Contrada della
Chiocciola

From the Parish Church dedicated to Saint Quirico, the so-called Contrada took its name, which starts from the Madonna del Corvo, and goes down the coast of the Porta del Castello, known as the Mercury, in the street below, next to Mantellini enslaved with stones called by those Inhabitants the Fondaco, from one, and the other part, up to the Madonna del Forcone, and then only to the right up to the Saint Mark Door, the Insignia of which is similar to that of the ancient Castle, that is red field with white Castle, and above it the feasts.

Not far from the aforementioned there is another, which also still took its name from the Parish Church of Saint Mark, extends from the Oria Door to the Saint Mark road, and from the Sperandie, up to the city walls, of the such as the sign, which has been painted up to this time under the Madonna del Forcone, is a white branch of lion on a red background, and Saint Mark above. Until the year 1465, this Contrada owned many Goods, and among others the hospital di Saint Peter, near the Door, together with a vegetable garden outside the same, of which all things made it a free donation to the nuns of Saint Marta, with obligation to keep said hospital and Church forever, with never being able to alienate it.

Outside the aforementioned door, there is the Contrada di Monistero, for ancient Privilege granted to that Municipality by the Republic, and later by the Serenissimi Princes of Tuscany confirmed to him, that is to be united with the body of Citizenship, and to be considered for a Contrada of the City , the Arms of which you can see at the bottom the Statue of Saint Bartholomew in the Parish Church, dedicated to the said Saint, that is a field with white lists, and black crosswise, with Garland of Provenca.

The three aforementioned Contrade, almost always by ancient custom, have been used to represent a Machine in a Snail way, since Sigismondo Titio says: year 1482 Incoia Vici S. Marci Cocleam ligneam exterìus propio pictam color fabricari fecere, quam juvenes decem, latentes intus, per Urbem gestantes, ac molli gressu sua serpere videretur. The year 1494 appeared in the square at a game of fists, and the year 1516 at a Caccia di Tori, the year 1527 at a other Hunting of Bulls. The year 1546 appeared at a hunting of bulls with sixty-two young men all dressed in red livery with yellow band. The year 1650 in the arrival in Siena of the Serenissimi Principi di Toscana represented in Triumphal Chariot the fable of Scilla, which from Jupiter was precipitated into the sea, and converted into a Scoglio, which had seven heads, and also there were many Snail made with bell The artifice, the remainder of the Chariot was loaded with many Players, and Musicians, who sang some breezes in honor of the Serenissimi Grand Duchess, and the Grand Prince, in accompaniment he needed sixty Soldiers, dressed as Nymphs, then followed the Buffalo to be exposed to the course, led by 12 men dressed in yellow, and red, which reported in the course glorious victory, which was a Palio of gold brocade of about 140 Scudi currency. The year 1671 the Chiocciola had the prize for the appearance, as the year 1677 and not to remind everyone, that it would do too much, just mention the sumptuous appearance, made in our time in 1714 where it appeared at the course of the Palio with majestic Chariot, in which Muhammad was represented, who tasting the Chiocciole and seeing their basins remain intact, believed by the Miracle Turks, come from the same offerings at the Temple of Mecca. In the coming of the Serenissima Grand Princess Violante the year 1717 the invention of the Comparsa contained, that above a Chariot of admirable height, all painted with gold musical trophies, there was a spacious Campaign, through which the Peneo River Father flowed of Daphne, followed by the god Apollo, who wanted to kidnap her father on the banks of the river, where he implored the Paternal help, is changed by the same in laurel. After that, a Chioccioletta is fed on the copper of the new laurel, which, by perceiving Apollo, you want to place it among the Celestial Constellations, but seeing it illuminated by the Sun of Virtue, which is the Serenissima Violante Grand Princess of Tuscany, represented for Virtue above the World , remains astonished, and amazed at the amazement. I could still number many parties of artifice fires, and many Palii winnings, such as not to spread me in a single district, leave them aside, I will only say, that the inhabitants of these Contradas always proved to be very partial devotees of the Virgin Mary, to which they can attribute many victories, to which with generous expenditure they erected the year 1655 a well-decorated Oratory, precisely where the ancient Image of our Woman by Jacomo Pellicciai was painted, to which only the façade was missing, but from those people this year 1722 was largely supplied, with a prospect of Pietre conce, and of good understanding Architecture.