The districts of Siena, the starting point to better understand the city!
The districts of Siena: the history, the identity and the Palio
Siena is one of those Italian cities where history, traditions and culture blend and express themselves with more clarity. The emblem of this blend are the districts, that can not be defined simply as wards, but resemble more small states that every citizen, every member, belongs to. The districts that challenge each other during the Palio, therefore, are not teams or crews for which to cheer: each citizen belongs to one of them by birthright. The districts of Siena are 17 and can be allies, opponents or simply without any formal relationship, indicating a veiled but not officially defined rivalry. The most acclaimed theories trace the districts to the ancient Military Companies, set up to establish an efficient militia and at the same time divide the army into squads that would parade during the town festivities. Initially, the Military Companies of Siena did not have precisely assigned territories: the sectorialization took place only in 1730, as decided by governor Beatrice Violante of Bavaria.
The districts of Siena: their names and their historic rivalries
As we mentioned earlier, today the districts of Siena are 17, although initially they were supposedly 23. Each of them has the name of an animal or a fantastic creature, but there are others that refer to nature, historic buildings or even places. Specifically, they are: Lupa, Aquila, Drago, Vadimontone, Tartuca, Civetta, Istrice, Pantera, Oca, Torre, Bruco, Leocorno, Selva, Chiocciola, Onda, Nicchio and Giraffa. Among these there are some that maintain historical rivalries, which reasons are lost in memory, others were originated due to the division of the borders, and others emerged as a result of particular events that occurred during a past Palio. Today, the oldest, which started in the seventeenth century, are those between the Oca and the Torre, and between the Tartuca and the Chiocciola, although we should not forget the one between the Torre and the Onda.
The traditions that identify the districts of Siena
The district, as we mentioned already, is something people belong to, and not in a figurative way. The district is part of the social life of every resident and, in fact, infants do not only receive the Catholic baptism, but also the one of the contrada, which is performed in the district fountain, which belongs to the district itself. Children are taught to play drums or to twirl flags from a very young age. Each district also has a social assistance institution for the most needy citizens, and this is not only functional for the cohesion of the members, but also for the almost total absence of violence and crime on the municipal roads. In Siena, the only contemplated “violence” is the one that manifests itself during the Palio, in the clash between the districts. To better understand the spirit and the history of each district you can visit the museums dedicated to each of them: there you will find trophies, but also historical objects, clothes and accessories that represent it.