Siena and the Palio: the history of Contrada of the Tower
Posted on 16. Mar, 2017 by admin in Archive, Culture
Visit Siena also means know what the Palio is and what distinguishes each Contrada, for this reason we dedicate some articles to the origins, the curiosities and the characteristics of each of the 17 contrade, remained unchanged in names and boundaries since 1729.
Last month we introduce you to the Noble Contrada of Oca, which has a heated rivalry with the Tower, the only rivalry between two Sienese Contrade not adjacent, so it’s interesting to study the history of the Tower, which owes its name to the Torre del Mangia, one of the most important monuments in town.
The Contrada of the Tower is located in the Terzo San Martino (to know more about the three parts of Siena’s center refer to this page about Terzi: www.comune.siena.it/Il-Turista/Piu-giorni-a-Siena/Itinerari/I-Terzi), has its headquarters in Via di Salicotto 76 and includes the territories that once belonged to two suppressed Contrade, Spadaforte and Vipera.
Credits: www.gazzetta.it
The Tower’s colors are red with white and cobalt blue stripes, and the symbol is an elephant with red mantle bearing a white cross; on the animal’s back depicts a sheared tower with a red pennon with white cross.
The baptismal fountain of the Tower symbolizes an elephant and was built in 1954. The original is now in the museum of the Contrada and was replaced in 1984 with a sculpture by Mario Berrettini.
In Siena every Contrada has its own patron saint and its feast: the Tower celebrates on July 25th the two patron saints San Giacomo Maggiore and Sant’Anna with great celebrations and, above all, rich banquets called “Mangia e Bevi” (Eat & Drink).
This feast is both an historical event, because in 1526 the Sienese army won a battle against the Florentine and papal troops. In that battle is particularly distinguished the members of Contrada della Torre, so the celebrations last an entire weekend (usually the feast is celebrated on the last Sunday of July).
With regard to the victories of Palios, the Tower won 45 races, the latest on July 2nd, 2015; for a long period the Tower was the Contrada “nonna”, in other words the one that had not won a Palio from 1961 to 2005.
It is said that this fact was due to a curse cast by the Contrada of the Goose (Oca) rivals. In 1961, in fact, the Contrada of the Tower celebrated the victory plucking live 43 geese (equal to the number of Palios won up to that point) and scattering feathers all over the city.
The pastor of the Contrada, Don Duilio Bani, said that the Tower would remain winless for 43 years, which then came true (in fact the years were 44).
To be updated on the events organized by the Tower, visit the official website: www.contradadellatorre.it.
