Palio di Siena

And there's also Chianti, so pa pa.

But the real reason you go to Siena, well, if you're there twice a year, is for the Palio.

The race occurs twice a year on due Luglio and sedici Augusto.

Those are your two times you can catch it.

If you can't figure out what that said there, that sucks.

And a polite way of describing the Palio would be è un porto grotto, 'cause this l- race lasts 90 seconds.

It's 10 horses running around a circle in the middle of the town, and each of the 17 neighborhoods puts a horse up.

So you can tell not all of them get in.

Venice hosts the famous carnival with elaborate mass and customs.

Siena is famous for the Palio horses race held twice a year in its main square.

Many villages have patron saint festivals with fireworks and parades.

The carnival of Vyria features a massive battle of oranges.

The jockeys are assigned randomly and there's a huge pot of money.

It can be in the millions that the winning jockey gets from the Palio.

Interestingly, a horse can win the Palio without the jockey intact.

It's just the first horse.

um that crosses the line there's loads to it if you go get involved do the street parades go and see a horse get blessed try and sing some songs with a contrada pick a contrada you're allowed to do that um i wouldn't go you know full um front of the parade pretending you're someone you're not but they do encourage or at least allow tourists to sort of pick a team and support one um If you didn't want to be amongst the mob, don't go in the middle of the track.

If it rains again, next day and it could go on for a week.

When I was there, we missed one day and watched it the next.

So that's Italy, Palio di Siena.

Its 17 contrade remain an important part of everyday life.

Twice each summer, the Palio transforms the main piazza into one of Italy's most extraordinary spectacles.

And rising above it all is Siena's magnificent cathedral, filled with works by some of the greatest artists in Italian history.

But for this episode, I wanted you to experience Siena through someone who truly knows it from the inside.

I'm joined by Stella, a licensed guide who was born and raised in Siena and herself a member of the Torre Contrada.

She's going to help us understand Siena's great masterpieces and also what it means to grow up in this remarkable city.

We'll talk about the neighborhoods of the Palio.

We'll talk about Siena's medieval republic, the Via Francigena, and the pilgrims who passed through the city.