Rick Steves’ Travel Blog

The coveted Palio banner is the trophy that gives the wildest horse race anywhere its name. This clip shows a dramatic procession through Siena, with the Palio held high. A highlight of the parade is that famed and treasured banner — lovingly painted and featuring the Virgin Mary, to whom the race is dedicated — that will be awarded to the victorious contrada. The Palio is being carried by adoring masses through Siena to the Cathedral. As race day approaches, this and other processions break out across the city. Locals belt out passionate good-luck choruses. With the waving flags and pounding drums, it all harkens back to the Middle Ages, when these rituals boosted morale before battle.

This is Day 92 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Vienna, the Alps, the Low Countries, England, Siena, and beyond. Find more right here on my travel blog.

Twice a year, each July and August, Siena readies itself for the big horse race (in which 10 of its 17 neighborhoods — chosen by lottery — will compete). Siena’s central square, Il Campo, is transformed into a medieval racetrack. Tons of clay is packed atop the cobbles, padding is added to the treacherous corners, and bleachers and railings are set up in anticipation of the big day.

In Siena (as you’ll see in the photos at the end of this clip), the police were out in force, with busloads converging on the town center, lines of security troops checking anyone entering the square, and (of course) bars busy with heavily armed cops getting their cappuccino. It’s all part of the festive mix.

Security is on high alert at any big event in Europe these days. And I appreciate the security. The first decades of my life were spent in a Cold War, where our very existence was at risk. I’m resigned to the fact that my last decades will be spent in a world where terrorism is the new norm. The way I see it, we’re all combatants. And, rather than give up our freedom of movement, we’ll suffer random hits — which get way more attention than they merit, rewarding and therefore encouraging more such attacks. “Soft targets” such as festivals will be ringed by ever more effective security, and life — for the vast majority of us — will go on.

This is Day 91 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Vienna, the Alps, the Low Countries, England, Siena, and beyond. Find more right here on my travel blog.

Hold on to your gnocchi — it’s Siena’s Palio. The finale of my summer trip is in Siena, where my crew and I spent several days filming the Palio horse race for our upcoming European Festivals TV special.

In this photo, cameraman Karel Bauer and I are with our Sienese guide, Roberto Bechi, who — as you can see — is excited about the race…as he has been, twice a year, for all his life. Roberto, whose enthusiasm is contagious, got us the best seats and made sure we understood the elaborate and confusing rituals as they unfolded.

Across Europe, festival traditions go back centuries, and are filled with time-honored pageantry and ritual. Entire communities hurl themselves with abandon into the craziness. There’s no better example than here at Siena’s Palio.

In this gorgeously preserved Tuscan hill town, the Middle Ages seem to survive in the architecture and in the civic spirit. The city is known both for its pride and for its independent attitude. And twice a year, that spirit shows itself in a crazy horse race, as it has for five centuries.

While the actual race lasts 90 seconds, the festivities consume the city for days. For the next week or so, I’ll be bringing you a behind-the-scenes look at Siena’s Palio.

This is Day 90 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Vienna, the Alps, the Low Countries, England, Siena, and beyond. Find more right here on my travel blog.