Victories
In its history the Contrada del Drago counts 39 Palii won. The first dates back to 1650 and was run on 6 November.
Two of the Contrada del Drago's victories came in extraordinary races. On 28 June 1682 a Palio was run in honour of the new Governor of Siena, Francesco Maria dei Medici, and the Drago won with the jockey Pavolino. The second victory came on 20 August 1945, in the historic Palio della Pace (Peace Palio): it was Rubacuori who rode Folco first past the finishing post.
The Contrada del Drago also has a cappotto (a double victory in the same year) in its history: in 1890 it won in both July and August, both times with Francesco Ceppatelli known as Tabarre, in the July race on Prete and in the race of the Assunta on Farfallina.
Palio
In the Sala delle Vittorie the Contrada del Drago keeps its precious Drappelloni (Palio banners). Among them are some curiosities: the first Palio painted by a woman, the painter Maria De Maria, in 1921; the Drappellone of the Palio della Pace by Dino Rofi, only roughly sketched in its first version because of the little time available, and then entirely repainted because it was torn after the race; the two Drappelloni by Ezio Pollai and Plinio Tammaro. And then those of the more recent renowned artists, from Carlo Cerasoli to Gerard Fromanger, from Domenico Paladino to Ruggero Savinio and Silvano Campeggi, another woman with Rosalba Parrini, and then the beautiful Drappellone by Emilio Giannelli, up to the other female signature, that of Emma Sergeant.
Masgalano
The Masgalano is a silver bowl weighing about 1,000 grams or, in exceptional cases, it may instead consist of a piece of art. In both cases, the Masgalano must depict symbols referring to the City, the Palio, as well as the coats of arms of the Municipality, the “Magistrato delle Contrade”, and the “Comitato Amici del Palio”, it may also refer to particular city events. The Masgalano is put up as a prize by the municipal administration and can be offered by public bodies, Sienese associations or other institutions whose role or function is particularly linked to the history of the city. The name, Masgalano, derives from the Spanish mas “more” and galante “elegant”; indeed, the bowl is awarded to the Contrada whose comparsa has excelled in elegance, dignity of bearing and coordination. The criteria included in the evaluation are the aesthetic aspect of the costumes, the behaviour of the participants, and the skill of the flag bearers (alfieri) and of the drummer (tamburino); for this reason each flag display (sbandierata) is given a score. At the end, the scores of the July and August Palii are added up, and the comparsa with the highest total wins. The prize is awarded by a jury made up of representatives of the Comitato Amici del Palio (Friends of the Palio Committee), whose members are appointed two by two by each of the 17 Contrade from among their former alfieri and tamburini di Piazza (the flag bearers and drummers who performed in the Piazza). The Contrada del Drago boasts eight victories: 1951, 1959 (ex aequo with the Nobile Contrada del Nicchio), 1967, 1973, 1987, 1991, 2008, 2017 (ex aequo with the Nobile Contrada dell’Oca).
