NOBLE CONTRADA OF THE CATERPILLAR - FROM THE PAST

The borough of Ovile, enclosed by walls built around the mid-13th century, expanded in a northeasterly direction along the craggy bluff that descends from the knoll of San Donato to the city gate and fountain of Ovile. The town of Siena decided to divide the territory into two districts. This division also gave rise to two separate contrade: the Giraffe and the Caterpillar. In 1370 the arrest of three wool- carders, members of the military company of the contrada who also belonged to the revolutionary faction of the government then in power, sparked an uprising. The entire population of the Ovile quarter participated, end only after a brutal and bloody struggle was it finally quashed. These Sienese wool-carders rallied under the banner of the contrada , whose name derived from Bruocho-the name given to the field where shepherds stopped with their flocks of sheep on their way to the “paschi” (pastures) of the Maremma area, which was a great source of income for the town and later for the main bank of the city, appropriately called the “Monte dei Paschi”. Along with three other contrade, the Caterpillar bears the title of “Noble” in recognition of its role in defending the ideals of the people who inspired the foundation of the ancient Republic of Siena. The Caterpillar’s victory in the palio of 2 July 1826 was quite unexpected: Piaggina, the seventy-two-years-old jockey who represented the contrada, was thrown from his horse at the start of the race. The horse’s bit broke as he fell.Undaunted, he got back on the horse and,despite the precarious state of the bridle, thrashed his way to the finishing line. Conserved to this day in the contrada headquarters are the horse’s bit of Piaggina.

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