The Real Race Day

Today is the Real Race – The Palio of August 16th 2024 and the place is packed. Streets are shut down and everybody is either hanging out at their Contrada HQs or heading out to the Campo to see the Race. The header pic is one taken last night at the qualifier, so tomorrow’s Race the crowd will be bigger hard to imagine but it will be.

This morning after b’fast we took to the street to see just what was going on – nothing until 11am. People hanging out in the ‘hood just deciding what to do for the day. Some would go the Campo for the Palio and cheer on the horse others would just stay at the Contrada HQ and kibbitz and sip on ‘wobblies’ all day.

So we set out knowing how crowded the City would be on our way to the Botanical Gardens (wiki ref here). ten minutes of huffing and puffing; the destination was uphill and then downhill. Paid out 2.5 euros to get in and we wandered, again downhill and uphill in the 2.5 hectare site operated by the University of Siena. Lovely quiet and humid experience. Back on top of the hill we had the now mandatory morning coffee.

We were resting as the next destination was once again uphill/downhill to the “Ort dei Pecci”. This place was another conservation area with allotment’s and  animal areas, probably run like a Lions’ Club Park. Delightfully quiet and cooler than the last place we enjoyed the surroundings.

Siena must have a thing about horses, there were a string of them in the Park.

Heading back to the hotel for a rest and shower Doreen declared that if I wanted to see the Parade and show for the Palio I was on my own.

So I set off a couple of hours later to find a spot on the parade route to watch the spectacle. Consulting with a local waiter he sent me off to the other side of the Camp naturally all uphill. The parade route wasn’t hard to find but longer to reach because the streets had been sealed off for the Campo access points but I did find a spot – at the top of a hilly street and the spectators were lined three deep. Moving onward and upward I did manage to snag a better spot just in time to see the end of the Parade.

Major Bad News as we rested up back in the room we noticed the deluge of a rainstorm, complete with thunder. The Race has been cancelled as the mud of the track has just become very dangerous for the horses. Postponed until tomorrow that means the crowds will be out again.

Also tonight’s crowds hit the restaurants a little earlier  that meant we had to fight for a table instead of just a leisurely walk – we were lucky, snagged one, had a heckuva meal and went back to the room ready to do it all again tomorrow – our last full day.