Overview
- Organisers displayed the bandiera verde at Palazzo Pubblico on Monday after persistent showers left the tufo surface of Piazza del Campo impracticable, cancelling the Palio scheduled for 16 August and its rescheduled date.
- The Comune di Siena and the Capitani delle Contrade said the full programme — including the 700-person Corteo Storico and the Carriera horse race — will be replicated on the next day that passes inspection, with Tuesday 18 August currently being considered.
- Officials cite horse and jockey safety as the reason for the postponements, explaining that downpours reduce cohesion of the tufo track and raise the risk of slips and injury during the race.
- Regione Toscana issued a yellow weather alert for Monday afternoon warning of possible strong thunderstorms, and organisers are basing decisions on short-term forecasts plus formal track inspections before reopening the schedule.
- Journalists and local officials note this follows a string of recent weather disruptions to the Palio in 2022, 2024 and 2025, a pattern that organisers say underlines the event’s growing vulnerability to volatile weather and forces day-by-day contingency planning.