The most important event in Siena is the Palio, a medieval festival that takes place twice a year (2nd July and 16th August). The different areas of the city compete in a horse race right inside the Piazza del Campo. This festival became internationally famous due to the James Bond film, Quantum of Solace.
The town transforms itself, taking on an even more medieval look (flags, standards, period costumes...) and the people get into their roles so much that they even fight among themselves and cry if their horse does not win! They say that even couples who belong to different districts of the city prefer to live separately during the Palio...
It is worth seeing, although the bad thing is that the city changes and the hotels and restaurants fill up, so it is hard to find a vacancy. If your trip coincides with this time, don´t forget to book well in advance. It is also possible that you will have to book for a minimum of two nights.
The race takes place in the Piazza del Campo where an improvised race track is set up. People place themselves seated in the stands around the track, or on foot in the space of the square which forms the interior of the race track. Unless you have a contact in the city, if you want to see a race you will have to go to the interior part. The trick to see the race in the front row is to arrive in the square just before 7pm by the door that enters from the Piazza del Mercato. The security guards push people into the inner area and if you manage to keep by the police cordon, you will stay in the front row. If you are claustrophobic or don´t like crowds, it is better to watch it on television: there are lots of people in a relatively small space and once the horses are in the square nobody is allowed to leave. Sometimes it takes two hours to get a valid start to the race!
Once the race finishes, wait until the horses depart and then leave immediately. Run to the restaurant that you have chosen because it will soon get full and on these days they do not usually accept bookings!
