience, at its most thrilling during its world-famous horse race, Palio di Siena. The action takes place every year on July 2 and August 16 on the city’s centerpiece, the grand square called Il Campo.

The square, which has red brick lanes cascading every which way from it, is made entirely of bricks, the color known to artists and Crayola users as “Burnt Sienna.” Living up to its color, the square practically ignites during the Palio, when the city’s neighborhoods compete in the exhilarating race.

In each Palio, ten of Siena’s 17 neighborhoods compete (chosen by rotation and lot), hurling themselves with medieval abandon into several days of trial races, whirling flags, and traditional revelry. Jockeys are considered hired guns … paid mercenaries. But on the big day, the horses are taken into their neighborhood’s church to be blessed. (“Go and win,” says the priest.) It’s considered a sign of luck if a horse leaves droppings in the church.

While the actual Palio packs the city, you could side-trip in from Florence to see horse-race trials each of the three days before the big day, usually at 9 a.m. and about 7:30 p.m. (Or you can see the movie: The 20-minute documentary film, “Siena, the Palio, and its History,” recreates the craziness. It’s shown daily except Sunday from May through October at Cinema Moderno, two blocks from Il Campo.)

On the day of the Palio, Il Campo is stuffed to the brim with locals and tourists. Ten snorting horses and their nervous riders line up to await the starting signal. Then they charge wildly around the perimeter of the square in this literally no-holds-barred race. It’s a frenzied three minutes, where a horse can win even if its rider has fallen off. Spectators waving their neighborhood’s banners cram (for free) into the center of the square, watch from temporary bleachers or, if they have the money, from balconies.

Winners receive a palio (banner), typically painted by a local artist and always featuring the Virgin Mary. But the true grand prize? Proving that your neighborhood is numero uno.

This is not some folkloristic event. It’s a real medieval moment. If you’re packed onto the square with 15,000 people who each really want to win, you won’t see much, but you’ll feel it.

Those belonging to the winning neighborhood are a tiny minority. But, as each neighborhood has a bitter enemy and nine out of 10 of these lose, most Sienese find a reason to feel victorious – celebrating their enemy’s loss.

The winning neighborhood, the scene of grand celebrations, fills its church with candles and waving banners and sings soccer-like anthems. The ruffled and exhilarated mobs gradually slip back into the 21st century. Within 24 hours the dirt track and barricades are gone and the city is cleaned up. The race becomes a fond memory, played and replayed in conversations and on local TV until next year’s Palio.

Rick Steves of Edmonds (425-771-8303, www.ricksteves.com) is the author of 27 European travel guidebooks including “Europe Through the Back Door” (published by Avalon), and host of the PBS-TV series Rick Steves’ Europe, airing weeknights at 7 p.m. on Channel 9.

The schedule this week:

Monday: Rome

Wednesday: Florence

Thursday: The Italian Riviera

Friday: Switzerland’s Berner Alps

Sleeping in Siena

Finding a room is tough during the Palio – but in Siena, you’ll need to call ahead any time of year.

* Hotel Duomo, a memorable splurge, has 23 spacious rooms. At about $150 per night for a double, it’s a great value and includes breakfast, parking, and a picnic-friendly rooftop (Via Stalloreggi 38, a 10-minute walk from Il Campo, 0577-289-088, www.hotelduomo.it).

* Albergo Tre Donzelle is a fine budget option with 28 plain, institutional rooms. Don’t hang out here. Think of Il Campo, a block away, as your terrace ($70 doubles, Via Donzelle 5, 0577-280-358, fax 0577-223-933).