3 October 2022

Francesco Bianchini - jockey

19th century rider who contested Palio di Siena 55 times

The Palio di Siena has been taking place in the Tuscan city of Siena since the early part of the 17th century
The Palio di Siena has been taking place in the Tuscan
city of Siena since the early part of the 17th century
The jockey Francesco Bianchini, who holds the record for the most consecutive participations in the historic Palio di Siena horse race, was born on this day in 1808 in Siena.

Bianchini, who raced under the name of Campanino, rode in 44 editions of the famous event, in which horses and riders represent 10 of the city of Siena’s 17 contrade or districts, without missing one between his debut in 1827 and the second running of the twice-yearly race in 1847.

He rode in 55 editions in total before he retired for good in 1860, at the age of 51, chalking up a total of nine wins. In his career, he rode for all bar two of the 17 contrade.

Held in July and again in August every summer in the Mediaeval square at the centre of Siena, the Piazza del Campo, with occasionally an extra race to commemorate a special event or anniversary, the Palio can be a brutal affair.

The colours of the contrade, the 17 districts who contest the Palio, are displayed around the square
The colours of the contrade, the 17 districts who
contest the Palio, are displayed around the square
The 10 participants in the bareback contest race each other on a temporary dirt track around the perimeter of the shell-shaped piazza. The race consists of three laps, which the horses cover at such a furious pace that the whole thing is over in about 90 seconds.

It is not uncommon for jockeys to fall off their mounts and for horses to cross the finishing line riderless. In fact, a riderless horse can still be declared the winner so long as the colours of their contrada are still attached to their bridle.

Bianchini, whose nickname Campanino came from the tiny golden bell he wore as an earring, won the Palio for the first time at the age of 19 in 1828 at his fourth attempt, riding for the contrada known as Leocorno (Unicorn).

He won both editions in 1830, first for the Civetta (Little Owl) contrada and then for Istrice (Crested Porcupine). He had more success in 1835 for Pantera (Panther) and in 1837 for Aquila (Eagle).

At his peak, he won the Palio three times in a row, in August 1840 for Civetta, July 1841 for Oca (Goose) and August 1841 for Lupa (She-Wolf).

Huge crowds pack into the Piazza del Campo to witness the race and the pageant that precedes it
Huge crowds pack into the Piazza del Campo to
witness the race and the pageant that precedes it
His final success came in 1843 for the Tartuca (Tortoise) contrada.

Away from the race, Bianchini was a volatile individual with a violent streak who was often in trouble. At the age of 11, he was put on trial for the murder of another boy but was acquitted, despite several witnesses testifying against him.

Throughout his time as a Palio rider, his rivalry with another fantino - jockey - Francesco Santini, known as gobbo saragiolo - the Saragiolo hunchback, after his home village - was not confined to the race.

After taking part in a race at the nearby town of Castelnuovo Berardenga, Bianchini started a brawl with a groomsman which resulted in the groomsman, who worked for the contrada represented by Santini, suffering fatal injuries after Bianchini threw him into a ditch and repeatedly kicked and punched him.

The court ruled that the groomsman’s death was caused by the injuries he suffered falling into the ditch rather than by any blows inflicted by Bianchini, who remarkably was sentenced to only three months in jail.

Although he had to pay a large sum in compensation to the family of the deceased, plus court costs, the incident did not interrupt his participation in the Palio.

The horses have to make gravity-defying turns to negotiate the corners of the piazza
The horses have to make gravity-defying
turns to negotiate the corners of the piazza
Bianchini and Santini notably clashed again in 1853. Representing Oca, Bianchini remounted after an early fall, took the lead and remained there until the third lap, only for Santini, who had made a bad start riding for Torre (Tower) but recovered, to pip Bianchini’s horse and win, openly mocking his rival after they crossed the line for having denied him the opportunity for a 10th victory.

Santini himself still holds the record, jointly with the 18th century rider Matteo Mancini, for most Palio wins, at 15.

Bianchini married into a Palio family when Faustina Brandini became his second wife in 1836 following the death of his first wife, Assunta Angiolini di Fogliano. His father-in-law, Luigi Brandini, was the rider Cicciolesso, while his cousins, Giovanni and Agostino rode under the names Pipistrello and Brandino Minore respectively. 

He and Faustina had a son, Leopoldo, who grew up to race as Piccolo Campanino.

Nowadays, the two runnings of the Palio attract huge crowds of locals and visitors alike to Siena and have become a major part of the city's tourist trade. The races, which take place in the early evening, are preceded by a spectacular pageant. Such seats that are available for spectators are sold well in advance; most watch from the centre of the square, which fills to a capacity of around 50,000 before access is closed by the police.

Piazza del Campo is dominated by the red bricks of the Palazzo Pubblico and Torre del Mangia
Piazza del Campo is dominated by the red bricks
of the Palazzo Pubblico and Torre del Mangia
Travel tip:

Siena is one of Italy’s most beautiful cities. The Piazza del Campo is at its heart, built between 1287 and 1355 and consisting of nine sections of fan-like brick pavement said to symbolise the Madonna's cloak said to protect the city in dark times.  The Campo is dominated by the red Palazzo Pubblico and its tower, Torre del Mangia. The Palazzo Pubblico contains a museum housing some of the greatest of Sienese paintings, including Simone Martini's huge Maestà and Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Allegories of Good and Bad Government, once regarded as the most important cycle of secular paintings of the Middle Ages. In the 12th and 13th centuries, Siena was one of the major cities of Europe, almost as large as Paris.  Siena is said to have taken its name from Senius, having been founded by Senius and his brother Aschius, the sons of Remus and nephews of Romulus, the legendary founders of Rome. Thus Siena's emblem is the she-wolf who suckled Remus and Romulus.

Siena's magnificent Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta with its marble exterior
Siena's magnificent Cattedrale di Santa
Maria Assunta with its marble exterior
Travel tip:

Siena’s duomo is the Cattedrale Metropolitana di Santa Maria Assunta. The cathedral was designed and completed between 1215 and 1263 on the site of an earlier structure. It has the form of a Latin cross with a dome and a bell tower. The dome was completed in 1264. The lantern at the top of the dome was added by the great Renaissance sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini.  The exterior and interior are constructed of white and greenish-black marble in alternating stripes, with the addition of red marble on the façade. Black and white have become the symbolic colours of Siena, after the black and white horses of Senius and Aschius.




Also on this day:

1858: The birth of the actress Eleonora Duse

1938: The birth of boxing champion Alessandro Mazzinghi

1941: The birth of bass-baritone singer Ruggero Raimondi


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