We will be in Tuscany at the time of the Horse race. We will be staying at San Gimgnano and will be driving to Siena. We would ideally like to visit some other towns in the region in the morning before we try to secure a spot in the centre of the Campo. Just wondering if anyone has been to the race and could give us some pointers on what time we would need to be there from, where best to park and any tips on where to position ourselves and survive the long wait - we will have 3 teenagers in tow.
Posted by
St. Louis
49 posts
The horse race is "Il Palio" -- we're going to the one in Ferrara on 30 May and cannot wait!
I know that the Palio in Siena is bigger than the one in Ferrara and we were able to buy tickets for Ferrara's online. I'm guessing you may be able to buy tickets for Il Palio de Siena online as well. Tickets were €25 per person, no discount for kids. I'm sorry I can't offer any info on your other questions.
Posted by
St. Louis
49 posts
PS - I goofed - it's Il Palio di Siena - and there's a great website for it in English here:
Posted by
Hanford, California, USA
26 posts
We were there a few days before the race and that was enough excitement for us. They were bringing dirt into the campo and getting the "track" ready -and there were marching bands and parades - the excitement and pageantry was enough for us without experincing the crush of the actual race. Post after your trip - I'd love to hear how it works out.
Posted by
Dallas, TX, USA
1170 posts
I would not drive to Siena that day as there will likely be no parking available or at least extremely difficult to find and far away. Skip the other towns and make a day of it in Siena. Take a bus instead.
Posted by
Mpls, MN
1005 posts
We stayed away on purpose the day of the July Palio. We were staying near Montepulciano but visited Siena several days later and still saw festivities such as contrada parades, banquets, etc. On another visit to Siena we again visited several days after the July Palio and again saw plenty of pagentry. Enough for us at least.
Posted by
Orlando, Florida
676 posts
Hi! A friend and i went to this a few years ago, we probably walked 20 min from where we parked, but it was a nice walk. We ended up on a high part of the piazza itself, which was good for being able to see. We did end up waiting about 2 hours, so we listened to his I-Pod and people watched. We were able to sit down while we waited but it was crowded. Afterwards, as we walked back to the car, the winners came thru the town yelling and cheering-that was fun. We got into a restaurant near the car with no problems, but it wasn't in the middle of town. It was fun and I'm glad I did it, but don't feel the urge to do it again, unless of course I had seats! Afterward, as we wa
Posted by
OP
Brisbane, Australia
50 posts
Thanks for all your thoughts. We are looking forward to it - the website has been great.
Thanks again Pam