Palio 2026 – www.thepalio.eu

2 luglio 2026

On May 25, 2025, the draw was held for the Palio of the Madonna of Provenzano, scheduled for July 2, 2025. The seven districts that were not allowed to participate were, in principle, guaranteed their place on July 2, 2026.

Nicchio will not be present due to disqualification, the last one. This means that four contrade will be drawn at the end of May, probably on May 31.

The following six contrade are guaranteed participation: Onda, Civetta, Giraffa, Leocorno, Aquila, and Torre.

So, we already have two rivalries: Onda-Torre and Civetta-Leocorno.

The drappellone will be painted by Ismaele Nones and will commemorate the 800th anniversary of the death of San Francesco.

16 agosto 2026

Since July 6, 2025, we have known which contrade will run the Palio on August 16, 2026.

For the first time in years, we will have a regular draw of three contrade.

Selva, Chiocciola, Oca, Nicchio, Lupa, Istrice, and Torre are guaranteed participation.

With Oca-Torre and Istrice-Lupa, we will see two rivalries on the Piazza.

The drappellone will be painted by Teodora Axente. It will commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Camollia on August 25, 1526.

With regard to suspended fantini:

Bighino: 5 palio (can participate in August 2026)

Palio August 2025 4th fastest time ever: 1:12.70

This time places Anda and Bola fourth in the history of the Palio. It’s even 10 hundredths faster than Pytheos’s time on August 16, 1991 (fifth) and only 1 hundredth slower than Polonski’s legendary time on August 17, 2015, when…

As always, we’re happy to share some videos of the Valdimontone festivities after the Palio, in the Piazza and towards Via Dei Servi. We also feature some interviews after the Palio with many of the key figures. We’re also sharing…

The Contrada del Valdimontone won the August 2025 Palio thanks to a convincing gallop by Giuseppe Zedde, better known as Gingillo, and Anda and Bola. Pre-race predictions were confirmed, making the Servi duo among the favorites. It was a long…

Valdimontone just won the August 2025 Palio with Gingillo on Anda e Bola.

The Palio of August 16, 2025, will be held tonight at 7:00 PM. We’re happy to provide an overview of the 10 participants. Valdimontone is ready to seize its chance, while Aquila is a definite outsider. It’s a Palio with…

Just as the last couple of years the rights to broadcast the Palio are with La7. This obviously has consequences as it cannot be received in abroad. The new contract between the Consorzio Per La Tutela Del Palio Di Siena…

Around 1:00 PM this afternoon, the horses were assigned to the contrade for the Palio on August 16, 2025. Valdimontone with Anda e Bola, Leocorno with Diodoro, and Civetta with Benitos responded enthusiastically. Below is an overview of the 10…

Unlike previous years, as in july, we will no longer share the list of presented horses and their numbers and the composition of the batterie through our website. Given that the PalioApp that we developed is going live and will offer these…

Over the past years we wrote some short articles in which we provided more information about the organization of certain phases of the tratta and the prove. We notice that it remains important to continue sharing these. That is why…

The list of 35 horses eligible to participate in tomorrow’s Tratta has just been announced. For more information about each horse, please refer to our PalioApp (available for free), where you can click on each horse for more information. Below…

There was a prolonged applause for the drappellone created by Sicilian painter Francesco De Grandi for the 2025 Palio dell’Assunta. The work was unveiled last night, August 10th, in the crowded courtyard of the Palazzo Publicco, and presented by art…

After the Palio of July it’s time for the August Palio! As you know, there are many appointments during the days of the Palio. To keep it clear, let’s summarize. Participants in the Palio are Selva, Pantera, Tartuca, Bruco, Drago,…

Siena has two regional TV channels. In addition to Canale 3, there is also SienaTV. From august 11 till 17 , SienaTV will start a modified programming around the Palio. As in previous years, they will focus on many live broadcasts, supporting…

We would like to inform all PalioApp users that, as with the July Palio, the “Presentazione, Batterie, Assegnazione e Prove” pages will be updated in real time throughout the four days of the August Palio. Furthermore, compared to the previous…

Marco Tansini, ein Geschäftsmann und Pferdebesitzer in Siena hatte diese Träume. Am 4. Juli, am Tag nach dem Palio und dem Sieg „seiner“ Contrada del’Oca (der Gans) blieb sein Geschäft in der Innenstadt Sienas geschlossen. Im Schaufenster konnte man eine…

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…

It is a great honour and a pleasure to present an article, written for thepalio.eu, by Mark Damazer. The highlight this time was not the race – but the posse of horses and jockeys trotting side by side with Montone…

Leocorno, Onda, Civetta, Valdimontone. These are the four contrade that were “kissed” by lot, along with Pantera, Tartuca, Drago, Bruco, Giraffa and Aquila, who participate by right. The first official act for the Palio dell’Assunta was completed with the drawing…

As always, we are happy to share some videos with the festivities of Oca after the Palio on the Piazza and in Provenzano. Also some interviews after the Palio Ocaioli. Finally some analyses of the Palio by RadioSienaTV. Giubilo Interviste…

The Nobile Contrada dell’Oca won the Palio of July 3, 2025. A magnificent race for Giovanni Atzeni, better known as Tittia, on “his” Diodoro, a debuting horse on the tufo, who nevertheless showed all his power. A lightning start for…

Oca just won the July Palio of 2025. Fantino Tittia won his 11th on debuting horse Diodoro.

As already mentioned, yesterday’s Palio was postponed due to the rainy weather in the afternoon. The first drops after 6 weeks of drought in Siena fell at the wrong time, on the wrong day. Today the forecast looks good. The…

The green flag has just been hung at the Palazzo Pubblico: the Palio of 2 July 2025 has been postponed due to bad weather conditions. At around 2.50 pm it started to rain in the Piazza del Campo. The city…

The Palio of July 2, 2025 will be held tonight at 7:30 PM. We would like to provide an overview of the 10 participants. Who’s favorite? Who are the outsiders? And who are the unknowns? Favorites: Tartuca With two-time winner…

Just as last year the rights to broadcast the Palio are with La7. This obviously has consequences as it cannot be received in abroad. The new contract between the Consorzio Per La Tutela Del Palio Di Siena and La7 also…

Around 13:15, the 10 horses chosen by the captains were assigned under the watchful eye of the mayor. The lot included two horses that had already won at least 1 Palio (Zio Frac and Tale Quale), five that had ridden…

Unlike previous years, this year we will no longer share the list of presented horses and their numbers and the composition of the batterie through our website. Given that the PalioApp that we developed is going live and will offer…

The Drappellone of the Palio of July 2, 2025, dedicated to the Madonna di Provenzano and to the quincentenary of the Accademia degli Intronati of Siena, made by Riccardo Manganelli, was presented yesterday evening, Thursday, June 26, in the Cortile…

Finally! Palio! As you know, there are many appointments during the days of the Palio. To keep things clear, we will summarize briefly. Participants in the Palio are Tartuca, Chiocciola, Drago, Selva, Istrice, Lupa, Oca, Bruco, Valdimontone en Pantera. We…

26 June 2025
Jan-Christiaan Gilliams
Palio 3 luglio 2025, Website & social media

PalioApp now offers real-time functionality

PalioApp 2.0 will consist of three parts: Cavalli 2025, Palio del 2 luglio 2025, and Archivio. The app is available for free and can be downloaded from PalioApp.com . In Cavalli 2025, you can filter the list of horses registered…

Jan-Christiaan Gilliams
26 June 2025
Palio 3 luglio 2025, Website & social media

Follow the 4 giorni on TV or radio?

Siena has two regional TV channels. In addition to Canale 3, there is also SienaTV. From 27 June to 3 July, SienaTV will start a modified programming around the Palio. As in previous years, they will focus on many live broadcasts, supporting…

Lupa, Oca, Bruco, Valdimontone and Pantera are the Contrade drawn yesterday evening, Sunday 25 May, for the Palio of 2 July 2025. They will be added to the five others who are entitled to participate in the Palio: Tartuca, Chiocciola,…

1 February 2025
Jan-Christiaan Gilliams
Palio 16 agosto 2025, Palio 3 luglio 2025

The Palios of 2025

In 5 months we will be in full swing towards the first Palio of 2025. As always, it promises to be an exciting Palio year. CONTRADE Due to the disqualifications of Aquila, Nicchio and Torre, no fewer than 5 contrade…

Jan-Christiaan Gilliams
1 February 2025
Palio 16 agosto 2025, Palio 3 luglio 2025

26 August 2024
Anna Piperato
Palio 17 agosto 2024, Palio 4 luglio 2024, Piperato

Reflections about the 2024 Palios by Anna Piperato

We would like to share Anna Piperato‘s reflections about the 2024 Palios. Palio 17 agosto 2024 Fun Fact: 2024 was the only year in Palio history where both the 2 July and 16 August Palio were postponed due to adverse…

Anna Piperato
26 August 2024
Palio 17 agosto 2024, Palio 4 luglio 2024, Piperato

20 August 2024
Jan-Christiaan Gilliams
Palio 17 agosto 2024, Website & social media

Photos online and website updated

The photos that we took during the Palio days have just been put online. There are fewer than usual, since we were only in Siena for 3 days. From the Prova Generale to the Dopo Palio of August 17 in…

Jan-Christiaan Gilliams
20 August 2024
Palio 17 agosto 2024, Website & social media

Festa, interviews and analyzes (tv-footage)

As always, we are happy to share some videos with the festivities of Lupa after the Palio on the Piazza and in the Duomo. Also some interviews after the Palio with mayor, captains and mossiere. Also the Giro della Vittoria…

The Contrada della Lupa with Dino Pes, known as Velluto on Benitos, won the Palio di Siena of August 16, 2024, dedicated to the Madonna Assunta. This was held on August 17 because of the rain the night before. The…

Lupa with Velluto on Benitos wins August Palio 2024. More updates tomorrow. Update 18/8: full article

The Palio will take place tomorrow, Saturday 17th August, at 19:00. It was postponed due to the rain on 16th August during the Corteo Storico. The City Council of Siena decided this after a meeting tonight, Friday 16th August, with…

Because of the rain the Palio is postponed. More info will follow.

The Palio of August 16, 2024 will be held tonight at 7:00 PM. We would like to provide an overview of the 10 participants. Who’s favorite? Who are the outsiders? And who are the unknowns? Favorites: With Tabacco they drew…

Just as last year, and this until 2025, the rights to broadcast the Palio are with La7 and not with the Rai. This obviously has consequences as it cannot be received in abroad. The new contract between the Consorzio Per…

As you undoubtedly know, the evening before the Palio, every contrada eats together in the streets or squares in the contrada. This is called the Cena della Prove Generale. It is the last evening before the Palio, the longest night,…

Selva has decided that debutant Andrea Sanna will be nicknamed Virgola (comma) at Piazza. He will make his debut on the horse Tabacco. Sanna, 26, jockey from Oliena, who has lived in Siena for nine years, was a pupil of…

The allocation of the horses to the ten Contrade that will participate in the Palio di Siena on August 16, 2024 took place from 1:30 p.m. today, Tuesday, August 13. The mayor of Siena, Nicoletta Fabio, paired Contrade and horses…

This morning around 9 o’clock 5 batterie were driven in which 34 horses were tested. Criptha was medically declared unfit by veterinarians and was allowed to return home. Below images and report of each batteria. We expect, as always, that…

Below you can find the technical sheets of the 35 horses that will be allowed to participate in the Tratta tomorrow, August 13. In the year column you can find when the horses were born, under gender you will find…

The list of 35 horses that will be allowed to participate in the tratta has just been shared by the city of Siena. Zio Frac is a notable absentee. CAVALLO – PROPRIETARIO

Five batterie, 38 new or young horses taking turns on the track: they will most certainly not run this Palio; they are the future of the Palio. There was also quite a bit of interest from the public. Jonatan Bartoletti…

Last year we wrote some short articles in which we provided more information about the organization of certain phases of the tratta and the prove. We notice that it remains important to continue sharing these. That is why you can…

This morning around 6 o’clock the Prove di Notte were ridden. There were no crashes to be noted as in July. We did see some nice performances from some. 43 horses were in action this morning; including Akida, Zio Frac…

11 August 2024
Jan-Christiaan Gilliams
Palio 17 agosto 2024, Website & social media

The Palioapp is available for the Palio of August 2024

For the fourth consecutive time, the PalioApp will be available for free on www.palioapp.com. As always, we will provide the list of horses, which will be updated on the day of the Tratta. New fields have been added to the…

Jan-Christiaan Gilliams
11 August 2024
Palio 17 agosto 2024, Website & social media

Drappellone for the August Palio 2024 by Riccardo Guasco presented

The Drappellone for the Palio of August 16, 2024, dedicated to the Madonna dell’Assunta and made by Riccardo Guasco, known as Rik, was presented on Saturday, August 10, at 7:00 pm in the Cortile del Podestà of the Palazzo Comunale…

81 horses have been admitted to the prove regolamentate tomorrow, Sunday 11 August and Monday 12 August. Nine horses will be admitted directly to tratta on Tuesday 13 August. This was decided by the municipal veterinary commission after the two…

Siena has two regional TV channels, Canale 3 en SienaTV. The latter has announced its programming for the days of the Palio. Through #passionepalio, they will bring all the emotions of the Piazza to your home. From 11 to 17…

Eine besonderer Artikel für unsere deutschsprachigen Leser von Hermann Hamberger aus Salzburg Als ich zum ersten mal in den 80-er Jahren in den Tagen des Palio nach Siena kam, hatte ich einfach Anfängerglück. Ich kam bei wunderbarem Abendlicht auf die…

The starter from Castiglion Fiorentino returns to the Verrocchio on August 16th after he already was Mossiere in the 2022 July-Palio. After that Palio there was a lot of controversy but Sienese people seem to forget… After the July Palio…

What the 4th of July is for the Americans (Independence Day), it is the same for the Ondaioli after their victory in the Piazza del Campo with Tabacco and Brigante. Yesterday, in the late afternoon, the victory procession, with floats,…

Last night at 7:00 PM in Siena, the draw was made to determine who would join Selva, Lupa, Valdimontone, Onda, Nicchio, Leocorno and Civetta for the upcoming Palio in August. Fate was kind to Chiocciola, Oca and Istrice. So we…

The photos were just posted online. We have provided 2 galleries. One around the 4 giorni (604 photos), and the other in front of the Corteo Storico (823 photos). We hope you have fun with it. Click on the photo…

As we did last year, we would like to share some videos showing the festivities of Onda after the Palio in the Piazza and in Provenzano. In addition, some interviews after the Palio with the mayor, captains and mossiere. Finally,…

First of all, we would like to thank our visitors who we welcomed to this website looking for information about the Palio of July 2, 2024 (eventually July 4). We have brought the website completely up to date. Minor adjustments…

The Contrada Capitana dell’Onda with Carlo Sanna, known as Brigante on Tabacco, won the Palio of July 2, 2024, dedicated to the Madonna of Provenzano, which was held on Thursday, July 4 at 7 p.m. after double postponement due to…

Onda just won the Palio of july 4 with Brigante on Tabacco. More info soon

Due to the rain today, the Palio will be postponed for a second time. The Palio will be held on Thursday, July 4 at 7:00 PM. The chance of another postponement is very small as the weather forecast for the…

Due to rain during the mossa the Palio is postponed until tomorrow. More info soon

Due to rain during the mossa the Palio is postponed until tomorrow (july 3) at 19.00.

The Palio of July 2, 2024 will be held tonight at 7:30 PM. We would like to provide an overview of the 10 participants. Who’s favorite? Who are the outsiders? And who are the unknowns? Favorites: Oca with Tittia on…

Last night at the cena della Prova Generale, the two fantini who are about to make their big debut were given a nickname. Bruco nicknamed his rider Mattia Chiavassa Tambani. Giraffa chose the nickname Granito for Gabriele Puligheddu. It is…

We just heard from one of our loyal readers that RadioSienaTv and Canale3 have also been given the rights to broadcast the Palio tonight. In the past they were forced by Rai and later also La7 to stop their stream…

The allocation of the horses to the ten Contrade that will participate in the Palio di Siena on July 2, 2024 dedicated to the Madonna of Provenzano took place from 1:40 pm today, Saturday, June 29. The mayor of Siena,…

This morning from 9 am, 5 batteries were ridden in which 35 horses were tested. The first was won by Ares Elce with Marco Bitti; the second went to Zentiles with jockey Andrea Sanna; the third was won by Benito…

Six batterie, 42 new or young horses taking turns on the track: with great certainty they will not run this Palio; they are the future of the Palio. There was also quite a bit of interest from the public. Due…

The list of the 35 horses that may particpate at the Tratta tomorrow were just shared by the city of Siena. CAVALLO – PROPRIETARIO

Finally! Palio! As you know, there are many appointments during the days of the Palio. To keep things clear, we will summarize briefly. Participants in the Palio are Valdimontone, Pantera, Bruco, Leocorno, Lupa, Civetta and Oca, supplemented by Giraffa, Nicchio…

It was the falls of Bincoletto, Puligheddu and Betti that gave enthusiasm to the regulated tests involving 42 horses. Six proves, 42 horses, three falls: these were the figures of the Prove Regolamentate. On a track with excellent tufo and…

Tonight, Wednesday June 26, the Drappellone for the Palio of July 2, 2024 was presented in the Cortile del Podestà. It is dedicated to the Madonna of Provenzano and created by Giovanni Gasparro, with a special mention of the eightieth…

Siena has two regional TV channels. In addition to Canale 3, there is also SienaTV. The latter has announced its programming for the days of the Palio. Through #passionepalio they bring all the emotions of the Piazza to your home.…

25 June 2024
Jan-Christiaan Gilliams
Palio 4 luglio 2024, Website & social media

The PalioApp is back for the Palio of July 2, 2024

After the first positive test during the 2023 Palios, the PalioApp is available again for the Palio of July 2, 2024. The site from which to download it for free has remained the same: www.palioapp.com. There have been made no graphic…

Jan-Christiaan Gilliams
25 June 2024
Palio 4 luglio 2024, Website & social media

103 horses registered for the previsite of the palio on July 2, 2024

103 horses have been admitted to preliminary visits to the veterinarian in view of the Palio on July 2, 2024. This was decided by the Veterinary Commission of the Municipality of Siena. The preliminary visits for admission to the prove…

This spring, SienaTV started a new format ‘Gocce di Memoria’ in which they highlight a Palio in every episode of approximately 15 minutes since 2010. A fantastic way to refresh your memory. We have also integrated them into our info…

The draw for the Palio of July 2, 2024 has just been held in Siena. Giraffa, Nicchio and Onda are the lucky ones who join Valdimontone, Pantera, Bruco, Leocorno, Lupa, Civetta and Oca. So we will see two rivals on…

On Sunday, May 26, the draw of the contrade will take place in which it will be announced which are the three contrades that will run the Palio together with Valdimontone, Bruco, Leocorno, Lupa, Civetta and Oca on July 2,…

As always, the people behind the Telegram channel Il Palio Di Siena have timed the time of the Palio. It was, due to the many incidents, a slower time than we have been used to in recent years. But we…

SienaTv and La7 share the full Palio broadcast on their website/youtube channel. You get to see images of the Corteo Storico as well as of the course itself (read: full mossa). You can find the footage from La7 here: link

Oca has been partying since Wednesday night. Yesterday they had their traditional Giro della Vittoria through the city. We also collected interviews that several TV channels made last night after the race with many protagonists of the Palio (Tittia, the…

On the orders of mossiere Bartolo Ambrosione, the contrade are aligned for the first time in the following order: Tartuca, Bruco, Chiocciola, Oca, Pantera, Aquila, Torre, Drago, Giraffa and Istrice as rincorsa. Immediately after this, the horses are asked to…

Oca, with Zio Frac (without fantino Brigante) just won the August 2023 Palio. Tomorrow we give you more details.

Tonight at 7 pm the Palio of August 16, 2023 will be driven. We would like to give an overview of the 10 participants. Who is the favorite? Who are the outsiders? And who are the unknowns? Favorites: Just like…

As always, 6 proofs are ridden before the start of the Palio. Due to an unexpected downpour on August 14, the Terza and Quarta Prova were cancelled because the track was not passable. The Prima, Seconda, and Prova Generale were…

As last year and in july, and this until 2025, the rights to broadcast the Palio are with. This obviously has consequences as it cannot be received in abroad. The broadcast starts at 4:45 pm. The new contract between the…

At 13h30 the horses have just been raffled under 10 contrade. The lot included one horse that has already won the Palio (Zio Frac), seven that have ridden at least one Palio; Vitzichesu (1), Schietta (3), Abbasantesa (1), Viso D’Angelo…

This morning, Sunday, August 13, the batterie of the Palio di Siena of August 16, 2023 took place. There were 34 participating horses of the 35 admitted horses; Zaminde was absent this morning. They were divided into five batteries in…

As some of you know, the rain sometimes plays an unwanted leading role during the Quatro Giorni. Since 2010, 14 trials have been canceled in 5 different palios due to rain. For example, the Palio of August 16, 2015 was…

We are rapidly approaching the first day of the Quattro Giorni, the day of the tratta, the assegnazione and the first prova. In this article we would like to indicate how the contrade between the ropes will be called during…

Yesterday morning and this morning the Prove Regolamentate were driven at 6 o’clock. The 55 horses were divided into 9 batteries; yesterday 6 and today 3. We collected the images from different TV channels in Siena.

Last update: 23 april 2025