The race starts off in the "Mossa", an area set up on the piazza delimited by two long pieces of thick rope. The "Mossiere" then calls the Contrade in the order in which they were drawn and checks that the assigned positions are respected. The first 9 Contrade take up their assigned positions in the area between the two ropes, while the last one, the tenth, enters this area at a running gallop thus signaling the start of the race.
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| Awaiting the start in Traditional fashion - www.palio-siena.com |
If the start is not considered valid (this is the case if the jockeys are not in their assigned spots), a shot goes out to signal the jockeys to get back into place. This starting phase within the "Mossa" is more complicated than it seems, as the space is small and the horses are right next to each other. Rivalries run deep within the Contrade and competition is high and the worst result is to see the "enemy" Contrada win the race. The wait for the start of the race can thus be extremely long and last into twilight.
If all goes well the start of the race can occur at any time. The horses must run three laps around the Campo, overcoming dangerous points such as the very narrow curve of San Martino where collisions between the wall and between horses have led to many falls in the past (the reason why many animal activists oppose the Palio).
The first horse that crosses the finish line, even if he arrives without his jockey, wins the race. The winning Contrada receives the Drappellone, as the victorious Contrada members head towards the Church of Provenza (after the July race) or towards the Duomo (after the August race) for the "Te Deum" or prayer of thanks.
****************************************************************************************************************** Spyns is an active travel company offering small group tours to Siena, Italy Palio festival. For more information or to chat with us live about Palio and our company, please visit www.palio-siena.com or contact us info@palio-siena.com or toll-free at 1.888.825.4720. Copyright Spynstours Ltd. 2011-2015.
If all goes well the start of the race can occur at any time. The horses must run three laps around the Campo, overcoming dangerous points such as the very narrow curve of San Martino where collisions between the wall and between horses have led to many falls in the past (the reason why many animal activists oppose the Palio).
The first horse that crosses the finish line, even if he arrives without his jockey, wins the race. The winning Contrada receives the Drappellone, as the victorious Contrada members head towards the Church of Provenza (after the July race) or towards the Duomo (after the August race) for the "Te Deum" or prayer of thanks.
****************************************************************************************************************** Spyns is an active travel company offering small group tours to Siena, Italy Palio festival. For more information or to chat with us live about Palio and our company, please visit www.palio-siena.com or contact us info@palio-siena.com or toll-free at 1.888.825.4720. Copyright Spynstours Ltd. 2011-2015.
