4. Aquila Yellow striped with black and blue Eagle Last win: 3 July 1992 Fun Facts They have the only girl jockey to race in the Palio It rivals with the Panther Its rivalry did not come from boundary issues but they were originally allies and in 1936 the jockeys had such a hate for each other things grew tense
5. Chiocciola Snail Red and Yellow with cobalt blue borders Last Win: August 16th 1999 Fun Facts Its rivalry with the tortoise is one of the most ancient and intense rivals In 1482 it battled the Giraffe with wooden wagons in the shape of their animals and was the first time two districts are associated with an animal
6. Onda White and Blue Wave ***Last Win: July 2nd 1995 Fun Facts It rivals Torre Onda has been called “contradacapitana” because its soldiers once guarded the Palazzo Pubblico One famous member was a sculptor Giovanni Dupre
7. Pantera Panther Red and Blue with White Last win: July 2nd 2006 Fun Facts It rivals Aquila Its citizens were traditionally grocers and chemists
8. Selva Forest Green and Orange Striped with White Last win: July 2nd 2010 Fun Facts It has no rivals but used to rival Panther over territorial issues La Selva was the country of the hunters When contrade were military they were known for being good archers
9. Tartuca Tortoise Yellow and Blue Last Win: August 16th 2010 Fun Facts It rivals Chiocciola and clashes go back to before 1652 It was born in the oldest part of Siena the “repentant Castelvecchio”
11. Civetta Owl Black and Red with white bands Last Win: August 16th 2009 Fun Facts It rivals with Leocorno and is a very recent rivalry Its residents were traditionally shoemakers Civetta was considered the “nonna” or grandmother for many years because it had not won the Palio for so long
12. Leocorno Unicorn White and orange with a blue border Last Win: August 16th 2007 Fun Facts The Leocorno changed its name over time it was officially “Unicorn” for a little but went back to its ancient name Its Holy Patron Saint is Saint John the Baptist
13. Nicchio Shell Blue with bands of red and yellow Last Win: August 16th 1998 Fun Facts It is one of the four noble contrade They earned the title when their soldiers let the battle of Montaperti Their motto is “it is the red of the coral that burns in my heart”
14. Torre Tower Dark red with white and blue Last win: August 16th 2005 Fun Facts It has two big rivalries with Goose and the Wave The rivalry with the goose is one of the most intense and came from economic issues The Wave was once aligned with Torre but betrayed them for the Goose
15. Valdimontone Also known just as Montone Ram White and Yellow with Red bands Last Win: August 16th, 1990 Fun Facts The district comes from “Montorio”, a Roman commander that lived in the area It was the first contrade to be disqualified It rivals the Shell
17. Bruco Caterpillar Yellow and Green with Blue Bands Last win: August 16th 2008 Fun Facts It was the first contrade to have a foreign jockey It is one of the four noble contrade It earned its title by helping defeat Charles IV in 1369
18. Drago Dragon Red and Green with Yellow Bands Last win: August 16th 2001 Fun Facts Its residents were traditionally bankers It is the only Contrada that has never had an enemy
19. Giraffa Giraffe White and red Last win: July 2nd 2004 Its motto is “the higher the head, the greater the glory” Residents were originally painters It is the only imperial contrada This happened in 1936 and was bestowed by King VittorioEmanuele III
20. Istrice Porcupine White, red, black and blue bands Last win: July 2nd 2008 Fun Facts This contrade has the title of sovereign because it ran the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in the 14th century Its motto is I prick only for self-defense It rivals with the Wolf whom it was once allies with
21. Lupa She-Wolf Black and white with orange bands Last win: July 2nd 1989 In the thirties Eagle, Drago, Wolf and Ram were part of an alliance called “little fourfold” and won many victories together Lupa’s sister city is Rome because it represents the legend of the she-wolf Its residents were originally bankers
22. Oca Goose White and green with red bands Last win: July 2nd 2007 This is another noble contrade because of its efforts in the Battles of Montaperti and Montemaggio The Goose has the most wins in the history of the Palio (63 since 1644) It rivals the Torre which is the only non-border rivalry
23. Bibliography "The Contrades of the Palio of Siena." About Siena, n.d. Web. 22 Jun 2011. <http://www.aboutsiena.com/Palio-races-of-Siena/the-contrades-of-the-palio-of-Siena.html>. "The Palio Horse Race." Palio di Siena. il Palio, n.d. Web. 22 Jun 2011. http://www.ilpalio.org/palioenglish.htm
