The Palio of Siena is not an event organized for tourism, but it is the essence and the heart of the city of Siena and its inhabitants.

Since 1644 the Race of "Piazza del Campo" has run by horses ridden bareback by the jockeys, real heroes of the districts. The city is divided into 17 districts (subdivisions history from the times of the Medici), each of which represents a kind of community and association of inhabitants thereof. In the district there is a leader and an organization that represents it, there is a system of relations that tends to always protect a "contradaiolo" (Siena District Inhabitant) and which put in place to help a resident of the district in trouble. This system is valid also to an economic level. The Palio in fact is not just a race, but represents the power of the winning over the others. Some districts are allied, others are bitter enemies as the "Istrice" (Porcupine) and the "Lupa" (Female Wolf) (during the Palio di Provenzano of July 2, 2013 people of "Contrada dell'Istrice" went to beat on the track, the jockey of the Wolf Andrea Mari said Brio fell from his horse and with the broken basin.

The Palio is also an important matter of money, in fact it is well known and accepted by all that some horses are stronger and others weaker, these are "purchasable" for alliances before the time of "mossa" (start of the race).

Since 2014 I’m an embedded photographer of “Contrada della Lupa”, so my contrada is Lupa. When after 27 long years we won the Palio with Jonathan Bartoletti and the horse Preziosa Penelope the jubilation was immense, and when a month after on August 16th we won twice with the same jockey and the same horse even better!!! We made "Cappotto" !!!

Palio Race runs only twice by year, July 2nd (Palio di Provenzano) and August 2nd (Palio dell’Assunta). If the Contrada win both Palios in the same year it makes "Cappotto" : the best of power in Siena!

I organize a special workshop “Inside the Palio” when my Lupa runs : next will take place on 2020 from June 28th till July 3rd - six places available.