Il Palio Restaurant

A spirited bareback horse race that dates back to 1283,
Siena is a feast for the eyes and a treat for the heart...

Il Palio, a horse race run every summer in honor of the Virgin Mary, is different from any other horse race - anywhere. The jockeys are guarded day and night in the days leading up to the race and do not speak to anyone except through their bodyguards. On the morning of the race each of the horses is taken into a church to be blessed. Workers build a great ring of viewing stands - called palchi - and spread a layer of dirt around the Piazza del Campo, turning it into a racetrack for the day... for a race that will last only a minute and a half!

Perhaps part of the remarkable appeal of Il Palio over the centuries has been the fact that it has never been reduced to a system of rules. With ten horses charging wildly around the square, the race is a frantic one, competition is fierce, and there are very few rules. Jockeys use whips throughout the race, beating their horses as well as each other, and even a horse without a jockey can win the race.

Il Palio... a tradition that has endured for centuries... an expression of the soul of Siena!