The country of Italy is known for its ability of luring visitors to its shores. Of the many cities and towns that you will discover in this delightful country the city of Siena is one that you should take the time to visit. You will be able to find this city in the Tuscany region of Italy. The city is also the capital of the Siena province and the historic centre of this city has today been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. While there are many attractions that can be found here you will find that it is famous for its mouthwatering food, medieval cityscape and the Il Palio.

The Il Palio is a colorful horse race which takes place in the Piazza del Campo in Siena. It is held twice a year during the summer months. The Il Palio which is more formally known as the Palio di Siena is held on July 2nd and August 16th. The Il Palio which is held on July 2nd is named Palio di Provenzano, in honor of Madonna di Provenzano.

The second Il Palio which is held on August 16th is named Palio dell’Assunta, in honor of the Assumption of Mary. Before the race is held you will be able to enjoy watching a fabulous pageant called the Corteo Storico. This pageant is well known throughout the world and attracts many visitors both local and foreign to Siena.

Once you have enjoyed the spectacle of the pageant you are ready to see the horse races. In these horse races you will see there are ten horses and their riders who will participate in the race. The horses are ridden bareback while the riders are clad in the colors which represent ten of the seventeen city wards. The race consists of the racers circling the Piazza del Campo three times. The race usually lasts for about 90 seconds. To make the course less hard on the riders and their horses there is a thick layer of dirt which has been laid on the track.

Unlike many other horse races that you will see elsewhere in the world the Il Palio of Siena is unusual in the fact that it is the horse who wins the race and the jockey as the horse is recognized as representing his contrada – these are the city ward colors that you will see the jockey wearing. A horse in the race who wins the Il Palio without a jockey is known locally as winning “scosso”. Once you have enjoyed the horse race you may wish to see some of the other sights of Siena.

These will include the Pinacoteca. In this location you will be able to admire a wealth of Sienese paintings which have come down to the present times from Siena’s medieval past. These paintings are well worth spending some time admiring. Another great place in the city that you may wish to visit is that of the house where St. Catherine of Siena was born. You can find this house not too far from the Duomo. St. Catherine of Siena was a 14th century mystic who is today considered to be one of the principal patron saints of Italy.

Finally you may wish to visit the Duomo of Siena. This building is a magnificent black and white Italian Romanesque Cathedral. The other buildings which fall under the protection of this cathedral are the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, the Libreria Piccolomini and the Baptistery.

Once you have seen these sights you may feel as if you have toured all of the sights of this magnificent city. There is however many more wonderful places in Siena for you to see. With this in mind for your next holiday you may wish to choose Siena in Italy as the place to visit for a fabulous and exciting holiday.

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Category: Travel
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