Most people have heard of Il Palio, the extremely famous horse race which is held in Siena every year on July 2 and August 16.
Very few people of heard of Il Palio dei Somari, held every year in Torrita di Siena. Il Palio dei Somari is a donkey race. Yes, you read that right. They race donkeys. Torrita di Siena lies in Tuscany about 80 km southeast of Florence. The small town is, like Siena, divided into districts, or contrade. In Torrita di Siena, there are 8 contrade. Each contrada has its own coat-of-arms, symbols and colours.
During the Palio, each district is decorated with their flags. Each contrada has its own flag-bearers, drummers and “royalty”, consisting of a Princess, a Prince and an Ensign, who are dressed in beautiful costumes similar to those worn in the mid-15th Century.
The contrade are:
- Porta Nova: Coat-of-Arms – One tower. Colours: White, Black
- Porta a Pago: Coat-of-Arms – The hand in the action of paying. Colours: Red, Green
- Porta a Sole: Coat-of-Arms – The sun. Colours: Blue, Yellow
- Porta a Gavina: Coat-of-Arms – The wolf. Colours: Red, Black
- Cavone: Coat-of-Arms – The dragon. Colours: White, Green
- Le Fonti: Coat-of-Arms – The two faced Janus. Colours: White, Red
- Refenero: Coat-of-Arms – The lion with 3 ears. Colours: White, Celestial Blue
- Stazione: Coat-of-Arms – The dog – I think this looks a German Shepard smoking a cigar! Colours: Red, White, Blue
Il Palio dei Somari was started in 1966 for the festival of San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph) who is (take a guess) the patron saint of carpenters! It is held every year on the Sunday following March 19 (or March 19th, if it is a Sunday). The donkey was used to symbolize hard work and the simplicity of human labour.
The event starts with the grand entrance of each contrade. Drummers, flag-bearers, and the royalty arrive with great pomp and circumstance. Once they have all entered, it is time for the show to begin. The oval track is 200 metres long. There are four elimination rounds, each round between two contrade, where they must complete three laps of the track on the donkeys. There is a round for the four losing contrade and then there is the final round. The winner must complete four laps.
While this may sound easy, the donkeys sometimes have minds of their own and will just stop mid-race. The expression “stubborn as a mule” comes to mind as you watch the jockeys desperately try to get the donkeys moving again. The donkeys will sometimes change direction and start to run the opposite way, much to the frustration of the jockeys and the great amusement of the crowd.
The winning jockey will be awarded the banner which will be paraded back to the winning contrada. There is a great celebration and bragging rights for another year. If you are in the area towards the end of March, it is definitely worth attending. David will understand.
Super Cool! Didn’t even know this was a thing! Keep posting bella!
Almost worth the trip to Torrita di Siena
Definitely worth it! It is very fun to watch and you get into it cheering for your donkey and team!