CONTRADA OF THE RAM - FROM THE PAST

The hill where the Basilica of St. Mary of the Servities stands today is the site on which the nobleman Montone Piccolomini chose to build a castle in his name, Castel Montone, in the 11th century. The Contrada , in turn, took its name from the surrounding area known as Valdimontone, and until the middle of the 14th century it remained outside of the city of Siena. At that time, the walls were extended to embrace the villages of Montone, Maddalena, and Oliviera.
In 1546 the Ram participated in the bull hunt with a float represented a “castrum” surmounted by a great rampant ram ,and the flag was a solid cobalt blue.
In September 1756, eight Contrade partecipated in a palio held in Lucca, after three days of trials, the victory went to the Ram with the jockey Tanzino. The banner shows the image of the Holy Countenance, symbol of Lucca, with the ancient republic’s coat of arms flanked by two panthers, the emblems of the city.
For the 1786 festivities, Domenico Bianchi, an active member and supporter of the contrada, had built at the Ponte di Romana a monumental construction in the shape of a ram, from whose mouth wine flowed for hours.
In 1890, the Castelmontorio mutual aid association was founded and opened to the members of the quarter, reestablished in 1952 is today an integral part of the contrada.

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