Details
Siena is divided into 17 distinct contrade, each named after an animal or symbol (e.g., Oca / Goose, Lupa / She-Wolf, Nicchio / Seashell, Aquila / Eagle).
Each district operates as a self-governing micro-community year-round, complete with its own museum, church, fountain, and elected officials.
During Palio week, residents live almost entirely within their own district borders. Social life centers on the district fountain (where infants are symbolically "baptized" into the contrada), the local headquarters, and the street banquets.
Intense ancestral rivalries dictate strategy. A contrada's primary goal is to win, but its secondary goal is strictly to prevent its rival district from winning—often leading to jockey bribery and defensive tactics during the race.
What you are about to hear is a culmination of the hustle and bustle of spectators from all over the world intermingled with the contrade. Sit back and relax to an eclectic atmosphere of song, customs, and entertainment.
