PALIO IS LIFE

The “Palio di Siena” is the world’s most exciting horse race. It is celebrated twice each year in honor of religious holidays and has been held nearly without interruption since the days of the medieval Republic of Siena. It’s a centuries-old race between the various districts of the city in which ten horses, each representing a particular district, are ridden bareback by a jockey who races at breakneck speeds around the Piazza del Campo, surrounded by ancient buildings and cheered on by a passionate crowd of locals and tourists.

The Palio is more than a simple horse race. It’s the culmination of ongoing rivalries and competition between the districts.

A citizen belongs to their contrada first, then Siena and lastly Italy. The roots of such identification run back centuries. But the loyalty flows both ways: the contradas take care of their own. Winning the Palio earns far more than simple bragging rights. Each victory makes the district a little greater, a glory reflected onto its citizens.

SIENA, ITALY

PALIO IS LIFE (color)

The “Palio di Siena” is the world’s most exciting horse race. It's celebrated twice each year in honor of religious holidays and has been held nearly without interruption since the days of the medieval Republic of Siena. The Palio is more than a simple horse race. It’s the culmination of ongoing rivalries and competition between the districts.

SIENA, ITALY

PALIO IS LIFE (black & white)

The “Palio di Siena” is the world’s most exciting horse race. It is celebrated twice each year in honor of religious holidays and has been held nearly without interruption since the days of the medieval Republic of Siena. The Palio is more than a simple horse race. It’s the culmination of ongoing rivalries and competition between the districts.

SIENA, ITALY

THE OTHER PALIO

The story of the Palio starts from the nearly unknown winter activity.

A winter of long and exhausting months where there are no Saturday or Sunday holidays; where horses require daily care and the training activity of jockeys needs continuous strict lifestyles and diets.