Four days before the Palio, on the 29th of June, our horse 'Viso d'Angelo' arrived into the ONDA stable after the estrazione, the lottery by the Palazzo Pubblico when the participating Contradas are given their respective horses. There was a great roar of joy by the Ondaioli at the announcement that we had gained this horse which was regarded as one of the three favourites. I can see the stable from my balcony and enjoyed watching the barbaresco walk him around the narrow space for a little exercise during these four days. There should have been several Prove, trial runs in the Piazza during these days, but three of them were cancelled because of bad weather.
The evening before the Palio is the happiest time in Siena- it is when there is much hope in the air and everyone thinks that this time it will surely be their time: when their own contrada will win.. the Cena di Prova Generale is when the whole of Siena have dinner under the stars on long tables that covers most of the city's streets and Piazzas... It is a noisy affair with much singing and laughing. Here below is Paolo with one of his lovely daughters - I invited him and his family to the Onda dinner, as a thank you for a job well done and for all the fun that we have had in the last year completing my flat. He had invited me to his contrada, the Valdimontone, last July (see blog), and since they were not running this July they were happy to join me.
The next day dawned with blue skies and happy, great expectations as the crowds gathered in the Piazza for the long wait... finally, after the mounted carabinieri and their cavalry charge (always a great crown pleaser) came the almost interminable historic parade which includes the 17 contradas' alfieri and tamburini, followed by the contradas that are now defunct in their historic outfits and banners, receiving their yearly outing so as not to be forgotten: the Serpente, the Spadaforte the Ourso, the Leone... and not forgetting all the ancient guilds with their banners- the butchers, the bankers, the carpenters etc... as well as a company of footsoldiers with crossbows- finally the great wagon arrives with the Palio, drawn by four white bulls: that is the culmination and the grand finale of the Corteggio Storico.
And once more, in a identical combination to last August's, Tittia won on the mare Violenta da Clodia who once again set a new record. The winning contrada was Selva. Tittia won for the fifth consecutive Palio- he has won every one of the four I have seen- including in July 2019, when I first came to Siena. Alas our Viso d'Angelo slipped and fell at the San Marino bend, but was not injured luckily...
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