Contrada Dinner

On the night of 1 July or 15 August, each of the ten Contrade competing in the race transforms its own streets and piazzas into open-air dining rooms. Long tables stretch beneath strings of lights, torches and lanterns, often seating hundreds — and in the larger Contrade more than a thousand — locals and invited guests side by side. You will join one of these neighbourhoods, dining as temporary neighbours among the contradaioli who live and breathe the Palio year-round.

A traditional four-course Tuscan meal is served with local wines, while the air fills with singing, drumming, speeches from the Captain and Prior, and the quiet intensity of shared hope for the following day’s race. The jockey is often present at the table of honour. The evening is both a joyful celebration and an important fundraiser that helps sustain the Contrada’s activities throughout the year.

In past editions our guests have been hosted by the Eagle Contrada, dining in the shadow of Siena’s magnificent Cathedral. Wherever you are welcomed, the experience offers a rare and privileged immersion into the passion, pride and community spirit that make the Palio unlike any other event in the world.