Today, the Selva contrada won the Siena Palio, which has run a day late because of bad weather.
Selva, meaning wood, is the most successful postwar contrada with 16 wins: the winning horse, Polonski, was brought home in the Piazza del Campo by jockey Giovanni Atzeni aka Tittia. While Siena has 17 contrade – or wards – only 10 compete in each of the celebrated horse races which last only about two minutes.
The August Palio started out as an extension of the celebrations of the July Palio and was organized and funded by July’s winning contrada, though only if the contrada in question could afford it. After 1802, however, organisation and funding the August race became a central responsibility of the city, which removed annual uncertainty over whether or not an August Palio would run. It was originated in 1581.
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