Matteo Fontani, In Campo la Balzana

Those who, in Siena, find themselves trampling on the tuff in Piazza del Campo on 2 July and 16 August, as an appearance in the Historical Parade, live suspended between the past and the present. On the one hand, in fact, with his presence he contributes to recalling the past greatness of the Republic of Siena, on the other hand he realizes on the spot what for a Contrada member has been a life purpose and a reason for legitimate pride since birth: parading as if dressed in the colors of their district. Now Matteo Fontani, of the Culture Office of the Municipality of Siena, retraces the transformations that have occurred in the Historical Parade over time, and he does so in a book, published by Betti and entitled “In Campo la Balzana”, which is also notable for the quality of photographs, drawings and images. After having briefly recalled the origins of the procession (at the end of the fifteenth century) and the beginnings of the Palio (the institutionalization of the Palio alla tonda occurred in the mid-seventeenth century), Matteo Fontani focuses on the attempts made, starting from the second half of the nineteenth century, to provide an adequate homogeneity of direction and formulation of the Historical Parade – or Walk. Within this process, a fundamental junction was constituted by the ‘Exhibition of Ancient Sienese Art’ of 1904, first, by the Review of the Procession by the Municipal Commission chaired by the Podestà Fabio Bargagli Petrucci, then.

Equally decisive were also the renewal of 1955, which maintained, however, the aesthetic parameters already identified in 1928, and that of 1981, which updated and remodeled the entire structure of the procession, bringing the number of participants to six hundred and raising the artistic quality of customs. Lastly, at the beginning of the third millennium, new frames were created, characterized by greater wearability and importance of the materials, thanks also to the collaboration of the art historian Luciano Bellosi and the Oscar-winning costume designer Gabriella Pescucci. The following passage constitutes the incipit of the book, prefaced by the Mayor of Siena, Prof. Nicoletta Fabio. Please note that until May 5th, at the Magazzini del Sale, it is possible to visit the exhibition (free entry) dedicated to the costumes of the Historical Parade.

“The term Historic Walk or, more properly, Historic Corteo refers to the parade that precedes, during the Sienese festival, the actual Palio race (2 July and 16 August). Its origins are very ancient. The current procession, in fact, descends directly from the processions and pompous choreographies that once accompanied the games and parties that took place in Piazza del Campo. In its current form the Historical Parade intends to commemorate and celebrate the splendor and greatness of the Sienese Republic, its institutions and its Contrade. The procession, which today enters Piazza del Campo at the first toll of the bell of the Torre del Mangia, includes fourteen groups of costumed figures, for a total of almost six hundred people, divided into municipal representatives (three hundred) and contrada representatives, who they move under the direction of a field master assisted by the ‘Rotellini di Palazzo’. Its composition has not always remained fixed, but has varied greatly over the centuries as the way of interpreting it has radically changed. The addition and elimination of many extras, in addition to the changing aesthetic standards of reference, has led over time to numerous remakes of the costumes worn by the extras.”

Matteo Fontani, In Campo la Balzana, Betti, Siena 2024

edited by Francesco Ricci