The Siena Balzana (blazon) has a silver field over a sable one, and the city's arms bear the she-wolf with Romulus and Remus. That is not because they were found here, as is commonly thought, but because the foundation of Siena is attributed to Senius, son of Remus, and Ascius. As we walked through the streets, we were puzzled to see colourful banners everywhere, bearing a specific design; suddenly we'd find ourselves among banners of another design. Above are the emblems of the Contrade, the 17 parishes of Siena.

"The Siena Contrade, or districts, initially quite numerous, are complete territorial units in themselves, grouping the citizens of one "rione". Each Contrada has its own headquarters, its own Oratory, and its museum where its history and victories are jealously preserved - each victory in the Palio being recorded. The boundaries of the Contrade were decided by a decree issued by Princess Violante of Bavaria in 1729, and despite constant proposals for their revision, they are still the same today as they were then. Every Contrada is ruled by its own governing body, elected every two years, and its life hinges on the general meeting. Every Sienese lives the life of his own Contrada, which over the centuries has retained the civil function of organizing the free time of its people; in this sense, all the moments of relaxation of a citizen of this city are closely linked to his own Contrada."

I would add that the feeling of belonging to a Contrada was (and probably still is) very strong. It is said that a woman off to be married far from the city took with her jars of earth from her Contrada to put under the legs of the bed, so that the new contradaiolo would be born "at home". There were two christenings: one for Christ and one for the Contrada, the latter being by the appropriate fountain, on the day of the appropriate holy patron. S. Bernardino of Siena is responsible for the adorning of the front facade of the cathedral with a solar symbol: in the hope of putting an end to intestine quarrels, he wanted his fellow Sienese to renounce the emblem of their contrade to unite behind this Christ symbol. Obviously, he was not successful.

I have gathered below the names, colours, patrons and such of each contrada:

(Text paraphrased from a source now lost:) The Palio is a full-blooded, genuine "festa", far removed from mere folklore, and only secondarily touristic. For to the Sienese, the Palio "is" life itself. The origins and the primitive character of the Sienese Palio have never found a really precise explanation. However, the city of Siena's most popular and emotion-stirring festival certainly existed a long time before 1310, the year in which the official institution of the Palio took place. It was ruled then that it should be held every year on 16 August, in honour of the Assumption of Mary into heaven. It was after the victorious battle of Montaperti in 1260 that this popular feast also took on a political significance; the wax candles offered for the feast symbolized from then onward the gratitude of the city to the Madonna and its reassertion of the autonomy and independence of the Commune. In 1656, official recognition was given to the institution of a second Palio, the "Palio delle Contrade", to be held on 2nd July, in honour of the Madonna of Provenzano (celebrating the miracle of the death of a Spanish soldier at the moment when he was aiming at the Madonna).

There are ten Contrade which take part in turns in the competition to win the Palio; the seven which were excluded the previous year take part in the next one, and thus have a right to it, while the other three are decided by lot from among the previous year's participants. The draw takes place in the Palazzo Pubblico, and the result of the extraction is immediately declared by hanging out of the trefoil window on the first floor the flags of the Contrade which are to take part, while the other seven are displayed from the floor above. For twelve months of the year, the fervour of the Palio is always boiling under the surface, but in the days which precede the competition itself the atmosphere becomes incandescent. Today as in the past, the event and everything concerning it is on each occasion the re-performance of a rite, beginning with the horse which is blessed, or with the choice of the fantino (the jockey - rarely a Sienese citizen), a hero who excites both love and hatred, recorded as a legend in every generation, and moreover to be regarded with suspicion. And then there is the historical Procession of the Contrade, with its standard-bearers brandishing their banners, the relentless rhythm of the drums, and finally the entry of the horses and their jockeys through the "Great Entrance".

The race runs around the Campo, which is then completely invisible because of the crowd of spectators massed over it. Its length is 1mn 20, and for the fantini, who mount saddleless, everything is allowed. The winner presents his Contrade with the Palio, which is actually a standard of the Madonna.
I will add that the Contrada of the Goose, which boasts the greatest number of Palio victories, has been surnamed for this reason "the infamous".

Compiled by Joumana Medlej