Excitement begins in the morning, even though the race doesn't plan to start until 7:15 at night. All through the city, you can see the anticipation of the different contrade. Parades of participants, all in their unique colors, take place starting early afternoon. Starting early morning, there are crowds standing in strategic spots in the middle of Il Campo. The seating there is free but there are no bathrooms or protection from the sun. Approximately 30,000 will crowd into the middle, and about another 30,000 watching from assigned seats, balconies, etc. We could relax, knowing that we were going to have balcony seats in an apartment at Casato curve. We could take our time in visiting the city sites before the race. We planned to get to the seats about three hours before to take in the pageantry, and to have some wine and snacks in a comfortable apartment.
These seats are expensive, but well worth the luxury of taking in the atmosphere of the event, Il Palio. Above, I have included the ornate tickets produced for our seats.
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