Territorium

The Bando di Violante di Baviera from 1730 determined the division of the city of Siena into 17 Contrade. People referred to buildings and their owners instead of the streets (as they do now). The document is still seen today as the basis on which the actual boundaries of the districts were determined.

Today, the following streets are part of the area’s territory:

• via di Valdimontone
• via Roma
• via di Porta Giustizia
• via del Sole
• via Pagliaresi (part)
• via di Pantaneto (part)
• via di San Girolamo
• via delle Cantine
• via dei Servi
• via di San Clemente
• piazza Alessandro Manzoni
• vicolo di Pulcetino

History

Legend has it that the name of the district comes from “Montorio”, a Roman commander who descended to the area we now know as Siena to start the attack on the sons of Remo (Senio and Ascanio (Aschio), who are in Castelvecchio, the first core of the city, had settled in. He had his stay on the hill overlooking Castelvecchio where the Basilica dei Servi now stands. The area is also called “Castelmontorio”.

Important locations and Festa Titolare

The Oratory of Valdimontone, the Oratorio della Santissima Trinità is from the 14th century and in its current form is the result of the reconstruction that began at the beginning of the 16th century, 1509 to be precise, and took almost two centuries to complete before he was finished. Siena’s true gem from that period is presented as an extraordinary combination of painting and seventeenth-century
sculpture.

The baptismal fountain of Montone is the fourteenth-century Fonte di S.Maurizio in Via S. Girolamo, on the corner of Via Roma. Despite the fact that this is the only one on the territory of Valdimontone, it is not used by the Contrada. The baptism takes place in the Oratory on the day of the Festa Titolare.

The Festa Titolare in honor of patron saint Madonna del Buon Consiglio is celebrated on April 26.

Valdimontone and the Palio

Valdimontone has 45 officially recognized victories. The last one was on 12 August 2012, with Jonathan Bartoletti (Scompiglio) on Lo Specialista.

To date, one Cappotto won, in 1781.

Following T.O.N.O. “la Piccola Quadruplice” by Lupa – Drago – Valdimontone – Aquila was created in 1935. From 1935 to 1939 5 courses out of 10. The war ended this alliance. Valdimontone is the only neighborhood that never won in this period.

You can find all the drappelloni won here. The Numeri Unici are also online.

Anecdotes

Montone (or what the neighborhood is popularly called) was the first neighborhood to receive a disqualification in the history of the Palio. The facts take place at the Palio of August 1966, won by the Chiocciola.

Everything started with the third prova. The starter (mossiere) was the newcomer Cappelli. His lack of experience became fatal to Valdimontone’s fantino, Antonio Marino detto Guanto, who had problems with his horse. The mossiere did not drop the cord (or too late), causing the rider to fall over the cord of his horse. Istrice who had to give the start didn’t want to leave, so the starter was more inattentive. However, Guanto was no longer able to drive. Immediately after the prova, which was driven by 9, the montonaioli stormed the verrrocchio (on which the starter stands) to contest the actions of the mossiere. Cappelli put it on one walk, chased by 2 montonaioli. Both were arrested by the police.

The arrest of two young men fueled the tension that prevailed. Cappelli resigned and was replaced by Wilson Pesciatini, a police officer. On the evening of the Prova Generale, Montone’s horse came to the town hall from stallion Paolo Valentini. He rode his horse Fiamma in the opposite direction towards the start. This was the signal for an invasion of the slope by the montonaioli, followed by many other solidarity contradaioli from other neighborhoods. They demanded the release of the two young men.

The two young men were released late in the evening because of the demonstration. Montone was disqualified for 1 Palio, the barbaresco for 4!

It must be said that the Palio became even more turbulent when the next day (August 16) the Palio had to be postponed by an invasion of the track by the torraioli after their fantino fell and could not be replaced. The Palio was postponed to August 17 and was won by Antonio Trinetti detto Canapetta on the strong Beatrice for Chiocciola.

Rivalry with Nicchio

The enmity between Nicchio and Montone is one of the oldest in the city. Already in 1700 there was regular fighting between the two neighborhoods. At the beginning of 1900 a period of tranquility began that even led to an alliance between the two neighborhoods. In the 1930s, at the time of the T.O.N.O. the rivalry started to rise again. Between 1934 and 1952, however, Nicchio was too busy with the new rivalry with Oca. However, during the Palio of August 1952 it came back to skirmishes that led to the start of the official enmity between the two neighborhoods. When the fantini Ivan Magnani detto Il Terribile for Montone and Albano Nucciotti detto Ranco for Nicchio started distributing lashes during the race because of a personal feud between the two, the game was at stake. After the race it came to a gigantic fight on the edge between both neighborhoods. On August 27 of the same year, it was decided at a popular assembly in Montone to break all ties with Nicchio. An official enmity was born.

When Nicchio, after a generation change around 1970, put an end to the rivalry with Oca, they were able to fully concentrate on this with Montone. The Montone-Nicchio rivalry is currently one of the most felt in Siena.

The proof is the Palio’s of 2015. In July, Nicchio won the Palio winning horse from August 2014 with Occole ’. With Tittia, one of the top fantasy of the moment was installed. Nothing stood in the way of victory. However, with Veleno II, Montone opted for a killer pur-sang. After a 75-minute nerve-racking start-up procedure in which Montone kept looking for Nicchio, they had finally left. However, Montone visited Nicchio immediately after the start and Veleno II literally and figuratively dragged Tittia off his horse. The riots after the race were also there. Furious contradaioli from Nicchio prevent Montone from leaving the Piazza. An hour later, Montone was brought home from the Piazza under police supervision. A wall of fire trucks and police cars was erected between the two neighborhoods for the night.

A week later, Montone was raffled off and it was announced that they had to look into each other’s eyes again in August. The tension was built up during 4 days. The tension was palpable from the tratta. Neither of them had drawn a top horse. Nicchio opted for Bighino to do the job, Montone for Brigante. After the start, Bighino chatted Montone’s fantino with the whip for three laps, tens of meters after the head of the race. After the race there was heavy fighting between both neighborhoods, so Selva had to wait for minutes to be able to triumphantly leave the Piazza after the victory.

Despite several apologies, Montone 2 Palio’s is excluded. Veleno II is worse off, he is no longer allowed to participate in 10 Palios. Nicchio came away for the fights with a reprimand.

In addition, Valdimontone grants itself 4 extra Palios, not recognized by the City of Siena:

1. 15 agosto 1637: bufalata wont with Pavolo Roncucci detto Pavolino
2. 15 agosto 1645: bufalata won with door Simone Pulcinelli detto Mone
3. 2 luglio 1660: Palio recognized today to Nicchio
4. 2 luglio 1679: Palio recognized today to Onda

Drappellone and Numeri Unici can be found on pages on our Dutch website (pages will open in new tab) :

• Drappellone
• Numeri Unici

• Since July 2, 1775, 483 fantini debuted on the Piazza
• In 1928, no less than 9 fantini debuted (in 3 courses).
• 21 fantini won their debut.

• Valdimontone had 25 fantini debut since 1775
• 3 of them won on their debut : Grillo, Randa en Il Pesse
• The longest period without a debutant is 39 years : 15/8/1862-2/7/1901

Below you will find events that have never happened before and that cause some kind of superstition in the contradaioli. MAI or never is of course a relative term. The further we go back in time, the less data is stored and the more uncertain we become.

Valdimontone has never :

1. won a palio straordinario when Bruco or Selva or Tartuca participated
2. won when they were selected as 1st, 2nd 4th or 5th (estrazione)
3. won from position 1 or rincorsa at the start
4. won standing next to Bruco or Nicchio or Tartuca at the start
5. won a july palio after being extracted together with Civetta or Lupa or Oca or Onca or Pantera or Selva or Torre
6. won an august palio after being extracted together with Aquila or Bruco or Civetta or Drago or Giraffa or Lupa or Nicchio or Oca or Onda or Pantera or Tartuca or Torre
7. won a palio alla romana
8. won a palio when Aquila or Oca was rincorsa