Analysis Palio 3 July 2025 – Anna Piperato

We would like to share Anna Piperato‘s reflections about the July 2025 Palio.

(Not-So) Fun Fact: This is the only time in Palio history where THREE Palii in a row have been postponed due to rains.

For the first time in what seems like a long while, all ten horses selected to run the Palio of Provenzano 2025 appeared to be on a level playing field. There were two Palio winners, five horses that had run at least one Palio before, and three strong newcomers. The jockeys that were hired by the competing Contrade also varied in experience and triumph; Giovanni Atzeni (Tittia) is the current “king” of the Piazza with 10 victories, far and away more than Jonatan Bartoletti (Scompiglio) with 5, and Giuseppe Zedde (Gingillo) and Carlo Sanna (Brigante) with three apiece. Andrea Sanna (Virgola) and Antonio Mula (Shardana) each competed in “the show” of bareback horse racing for the second time, and Michele Putzu (Spago) made his debut. Giosuè Carboni (Carboni), Francesco Caria (Tremendo), and Enrico Bruschelli are all accomplished riders, but have yet to affirm their status in Siena. It was difficult to assess which pair was the strongest throughout the six Prove (trials); this would be a Palio where the order within the canapi (ropes) would be fundamental to the outcome. 

The day of 2 July loomed long, as the day of the Palio always does, but convivial lunches were had to try and ease the tension that was building in the sweltering heat. We gathered in or around our respective churches for the blessing of the horse, a unifying flag display and a rousing cheer for our Contrada before following the Comparsa (contingent) and the Corteo Storico (Historical Procession). Some Comparse made it out of their Contrade, whilst others never even got started when the rains came. For the third Palio in a row, weather forced city officials to postpone the race to the next day. The last time the Palio was changed three consecutive times was 155 years ago, but only one of those delays was due to adverse weather conditions. There has been talk of replacing the traditional “tufo” (it’s not volcanic tuff but rather the local sandy soil) with a synthetic sand-like all-weather substance, but such sacred traditions as the “terra in Piazza” are slow to change. Adjustments have indeed occurred over the centuries, and recently, safety measures have tightened as the mattresses at the San Martino curve (first placed there in 1842) have evolved from placing a soft perimeter to actual mattresses (great advertising for the local bed maker!) to a high-tech impact-absorbing polyethylene-foam barrier. Jockeys are also now required to wear proper riding helmets rather than just cloth caps during the Prove, although they do, admittedly, look rather silly. With climate change making the Palio evermore uncertain, perhaps another modification is in order, but we shall leave this up to the authorities!

Back to the Palio di Provenzano. After the splendour that is the Historical Procession, the Carroccio (war cart) entered into the Piazza, led by four magnificent Chianina oxen. It carried the Drappellone, the silk banner awarded to the victorious Contrada, painted by Riccardo Manganelli. I am a huge fan because I have a print of his hanging in my flat, and I also had the great honour of being in his silk painting class this year! Once the last of the figurants processed round, the white flag was waved and the horses and jockeys came out of the Entrone of the Palazzo Pubblico and over towards the mossa (starting point). The thousands of people in the crowd, contradaioli and visitors alike, fell silent as we anxiously awaited the announcement of the order in between the canapi. Lupa, Selva, Bruco, Chiocciola, Oca, Istrice, Pantera, Drago, Tartuca, and Valdimontone as the rincorsa (the run-up, in charge of starting the race). The two pairs of rivals (Lupa-Istrice and Chiocciola-Tartuca) were far away from each other, and Tittia (for Oca) was in exactly the place he wanted to be. As the Contrade were immediately called outside of the ropes (“Fuori, fuori”, the mossiere declared), everyone of course wanted to speak with Valdimontone as last-minute deals were struck. The Contrade were called out once more as the horses were unable to stay in alignment. Astonishingly, Selva, a Contrada with no rivals, once back in the ropes went on the attack, antagonizing Lupa in a way that even newcomers to Palio found audacious. Drago and Tartuca kept to the top of the canapi for quite a time, meaning that the rincorsa was unable to enter. Eventually all Contrade were in alignment, and Valdimontone made its move. Oca, Selva, and Lupa all had a strong start, but it was Tittia and the debut horse, Diodoro, who were able to take the lead leading into the San Martino curve, and they never lost it. Shardana, the jockey for the Lupa, crashed spectacularly at the first San Martino curve, tearing ligaments in his ankle (the horse, Ares Elce, is fine), and Spago, in his first Palio attempt, was dislodged at the second. Carburo smashed into the grandstands at the second Casato curve, and Virgola “fell off” at the final San Martino (please excuse the sarcasm but I’ve yet to comprehend the Selva jockey’s behaviour at the mossa). There was no catching Diodoro and Tittia, and the jockey raised his nerbo (whip) for his eleventh triumph, ever closer to that magical number of fourteen, the all-time record held by Andrea de Gortes (Aceto). Despite the fact that the people of Fontebranda have now earned their 67th official victory (68 for the Contrada), they never tire of winning or of celebrating. Their rivalry with the Torre is hundreds of years strong, and revelling in their despair has almost become an annual pastime (Oca won 20 times in the 20th century, whereas Torre counted only five victories; Oca has won five more times since 2000 compared with just twice for Torre, and four of those five victories have been with Tittia). I am of course happy for my friends in the Oca, but sad for those in the Torre, and resigned for those in the Chiocciola and Pantera. But this, too, is Palio, because Palio è vita; the Wheel of Fortune will eventually turn to favour everyone, even if just for a brief and dazzling moment. For now, Diodoro lives up to his name, a golden god who will forever be a part of the equine pantheon, just as Tittia has earned his place amongst the greatest of Palio jockeys.