Contrade of Siena
Contrade of Siena features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Siena. Give it roughly ~60 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Siena Siena guide
About Contrade of Siena
Siena's 17 contrade (city districts), each with its own church, museum, fountain, symbol, and fierce civic identity, form a living medieval social structure in which every Sienese citizen is baptized at birth and belongs for life.
The seventeen contrade of Siena are the city's most remarkable social institution, autonomous urban districts, each with a name drawn from nature or heraldry, that have maintained a continuous identity and fierce civic pride from the medieval period to the present day. The seventeen are: Aquila (Eagle), Bruco (Caterpillar), Chiocciola (Snail), Civetta (Owl), Drago (Dragon), Giraffa (Giraffe), Istrice (Porcupine), Leocorno (Unicorn), Lupa (She-Wolf), Nicchio (Shell), Onda (Wave), Pantera (Panther), Selva (Forest), Tartuca (Tortoise), Torre (Tower), Valdimontone (Valley of the Ram), and Oca (Goose).
Each contrada has its own church where its members are baptized, married, and given their funeral; its own museum housing historical costumes, flags, and trophies; its own fountain where the baptismal water comes from; its own colours; its own symbol; and its own decades- or centuries-old rivalries with neighboring contrade. Membership is for life, it is conferred at baptism and cannot be changed. The contrada system is the deepest layer of Sienese social identity, preceding and outlasting all others.
Did you know? There were originally more than 50 contrade in medieval Siena. The number was fixed at the current 17 by the decree of Violante Beatrice of Bavaria in 1730, which consolidated the existing districts and set their boundaries, but the memories and rivalries of the extinct contrade are still carried forward in the enmities and alliances of the surviving seventeen.
How long is a visit to Contrade of Siena?
Set aside roughly ~60 min for Contrade of Siena. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Contrade of Siena worth your time?
Contrade of Siena is among the 20 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Siena, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Siena
Hear the story of Contrade of Siena
Preview the Siena tour free in the Gingerguide app.