How to buy tickets to the Palio

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Make Il Palio an experience you’ll never forget. Take your place among our excellent seats in the southwest corner of the Campo. These reserved seats are in the bleachers or on the terrace, and you'll be pleased to know that this is the first corner of the Campo to receive the afternoon shade. Because Il Palio is one of the most popular events in the world, and because there is a very limited number of seats available to the public, these tickets always sell quickly. Our Palio package also includes a pageant program, a street map of Siena, local restaurant suggestions, and a witty insider’s explanation of each exciting phase of Il Palio. Attendance at the rehearsal banquet is optional.

1. You can stand in the Piazza. The advantages are that it is free of charge and it gives you a great opportunity to mix with the locals. Since the Piazza is raked, almost anywhere you stand affords a good vantage point for most of the race. The disadvantages are that since the race track actually encloses the Piazza, the fences are closed before the pageant (about 4:30) and it is impossible to leave until the race is completed (about 8:00). Also, the Piazza is in the sun most of the afternoon, so if you do choose this option, be sure to take along a parasol or at least a hat to cool you off.

2. We offer reservations with full sight lines facing the Campo front-on. These are all in private homes owned by people who have been hosting our guests for years now and include, for 2008:

From our terrace

• One row of numbered seats on the terrace above the entrance to the Campo. You are seated directly above the staging area for the procession, which means you not only see the whole race but you can also see the pageant participants close up as they prepare to enter the Campo. This part of the Campo gets the shade earliest, and you have access to a private apartment with a bathroom and light refreshments.
  
  
• One row of reserved standing room spots on the terrace above the Campo. This may not sound like a great option, but it is just slightly inferior to the one above, because you can freely come and go into the apartment to sit down, and for a good part of the pageant and during the entire race, everyone on the terrace is on their feet anyway! Again, you are directly above the staging area for the procession, which means you not only see the whole race but you can also see the pageant participants close up as they prepare to enter the Campo. This part of the Campo gets the shade earliest, and you have access to a private apartment with a bathroom and light refreshments.
  
  
• A window for two people in a private home above or below the terrace. This window is on the third floor. Naturally, your hosts offer bathroom facilities and light refreshments.
  
  

  From our bleachers

• Numbered seats in the bleachers above the Campo. These seats are in the part of the Campo that gets the shade earliest, they have perfect sight lines, and they are a lot of fun because most of the bleachers are filled with locals, whereas the terrace is exclusively for our clients. There is no access to a private bathroom or refreshments, and moving around during the event is discouraged, but there is a restaurant behind the bleachers with a bathroom you may use.

• VIP seats at the start or finish line. These seats are lower to the ground (just a few feet above the jockeys). For photographers they are the very best seats because you are right in front of the action of getting the horses into formation for the start of the race, and the jubilation of the winning contrada members after the race. Contrary to most races, the start line is the most desirable position in the Campo because the horses and jockeys are here for 15-45 minutes while they try to line up to the satisfaction of the judge. These seats cost 800 Euro/person and up, are extremely limited and sell even farther in advance than the others, so if you want them please book as soon as you can.

We currently have two bleacher seats left for the July Palio, and limited availability for the August Palio. For information about prices or to reserve your tickets for the Palio or banquet, contact In Italy.

We also offer attendance at one of the Palio rehearsal banquets that take place the evening before each race. These are a great deal of fun, with lots of singing and great food. Our price includes unlimited food and wine, plus an English-language interpreter for every eight attendees. We start selling these tickets in early June.