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Palio - Siena in July

Posted by on

All:

Asking again and hoping to get some more insight. We are in Florence for 3 days this summer traveling with 3 kids aged 9-15. My daughter loves horses and we were thinking about driving to Siena (we have a car) to check out the trial race in the morning at 9am, hoping to avoid the craziness and crowds of the actual Palio day. We were contemplating driving up very early in the morning to arrive at 8am in Siena, park and then watch the 9am trial from the Campo there. We'd hang out in the city for a few hours and see a bit of the revelry and spirit and then head back to Florence at maybe 2-3pm.

It wasn't on our radar when we planned the trip, but we thought a "quick" jaunt over to Siena would be warranted. Worth it?

Thanks

Posted by
7522 posts

I have only been to Siena a day or two after the Palio. Posters here have noted that it can still be possible to eat with one of the Contradas (?) outdoor festivals then.

So my information is thin, but I think you need to think carefully about how Palio day is often compared to New Year's Eve in Times Square. The crowding is spectacular, and it is not possible to leave early, even if you want to. So you could use some reliable information about crowding and parking space the morning of the trial. I don't think you can assume it is an undiscovered local gem! Parking in Tuscany tends to be difficult all summer. We could not get tickets to see the Cathedral because we had not bought them before arriving, and the lines for last-minute tickets were hours long. Because our GPS could not "find" the largest public lot without taking us through multiple ZTLs, we somehow found a street space. But it was almost a mile walk, with considerable height change to climb, to the main square.

(I know you're not proposing to attend the race.) Also thin data, but a long Profile of the Palio in the New Yorker magazine suggested that it is not a particularly "honorable" race, and hard whipping is quite normal. (Not personally verified.)

Posted by
19 posts

I would try to go to the actual Palio itself. We went to both the trial and the race itself. Get to Siena mid day, get lunch and watch the parade of contrast sing and march by. This is such a spectacle. Yes there are crowds getting into the piazza to watch the race but not too bad. I live in Chicago so am used to large crowds so I didn’t think it was overbearing. We parked in the lot by the train station and had no problem parking or leaving. We arrived around 12-1 pm.
We are going to our 2nd Palio this July.

Posted by
237 posts

Here are a couple of sites which should help in your decision. Siena is full of energy the whole week before the Palio. Arriving at 8am, finding parking and getting to the Campo before they close the gates for the 1st trial might be cutting it close. An earlier arrival would be better.
https://www.ilpalio.org/palioenglish4.htm
https://www.ilpalio.org/palio_schedules.htm
It is unlike any horse race in the States. You should try to get a basic understanding of the Palio (rules, Contrada, riders, etc.) You can find many YouTube videos of the Palio. It is definitely worth it if you are able to catch a trial race.
Good luck. Hope it works out for you.

Posted by
17 posts

What year did you go? I have 3 kids with me. I’m ok just doing the trial and having it be a less crowded experience. My husband did not like the description of “Times Square on NYE.” We were planning on getting there early in the morning and staying for lunch and then getting back to Florence.

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