Archive for 'July'

One of the most famous Italian Palio events is the Palio di Siena held in the city of Siena in the central Tuscany region. To celebrate their historic Palio event, the people of Siena stage a famous horse race twice a year; one on the 2nd of July and one on the 16th August. There is a great selection of luxury holiday villas and simple vacation rentals close to Siena where you can easily commute to witness this spectacular event.

The participants in this exciting race are horses and jockeys representing their ‘contrada’ or region of the city of Siena. The competition and rivalry between the contrade is fierce and attracts thousands of city supporters and tourists every year. There are seventeen contrade in total but only ten are allowed to race on each date for safety reasons. The ten that are chosen to race in one Palio are then replaced in the following one by the seven that didn’t race plus three that will be chosen by drawing lots between the other ten.

It's no secret that the Italian calendar is full of holidays, festivals and local events. A country that has been around for so many centuries, and has a such a plethora of history can hardly avoid traditions like these. If you are traveling to Italy, it can be very good to know if any are going on during your visit. Sometimes you may not realize that much of the city will be closed down for a holiday, or you may want to attend a festival in one town and have to adjust your schedule.

Martha Bakerjian over at Ask.com has put together a great resource for travelers: a list of all the events, festivals and holidays in Italy for the month of July. Included are dates, a bit of information about each, and date and time information when relevant as well. Be sure to click over and see if there are any events to pique your interest during your vacation this year!

July Festivals, Holidays and Events in Italy

The tradition of the Palio dates back to medieval times, when most of the communities throughout Italy would have a local athletic competition between the contrades, or districts, of the town. Less populated areas would have the hamlets of a commune compete against one another. The traditions were typically a commemoration of an event that varied from town to town, some had jousts, archery tournaments, horse races, and even bull fights right in the city. Other cities have changed the traditions to slightly safer contests, much like Montepulciano's Bravio delle Botti.