Palio di Siena Italian Ceramic Collection

Since the 13th Century, excited fans have gathered twice each summer to watch Il Palio, the bareback horse race through Siena’s central square. The July Palio is on July 2nd, and the August Palio is on August 16th. The evening before each Palio, a historical parade enhances the local culture and celebrations. 
 

The competitors represent each of the 17 districts around Siena – le contrade.  Each contrada has a coat of arms painted on the jockey’s banner.  In the week leading up to race day, horses are blessed inside their district’s church, and because stakes are high, jockeys are watched closely to ensure that they aren’t enticed into mischief.  Our artists have created a tableware collection adapted from the colorful coats of arms of the Palio banners.