In my previous photo essay I took the time, with help, to set out the proceedings in the days that lead up to a running of Il Palio. This was a factual exercise aimed at giving an outsiders view of proceedings and explaining the different aspects of the event.
My previous post can be found here “The Palio – An outsiders view August 2017” .
For most people it would be enough to have photographed the event once with that level of access, one less item on the bucket list, goal achieved. But for me Il Palio is more than something on my to-do list, Siena is a bit like an onion. Each time you peel back a layer you find the next one and then the next, the only difference is that an onion has a finite number of layers!
It is so hard to articulate the emotions that Siena stirs in me, but like the many streets around the historical centre it all leads back to Piazza del Campo. So for this visit to Siena for Il Palio 2 Luglio I will leave the photographs to tell the story. However, I must thank the Contrada del Drago for their warm welcome and its Priore, Claudio Rossi and all the people who I met and allowing me to photograph them. I have made many friends for life there and can’t wait to return.
Presentation of the Horses
Tratta – trial before allocation
Breakfast at the Contrada
Allocation of the horses
First Prova
Prova (Second and Third)
At the Contrada
Prova Generale
Captains Meal
Mass for the Fantini (jockeys)
Final Prova (of indifference)
The parade to the church
At the church
Blessing of the Horse and Jockey
To the Duomo
Corteo Storico (Historical Parade)
Il Palio
Celebrations
Thanks
I would like to thank the following for their help and support in being able to understand and photograph the Palio in July.
Contrada del Drago and its Priore Claudio Rossi
The sites: Ilpalio.org, www.ricordidipalio.org
The Malta Independent: Henry Brincat
Foto Aquilina: Domenic Aquilina
Comune di Siena: Isabella Neri
Fellow Photographers: Thank you for your advice and suggestions Luciano Valentini, Gianfranco Bernado , Marco Donati
And finally special thanks to my friend Fabrizio Gabrielli for his time and patience explaining many things to me about the Palio.
Further Reading
I strongly recommend that you subscribe to ilpalio.org which is published in both English and Italian, the website is run by Orlando Papei and Fabrizio Gabrielli.
Footnote
All photographs in this blog have been taken by me and are subject to copyright.
