PALIO DI SIENA

The city of Siena also owes its worldwide renown to its famous Palio. Twice a year, this legendary horse race, whose origins date back to the dawn of the ^13th century, shakes the cobblestones of the Piazza del Campo. All Siennese gather every July 2 for the Palio di Provenzano, and every August 16 for the Palio dell'Assunta. This unbridled cavalcade is in fact a highly competitive tournament, with a fierce rivalry between the ten participating districts (out of the city's seventeen).