The Palio di Siena is Italy’s most dramatic public event. Twice a year, ten of Siena’s seventeen historic city districts compete in a bareback horse race around the Piazza del Campo — a 75-second contest that is the culmination of a year of political intrigue, ancient rivalry, and fierce civic pride. No other event in the country combines sporting spectacle with living medieval tradition in quite the same way.
For visitors, the Palio offers something genuinely different: a major Italian event that has never been staged for tourism and has not been softened or packaged for outsiders. The contrade (districts) race for themselves and for their ancestors. Understanding that is the starting point for understanding the Palio.
Race Dates: 2 July and 16 August
The Palio runs on two fixed dates each year. The Palio di Provenzano takes place on 2 July, dedicated to the Madonna of Provenzano whose icon is housed in the Basilica di Provenzano in the northern part of the city. The Palio dell’Assunta takes place on 16 August, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. Both dates have been observed for centuries and do not change.
Occasionally — following a victory dedicated to a specific event, or in exceptional circumstances — an extraordinary Palio (Palio straordinario) is added to the calendar. These are rare and always supplementary to the two official races.
The days immediately before each race are as important as the race itself. Six trial runs (prove) are held over the preceding days on the same track. Attending a trial run is one of the best ways to experience the atmosphere of the Piazza del Campo and the intensity of the contrade without the extreme crowds of race day itself.
A Brief History of the Contrade
Siena’s seventeen contrade — Aquila, Bruco, Chiocciola, Civetta, Drago, Giraffa, Istrice, Leocorno, Lupa, Nicchio, Oca, Pantera, Selva, Tartuca, Torre, Valdimontone, and Wave — are the structural heart of the city. Each is a self-governing district with its own church, museum, headquarters, flag, and centuries of history. Children are baptised into their contrada and remain members for life.
Only ten of the seventeen contrade race at each Palio. Seven are drawn by lot, and ten participate in total according to a rotation system that ensures contrade not selected in the previous race of that type are given priority. The draw takes place publicly before the horses are assigned, adding another layer of ritual and tension.
The origins of the modern Palio date to the mid-17th century, though horse racing in Siena is documented from the medieval period. The current format — three laps of the compacted-earth track around the perimeter of the Piazza del Campo — was standardised in 1656. The event has run almost without interruption ever since, through wars, epidemics, and political upheaval.
The horse wins, not the jockey — if a horse crosses the line without its rider, the contrada still claims victory. This fact alone tells you something essential about how the Palio works.
Tickets and Viewing Options
Free Standing in the Centre
The centre of the Piazza del Campo is free and unreserved. Anyone can enter on race day and watch from the infield standing area. The gates open in the morning and the square fills steadily through the day. By mid-afternoon it is extremely dense, and leaving once inside is very difficult.
A practical approach: arrive by 13:00–14:00, find a position on the edge of the infield near the track, and prepare to stay for the afternoon. There is no shade and no toilet facilities inside the ring. Bringing water is essential, particularly for the August race in midsummer heat. Do not count on being able to leave and return once the square is full.
Grandstand Seats and Window Positions
Bleacher seats (palii) are erected along the outer perimeter of the piazza by the contrade and local businesses. Window seats in the buildings around the square are controlled by the families and institutions that own or rent the premises. These positions provide a genuine view of the full circuit and some shade.
Prices for legitimate seats start at around €300 and rise sharply for premium sight lines — full-circuit views above the San Martino bend (the sharpest and most dramatic corner) command the highest prices. All legitimate seats must be booked well in advance — months ahead for a first choice of position, weeks ahead at minimum. Beware of last-minute street sellers; fake and overpriced tickets are in circulation in the days before the race.
The safest routes to seats:
- Directly through a contrada, if you have a local contact who can facilitate this
- Established Italian tour operators who specialise in Palio ticketing
- Hotels in Siena that maintain seat allocations for guests — a small number of higher-category hotels hold these and they sell fast
For guided Siena experiences and Palio tours, booking well before race week is essential as availability drops sharply.
Bars, Hotels, and Restaurant Terraces
A number of bars, restaurants, and hotels on the perimeter of the Piazza del Campo have upper floors or terraces that look out over the track. These must be booked — often six months or more in advance — and typically require a minimum spend. The view varies considerably depending on the exact position; the full circuit is not visible from any single vantage point around the piazza.
What to Expect on Race Day
The formal race-day schedule begins in the afternoon with the Corteo Storico — a procession of riders, flag-bearers, and officials from each contrada in medieval costume, accompanied by the medieval pageant of the Comune di Siena. This procession takes over two hours and is itself a spectacle worth arriving for.
The horses are blessed in their contrada’s church in the morning. The blessing (la benedizione del cavallo) is one of the most distinctive ceremonies of the Palio and is open to the public — the contrade church doors are typically open on the morning of the race.
The race itself — three laps of the 333-metre circuit, the final turn at the Casato curve particularly difficult to negotiate — takes 75–90 seconds. In practice, delays before the mossa (the start line procedure where horses are positioned between two ropes) frequently extend the actual start time. The scheduled time of approximately 19:30 in summer can slip to 20:00 or later.
After the race, the winning contrada’s jockey is carried through the streets in celebration. The victory party in the district typically runs through the night and into the following day.
Getting to Siena
From Florence
Siena is approximately 70 km south of Florence. The fastest connection is by bus: Flixbus and Tiemme/SENA run direct services from Florence Santa Maria Novella bus station to Siena in approximately 1 hour 15 minutes. Tickets cost from around €8. This is the recommended route — faster than the train.
By train, Florence to Siena requires a change at Empoli and takes approximately 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. Direct trains are not available. Take the bus.
Driving from Florence takes approximately 1 hour 15 minutes on the SR2 (Via Cassia) outside race day. On the days surrounding the Palio, road closures and traffic into the historic centre make driving impractical — the bus or an early arrival and walk from the outskirts of the ZTL is advisable.
From Rome
Siena is approximately 230 km north of Rome. Direct buses run from Rome Tiburtina bus station (Flixbus, SENA) in approximately 3 hours. The train requires a change and takes around 3–3.5 hours to Siena; the bus is usually faster and more convenient.
By car on the A1 autostrada to the Firenze Certosa exit, then the SR2 south, the drive takes approximately 2 hours 30 minutes without traffic.
Getting Around Siena
Siena’s historic centre is a pedestrian ZTL (limited traffic zone). Buses from Florence arrive at the Piazza Gramsci bus terminal, a short walk uphill to the Piazza del Campo. The city is small enough to navigate on foot, though the streets are steep in places.
On race day, the area around the Piazza del Campo is heavily congested and road closures affect a wide perimeter. Arriving on foot from the bus terminal is the most practical approach.
Practical Tips for Visitors
Book accommodation months in advance. The days around 2 July and 16 August are the busiest for accommodation in all of Tuscany. Siena itself fills first; Florence, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, and other nearby towns are all used by visitors taking the day trip approach.
Attend a trial run. The six prove (trial runs) over the preceding days use the same track and have a smaller but genuine crowd. Attending a prove gives you a clear view, the full atmosphere, and an understanding of how the track works before race day.
Learn the contrade before you go. Understanding which contrade are racing, which have ancient rivalries (for instance, Oca and Torre, or the long-running tension between Chiocciola and Tartuca), and which have not won recently adds enormous depth to what you see. Each contrada museum in Siena is free or low-cost to enter and worth a visit.
Dress for heat. The August race is held in the peak of the Italian summer. Temperatures in Siena regularly exceed 35°C in August. Light clothing, sun protection, and water are essential for anyone standing in the centre.
The race is not for everyone. The conditions in the infield are physically demanding — heat, density, and the near impossibility of leaving once the square is full mean that visitors with mobility concerns, young children, or a low tolerance for crowds should consider watching from a bar or travelling in for the pageant rather than the race itself.
Our Tuscany itinerary guide and Siena tours page cover how to combine a Palio visit with the wider region.