Some of the flags bearing symbols of the Siena contrade on display during Palio
Many Italy visitors have heard about the Palio of Siena, that centuries-old bareback horse race that occurs in the Piazza del Campo. It’s easy to understand it’s a race between rival teams, but you may not realize the race is actually between neighborhoods.
There are 17 neighborhoods in the historic center of Siena that participate in the Palio (a neighborhood is a “contrada,” and the plural is “contrade”). During the running of each Palio in Siena, 10 of the participating contrade send a horse and rider to the race. Each contrada is represented by a symbol — most are animals, but there are also mythical creatures, architectural symbols and icons taken from nature.
The contrade support their rider with medieval marches, complete with flag-throwers and musicians, all wearing the symbol and colors of the neighborhood. Residents of the contrada fall in behind the marchers, typically wearing or waving a scarf with the contrada’s colors. Almost like signs of the zodiac, there are historic allies between contrade, as well as historic enemies.
The different contrade each have historic professions associated with them, but those don’t carry through to present day. Each one also has its own museum, and families will even baptise children born into a contrada at the contrada’s own baptismal font. While the original reasons for dividing the city into contrade are no longer significant, the contrade have become integral to life in Siena.
As mentioned, in any given Palio — there are two each summer — 10 of the 17 contrade appear in the race. Here’s a list of the contrade of Siena’s names, symbols and colors. This should help you determine what contrada you’re staying in, so you can root for the “home team” in the race.
- Caterpillar (Bruco) – The Bruco contrada’s symbol has a caterpillar wearing a crown and sitting on a rose. The colors are green, yellow and blue.
- Crested Porcupine (Istrice) – The Istrice contrada has a porcupine as its symbol, and its colors are red, white, blue and black.
- Dragon (Drago) – The Drago contrada’s symbol is a dragon in flight holding a banner. The colors are red, green and yellow.
- Eagle (Aquila) – The Aquila contrada contains the Duomo, and the symbol is a two-headed black eagle. The colors are yellow, blue and black. Aquila has had the fewest victories over the centuries.
- Forest (Selva) – The Selva contrada has a rhino and an oak tree, which is decorated with hunting weaponry. The colors are green and orange with a bit of white.
- Giraffe (Giraffa) – The Giraffa contrada has a giraffe on its symbol, and its colors are white and red.
- Goose (Oca) – The Oca contrada’s goose symbol is wearing a crown and a blue ribbon, and the contrada’s colors are green, white and a bit of red. Oca has had the most victories over the centuries.
- Little Owl (Civetta) – The Civetta contrada’s symbol has a small owl wearing a crown, and the colors are red, black and white.
- Panther (Pantera) – The Pantera contrada is a rearing panther, and its colors are red, blue and white.
- Seashell (Nicchio) – The Nicchio contrada’s symbol is a scallop shell with a crown. The colors are blue, yellow and red.
- She-Wolf (Lupa) – The Lupa contrada’s symbol is the familiar she-wolf nursing twins (also the symbol of Rome). The colors are black and white with a bit of orange.
- Snail (Chiocciola) – The Chiocciola contrada’s symbol is a snail, and the colors are red, yellow and blue.
- Tortoise (Tartuca) – The Tartuca contrada has a tortoise with Savoy insignia as its symbol, and the colors are yellow and dark blue.
- Tower (Torre) – The Torre contrada’s symbol is an elephant bearing a tower on its back. The colors are dark red, white and blue.
- Unicorn (Leocorno) – The Leocorno contrada’s unicorn is rearing, and its colors are orange and white with a bit of blue.
- Valley of the Ram (Valdimontone) – The Valdimontone contrada’s symbol is a rearing ram with a blue shield. Its colors are red and yellow with a bit of white.
- Wave (Onda) – The Onda contrada has a dolphin as its symbol, with appropriately wavy white and light blue colors in the background.
- Contributed by Jessica Spiegel
