Who is running the Palio dell’Assunta (dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin) on 16 August 2023? By right:
• Torre 🐘 • Drago 🐉 • Bruco 🐛 • Pantera 🐆 • Oca 🦆 • Aquila 🦅 • Istrice 🦔 •
Listen for the chiarine (the clarions) - when they play, the remaining 3 Contrade will be drawn by lot in the Piazza del Campo! Who will fortune favour?
*How does it work? The names of the eligible Contrade will be placed in an urn, and the Mayor of Siena will choose 3 Contrade (all 17 are eligible) at random. The captains of these Contrade will then each choose one Contrada from another urn (where all but the 7 listed above are placed), and the flags will displayed one by one outside the trifore (3-light windows) of the Palazzo Pubblico to complete the lineup of 10 for the 16 August 2023 Palio. The Mayor will then choose (at random) the remaining 7 Contrade one by one, and their flags will be displayed on the upper windows of the Palazzo Pubblico, determining their order in the Historical Procession on the day of the August Palio 2024 (i.e. next year). The process continues: these 7 Contrade will therefore run by right in August 2024, and the remaining 3 Contrade will be chosen by lot the Sunday after the 2 July Palio 2024.
If you’d like to witness the event, I’d recommend having an early aperitivo in the Campo! Grab a table and order a spritz, and enjoy watching all of the Contrade enter the Piazza. At 7 sharp the clarions will play and you will feel the anticipation in the air as the window opens and the first flag is revealed!
