Piazza del Campo

Since the origins of the celebration, the historic procession has preceded the running of the Palio as solemn civic, historic and triumphal choreography. In its current form, it is a commemorative representation of the institutions, the customs and the greatness of the ancient Sienese Republic, with special regard for the Contradas, which form the principal parts of the procession with their groups of costumed marchers called Comparse. The realization of the costumes, which was made possible by a substantial financial contribution from the Monte dei Paschi di Siena bank, was seen to by the Municipality and by the individual Contradas, which keep and care for the uniforms in their respective historic-monumental locales. The Historic Procession which today parades in Piazza del Campo comprises 14 groups for a total of nearly 400 costumed participants. In the early afternoon of the day of the Palio, the Comparse of the Contradas and some of the costumed representatives of the Municipality gather in the courtyard of the Palace of Justice and, on the order of the Field Marshall, align themselves in Piazza del Duomo beside the cathedral, parading between the two dense wings of the crowd through Via del Capitano, Piazza Postierla, Via San Pietro, Via del Casato di Sopra and Via del Casato di Sotto, at which point they reach the other representatives of the Municipality. The Historic Procession enters in Piazza del Campo at the first toll of the "Sunto," the great bell atop the Torre (Tower) del Mangia dedicated in 1665 to the Risen Virgin, patron and queen of the city. It is the most recent specimen in a series of "bells of the people," the most ancient having been mounted atop the Tower in 1344. For the entire duration of the Procession, "on the piazza falls the sound of bronze," as Eugenio Montale wrote in his "Palio." Seventeen pairs of Alfieri -- flag-throwing standard-bearers -- stopping at established points in the Piazza and following the roll of the drummers, carry out the "sbandierate" (flag displays). The flag display is composed of single movements, the "fioretti" (embellishments) assembled in figures of various lengths, combined according to the seventeen schools of the Contradas, which pass the techniques from generation to generation. The flag displays culminate in spectacular high-flying finales. Between stops, the Comparse parade to the roll of the "passo (pace) della Diana": the musicians of the Palazzo Pubblico play the Palio March. The central point of the Procession is the passage of the "carroccio," the modern counterpart of the triumphal carriage of the Republic upon which is mounted the Palio, a banner of painted silk, the prize of the race. Having finished the turn around the Piazza, the marchers take their places on the platform of the Comparse, the Palio is hoisted onto the judges' platform and each of the seventeen Alfieri performs the flag display of Victory to the roll of his own Contrada's drum. Then, the firecracker explodes and the jockeys ride out of the Grand Entrance of the Palazzo Comunale.