The Palio in the world – the pages of the districts told in five hundred pieces by King & Country
The journey to discover the Palio in the world continues, thanks to the contribution of Andrea Corti, a passionate contradaiolo and collector, who opened the doors of his thing to us to discover a little history of Siena and the Palio. This time we fly to Hong Kong to tell a truly curious story: of when, from the passion of two people, a collection dedicated to the pagggi of the districts was born. Let’s take a step back, we are in the 80s and in the province of Siena. We live in Hong Kong native spouses. They spend part of their life in Siena, immersed in the breathtaking beauties of the province, but sharing together a great passion, that for war armor and costumes. Their curiosity, however, pushes the couple to become increasingly interested in the history of Siena, why every year in the history of Siena, for 4 days, remains with bated breath, why he observes the Sienese parade through the streets of the center with those sumptuous costumes, full of colors, but with a rhythm of the drum and armor that recall a march of the war. Well, it is enough for the two to breathe that centuries-old tradition once and to be immediately struck by it.
The idea comes immediately: but why not create a collection dedicated to the costumes of the districts? The bet is soon made and the biggest company is called into play, the real protagonist in the production of these miniatures: the King & Country Soldiers, a multinational from Hong Kong, leader in the production of these toy soldiers. From this bet a collection of 500 series was born relating to the major pages of four districts, namely Torre, Onda, Bruco and Lupa.
The story could be incredible, immediately recalling the importance of the Palio worldwide. Not so, the reason why these gentlemen wanted to create this economic collection: the two enthusiasts had a nose for business in that tradition. However, there remains a beautiful story of when the Palio di Siena became one of the most famous miniatures in the world, but the passion and love for the Palio was placed in a drawer. Because, as Andrea always likes to repeat: “This indissoluble, bound and eternal love for this thing called the Palio, belongs only to the Sienese”.
Niccolò Bacarelli