# Palio di Siena: the dates and how to watch

> Two races a year, ten contrade out of seventeen, three bareback laps of Piazza del Campo. The center of the square is free; everything around it is sold.

URL: https://myitalia.it/events/palio-di-siena
Last updated: 2026-09-02

The Palio runs twice a year in Piazza del Campo, on July 2 and August 16, with ten of Siena's seventeen contrade in each race, three bareback laps, and free standing room in the middle of the square.

## Two fixed dates, ten contrade each

July 2 is the Palio di Provenzano and August 16 the Palio dell'Assunta, and neither date moves for weather, weekdays or anything else. Ten of the seventeen contrade run in each race, so a contrada does not appear in every Palio, and the Comune di Siena is the organizer.

The race itself is three laps of the piazza, ridden bareback. Everything else in the day is the run-up.

## Free in the middle, paid at the edges

The center of Piazza del Campo is free to stand in, with no ticket and no reservation, and it is the only part of the square that is. The stands built around the perimeter and the windows and balconies of the private palazzi are the paid options, sold privately rather than by the city.

Free is not the same as easy. You enter the middle hours before the start, you stand, and you stay until the race is over, because the square is closed once it fills.

## The Corteo Storico is the long part

Over 600 costumed participants take part in the Corteo Storico, which leaves Piazza del Duomo in the early afternoon and works its way to the Campo before the race. It is the reason people are in position from the middle of the day.

The race that follows takes minutes. Anyone who turns up for the start has missed the part that takes the day.

## Nobody can date the origin

There is no certain origin date for the Palio, and the Comune di Siena says so itself, which is unusual candor about a civic institution's own signature event. Races known as palii alla lunga were being run in the early fourteenth century, and the race closed the mid-August feast of the Assumption.

The word itself comes from pallium, the length of precious cloth awarded to the winner. That is still the prize: a painted banner, not money.

## If you are in Siena for the race

In 2026 the marble floor of the Duomo is uncovered from June 27 to July 31 and from August 18 to November 15, which puts both Palio dates inside a window when the inlaid panels are visible. The uncovering is titled Il Sommo Bene and marks the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis on October 3, 1226.

Watching the race for nothing is explained further in [the Palio is free from the middle](/stories/the-palio-is-free-from-the-middle); the floor has its own page in [a floor you can see twice a year](/stories/a-floor-you-can-see-twice-a-year).

## FAQ

### When is the Palio di Siena?

Twice a year, on July 2 and August 16, on fixed dates that do not move. The July race is the Palio di Provenzano and the August one the Palio dell'Assunta. Ten of the seventeen contrade run in each, and the Comune di Siena organizes both.

### Do I need a ticket to watch the Palio?

Not for the center of Piazza del Campo, which is free and unreserved. You pay only for the stands built around the square and for windows and balconies in the private palazzi. Free means standing for hours in the sun with no way out until the race ends.

### How long does the Palio race last?

Three laps of Piazza del Campo, ridden bareback, and it is over in minutes. What fills the afternoon is the Corteo Storico before it, with over 600 costumed participants, which sets off from Piazza del Duomo in the early afternoon.

### How old is the Palio di Siena?

The Comune di Siena states plainly that no certain origin date exists. Races called palii alla lunga were already run in the early 1300s, when the race closed the mid-August feast of the Assumption. The name comes from pallium, the cloth banner given to the winner.

### Is anything else open in Siena around the July Palio?

In 2026 the inlaid marble floor of the Duomo is uncovered from June 27 to July 31 and again from August 18 to November 15, so both Palio dates fall inside a viewing window. The rest of the year the floor stays under its protective boards.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Il Palio di Siena si corre due volte l'anno in Piazza del Campo: il 2 luglio (Palio di Provenzano) e il 16 agosto (Palio dell'Assunta); a ogni corsa partecipano 10 delle 17 Contrade e l'organizzazione e' del Comune di Siena. | [Comune di Siena](https://palio.comune.siena.it/node/75); [doc 2](https://palio.comune.siena.it/node/5773) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| Il Comune di Siena dichiara che non esiste una data certa per l'origine del Palio: nel primo Trecento si correvano gia' i 'palii alla lunga' e la corsa era il momento conclusivo della festa dell'Assunta di meta' agosto. | [Comune di Siena](https://palio.comune.siena.it/node/5773) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| Assistere al Palio di Siena dal centro di Piazza del Campo e' gratuito: si paga solo per i palchi montati attorno alla piazza e per le finestre e i balconi dei palazzi privati. La corsa consiste in tre giri della piazza a cavallo senza sella ed e' preceduta dal Corteo Storico, con oltre 600 figuranti, che parte da Piazza del Duomo nel primo pomeriggio. | [Comune di Siena](https://palio.comune.siena.it/node/75) | medium | 2027-12-31 |
| Nel 2026 il pavimento a tarsie marmoree del Duomo di Siena e' scoperto in due finestre: dal 27 giugno al 31 luglio e dal 18 agosto al 15 novembre 2026. La scopertura straordinaria, intitolata 'Il Sommo Bene', e' legata all'ottavo centenario della morte di san Francesco (3 ottobre 1226). Per il resto dell'anno il pavimento resta coperto da protezioni e non e' visibile. | [Opera della Metropolitana di Siena](https://operaduomo.siena.it/news/il-sommo-bene-scopertura-del-pavimento-del-duomo-di-siena-2026/) | medium | 2026-12-31 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/event.palio-di-siena.1600.jpg
Author: Jorge Royan. License: CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Siena_Tower_view_in_Piazza_del_campo,_Siena_-_1479.jpg

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/eventi/palio-di-siena.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/eventos/palio-di-siena.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/evenements/palio-di-siena.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/veranstaltungen/palio-di-siena.md