Palio di Sant’Isidoro

Casole d’Elsa is preparing to experience one of the most anticipated events of the year: the Palio di Sant’Isidoro, now in its 149ᵗʰ edition. This traditional horse race has been held year after year since the mid-19ᵗʰ century.

In 2023, to consolidate the Palio, the Contrade (Districts) involved in the competition were narrowed down to 6 through a series of boundary changes to be: Casole Campagna, Rivellino, Pievalle, Cavallano, Merlo and Monteguidi. In 2024, the Contrada of Pievescola was reinstated to the competition.

Running from June 23 to July 13, the program for this edition is:

• Thursday, July 10
  9:30 pm - Draw for the heat races
  10:00 pm - Presentation of the symbolic banner of the event
• Friday, July 11
  3:00 pm - Qualifying heats to determine the composition of the races
• Saturday, July 12 
  3:30 pm - Palio trial run
  10:00 pm - Traditional Palio eve dinner with the Contrade, an opportunity to enjoy conviviality and make final predictions
• Sunday, July 13 - Palio di Sant’Isidoro
  11:00 am - Procession of local authorities and Contrade, concluding with a Holy Mass in the town center
  6:15 pm - Blessing of the jockeys and horses, a rite that precedes the race with great emotion
  7:30 pm - The Palio that will decide the winning Contrada
  11:00 pm - Fireworks

Updates are available on the event website or on the Comitato Palio’s Instagram page.