Click here to learn about the Palio di Siena, the legendary horse race.

And here for the live stream.

If you’re anything like us, you’re gearing up for the Palio di Siena this week (Friday, July 2), the famous horse race run twice a year in the center of historic Siena, the beautiful medieval city of Tuscany.

And the official website here. And, to read more about the story of it’s cancellation last year – click here.

The Palio is the most important event in Siena and it has involved the life of Sienese people over time and in many different aspects and feelings: “You run the Palio all year long”, someone says. It is a horse race run in Piazza del Campo and it was born long time ago (the earliest known antecedents of the race are medieval and some present day regulations are still valid since 1644, when it was run the first Palio with horses, as it is run today).

It is held on July 2nd (named Palio di Provenzano, in honor of Madonna of Provenzano) and August 16th (named Palio dell’Assunta, in honor of the Assumption of Mary) and it is run by 10 of the 17 Contrade (city wards or neighborhood) that form the city.

Each Contrada is like a small state, ruled by a Seat headed by the Prior and led in the “carousel” by a Captain, assisted by two or three contradaioli (members of the contrada or neighborhood) called “Mangini”; their boundaries was established in 1729 by Proclamation of Violante of Bavaria, Governor of the City.