Enjoy Tuscany: Art, Culture and Tourism in Siena and Sienese Province
Palio
The Immortal Naivety of the "Contradaiolo"
by Piero Cristofani
published on "La Voce" (27-6-1996), Siena
Translation and Introduction by Ilya Colon Giunchiglia (Siena)
Introduction to the article:
For a non-Sienese it is very difficult to understand the real meaning of the "Palio". In this article, the author analyses his feelings on a very important day. The event that is about to take place is the most awaited by the contradaiolo when Lady Luck chooses whom to favour. During the "tratta" the horses are assigned by lottery to the participating "contrade". A good horse or a bad horse will send the contradaioli either into ecstasy or into deep depression. From this moment on and for the next three days everything else comes second place. The Sienese lives, breathes, dreams Palio. But after the initial outburst of emotion caused by the "tratta", the contrada and its people will set to the task of trying to win the race come what may. Anything goes, from treaties to bribery, from prayers to black magic. And when the race is over, some must pay, others collect depending on whether one has won, lost or just used his power to favour or damage one or the other in some secretly agreed, and not always fair, way. All this takes place on the three days preceeding the race and remains unknown to most people, tourist and contradaioli alike. The underground work done only by the contrada's Captain and his close collaborators.
Another thing tourists don't see is what goes on all year round... like a family that works together towards a final goal, the contrada and its people never go into lethargy, they work, plan, discuss, argue and save until the merry-go-round starts again with the next Palio and they can live this exhilirating experience once more.
The Immortal Naivety of the "Contradaiolo"
This morning I woke up early; still drowsy, leaning on, a pillar, I await the horses and the "tratta". It's a beautiful day, the light is perfect and brightens up every corner of the square.
How fortunate! there's no trace of ugliness here, neither in lines, colours, shapes, aspects nor in feelings. In the middle of this square, where I will soon begin to relax, I feel at peace, protected by a binding love-affair, at home. Here and only here can I come in contact with "refound time", only here one can fluctuate between virtuality and reality, keeping alive, preserving and nurturing the germ of this miracle. Many things come to mind: dreams, flashes from the past, grim and joyful images, conviction that the palio is chaos and enigma, unforseeable intertwining of destiny, victory of fate or of the uncertain. Apparently ancient, absolutely modern; here two plus two never makes four.
I wear a brightly coloured scarf around my neck, it's my credit card, prodigious amulet in memory of an alliance of belonging and allegiance sealed years ago. Twice a year I return to life and, immersed in a state of excitement and inebriation, I undertake a mysterious and reconciling journey with the essence of my ego.
Free from the scarecrows of the modern world, capitalism, communism, right, left, demanding demons in our hearts; without moving, I give way to this impetous, unique, immediate trip, comprehensible only to myself and my kins. Singing, dancing, shouting, worshiping everything:"cencio" and horses, I will affirm my existence, triumphant, proud, lucid, insolent, pulsating; I'll live in an allegoric cage of madmen sharing with them the deepest solidarity and time, never precious, in this blessed city without clocks.
Knowing something about my ego, about my personal experiences is of no use to me. I express myself objectively, all instinct and passion and the links that bind me to the ritual, the art and the magic of the Palio go beyond comprehension. Words are insufficient when one tries to reveal the secret with this or that stereotyped mental lucubration. I admit it, I'm a perfect hot-head, disseminator of ferocious attacks against that bloody enemy of mine. I demand absolute admiration. And yet, my intention is not to scandalize, to amaze, to transgress, I only want to mingle, to abandon myself in this ingenious attempt to reconcile Heaven and Earth, in this naive, playful illusion of having found a cure for the anguish of existence and, for a moment, to become incarnate in the idea of immortality.
If all this is a dream, I want to continue dreaming, without, however, nourishing my dreams with stale ideas, carefully preventing contamination from adventuresome moralists and unreliable political jugglers: my mortal enemies.
Glossary:
contrada - the name given to the Sienese districts
contradaiolo - a member of one of the 17 districts that dispute the Palio race
tratta - horses are assigned by lottery
pillars - short cement columns that surround the Campo Square in the Palio takes place (colonnini)
cencio - ("rag") understatement used for the painted banner given as prize to the winning contrada.