Palio, Siena August 2015

I am not sure I can answer all your questions, but I can give you our Palio experience. We stayed 10K outside of Siena and drove to the train/bus station just northwest of the walled town. Parking and traffic was not a problem as we arrived in Siena about noon on Palio. It was a easy (not too confusing) walk to the centro and was about 1 mile???

We entered the piazza about 6 pm or with about 30 minutes til they close the gates. We were a group of 6. A few in our group had reservations about the crowds, but I had been talking about the Palio for months and was able to convince them. The crowd is like going to any big arena sports and outdoor concerts. From some of the readings that I read about the Palio, I was a bit worried about it being too crowded and unruly.

It was one of the best experiences that I have had in Europe. It was truly a magical evening. Since it is hot and there are no facilities in the piazza, you want to make sure that you are hydrated, but not overly hydrated. When you go in turn to your right and head toward the back. There is a slight rise, so you can see nearly all the action. (My friends' ages range from late 40's to early 50's). You do want to be prepared for pickpockets as we saw one looking for an easy mark. Alternately, there were tickets on sale for 200 euros hours before the race, but these were in the corner. Please ask if you have any additional questions, but make sure that you see the race and pagentry that starts about 2 or 3 pm on race day. If I was staying outside of Siena, I do not think that I would attend the practice day (as we had other activities planned).

I did the Palio this past august and loved it.

I booked about this time last year and I stayed at the Albergo Bernini from Rick's books. I have stayed there before and love the family that runs it. It's in a nice.

I didn't see La Tratta and I'm not sure if they are open to public/guests.

The trials take about as long as the race. On some trials the horses and walking around the track to get used to it for a lap or 2. I asked a similar question last year and a user on here gave me the advice to go see the trails, and make sure you are at the front of the start line for one of those to experience how the horses start. You'll see that when you get there. I was glad I did that since on the race day I didn't try to get near the start finish line. In the 3 trials i did them in different spots. The start finish line, the bottom left corner if you are facing the tower and one in the bleachers not the main square. I was shocked about how many people go for the trails, the campo was practically full.

Inside the square is Free so there is best for your money. We also had 2 people in our group get a balcony and it was nice to see their pics and video's. But I liked being down in the campo with all the locals waiving their flags.

If you can, also try to do a contrada dinner the night before. A nice neighborhood celebration with endless food and wine. We happened to do one of the larger contrada the Caterpillar for dinner.

The morning of the Palio we saw the blessing of the horse of the Ram district and the procession from the district to the Duomo. All of the contrada do the same and at the duomo is a nice parade and flag throwing. After that we made our way into the Il Campo and got a nice spot with a good vantage point. There is a parade around the track for a while before the start of the race. It was awesome to see and how all the locals waive their scarfs as the Palio banner past their section. My favorite was since the start order is not known until just prior to the start, a guy reads off the starting order and it's so quiet you can hear a pin drop on the square.

Afterwards the winners parade around ending up at the Duomo. We left the square saw some of the procession on the street just behind the square and then made our way on some back streets to beat them to the Duomo. The passion the Sienese have is a sight to see. Make your way into the Duomo and get close to the altar and wait for the winners to bring the Palio inside. Amazing!!!!

Feel free to message me if you have more questions. I was in Siena for 5 days in August for the race and I will go back for it with some more people again.

I know it's not exactly a cool thing to do but I write about the Siena Palio in detail in my first book, "Bullets, Butterflies, and Italy." And the explanations and descriptions might help you. Check the web for my author page.

But in short:
1.) La Tratta is fun to see because it's the only part of the entire experience that isn't corrupted. After watching the horses race in the preliminaries in the morning, you'll know which ones are the prized lottery picks. Then to see each community react to their lottery pick is quite hilarious. If it's a dud they sulk and get the hell out of there. If he looks like a winner, they celebrate like a game show contestant.
2.) Perhaps an hour of your time. When the contrade arrive, they all sing and shout, and make a big show about it. It's lots of fun. But they don't cheer during the race. They watch in silence and study their horses.
3.) Ignore all the morning trials and just show up for the evening ones. They don't race hard but they do see if their horse can handle the track, the jockey, and all the noise. So sometimes the strategy changes during the week. If the horse is awesome, they race to win. If the horse is weak, their priority is to make their enemy lose.
4.) I've been there twice and it's never rained, so don't know.
5.) Don't be an elite and sit in the stands. Much more fun to be in the center with all the regular folks. Bring sunscreen and a hat for the race. The parade and preparation lasts about 3-4 hours. Bring a snack and bring a bottle of wine or two. Nobody cares if you drink in public. But remember - you can't leave to go to the washroom. Once you're in the pen, you stay in until the end of the race.
6.) Best budget places to stay are just outside the wall. That way it's a beautiful 20 minute walk to the Piazza del Campo. Check my website, I have a direct link to one of the best. Although one year, I did stay at a glorified B&B just outside the square and it was quite perfect. If you book soon, you'll be fine.

Siena - during the Palio or not - is one of Italy's best cities. The architecture is stunning. Visit and stay in nearby Florence but give yourself 3 days in Siena during the festival and you should be fine. Don't bother visiting the day AFTER the palio. All the losers will be depressed. Again, check www.johnmeyerbooks.com for info - I have photos and videos as well!