Aquila contrada ends 34-year wait, Tittia claims 12th Palio in Siena

Aquila's long wait ends

The Aquila contrada ended a 34-year victory drought at the Palio di Siena on 3 July 2026. The contrada's last win was on the same date in 1992 when Andrea Degortes, known as Aceto, rode Galleggiante. This year Aquila secured its 25th overall victory.

Dominant run by Tittia and Diodoro

Jockey Giovanni Atzeni, nicknamed Tittia, guided the horse Diodoro AA to a wire-to-wire win. Atzeni, 41, collected his 12th Palio triumph in 42 starts, pulling him one victory shy of Aceto's all-time record of 13 wins. He and the 7-year-old bay gelding Diodoro had previously combined for a win with the Oca contrada exactly one year earlier, on 3 July 2025. The horse, now a two-time Palio winner from three starts, is owned by Ilaria Bisconti and trained by Atzeni according to AGI. Atzeni, born in Nagold, Germany to a Sardinian father and German mother, began his Palio career in 2003 and has since become the most successful active jockey, also winning other historical races in Asti and Legnano.

Race postponed a day

The race was originally set for 2 July but was delayed by 24 hours after heavy rain left the piazza del Campo's tufo track unrideable. The starting gate opened at 19:30 local time on 3 July. Four contenders lost their jockeys during the race, the contrade of Torre, Bruco, Drago and Giraffa, and completed the course as scossi (riderless horses).

Historical tributes in the parade

Before the race, the Corteo storico paid homage to two recently deceased musicians deeply tied to the Palio tradition. Mayor Nicoletta Fabio ordered fanfare salutes for Giovanni Mazzini, the Trombetto di Palazzo from 1952 to 2018, who died on 3 July, and for Mario Cappelli, a clarinet player who had been part of the parade since 1981 and passed away a few days earlier.