Who is running the Palio di Provenzano (dedicated to the Virgin of Provenzano) on 2 July 2025? By right:
• Tartuca 🐢 • Chiocciola 🐌 • Drago 🐉 • Selva 🦏🌳 • Istrice 🦔 • ? • ? • ? • ? • ? •
Listen for the chiarine (the clarions) - when they play, the remaining 5 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 5 Contrade (all 17 are eligible) at random. The captains of these Contrade will then each choose one Contrada from another urn (where all but the5 listed above are placed), and the flags will displayed one by one outside the trifore (triple lancet windows) of the Palazzo Pubblico to complete the lineup of 10 for the 2 July 2025 Palio. The Mayor will then choose (at random) the remaining 7 Contrade, and their flags will be displayed on the upper windows of the Palazzo Pubblico, determining their order in the Historical Procession. The process continues: these last 7 Contrade will therefore run by right in July 2026, and the remaining 3 Contrade will be chosen by lot the last Sunday in May 2026 (unless shenanigans occur once more and sanctions are issued, in which case, I’ll update you!).
NB: Sanctions from previous Palii are why we are drawing 5 instead of the usual 3. Torre, Aquila, and Nicchio are disqualified, so if they are drawn, they will still not be allowed to run, but their disqualification will will have been “served”.
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, then enjoy watching all of the Contrade enter the Piazza. At 7:00 sharp the clarions will play and you will feel the anticipation in the air as the window opens and the first flag is revealed!
