contrada

A contrada is the neighborhood-clan. In Tuscan towns like Grosseto, Massa Marittima, or Pitigliano, you don't just live on a street or a block: you belong to a contrada, with its own name, colors, emblem, church, and fountain. The best known is the Palio of Siena, where the contrade race for victory, but in the Maremma you'll mostly see these neighborhoods in action during patron saint festivals and processions. For you, the traveler, this is the key to understanding: ask who lives where, look at the flags in the windows and the coats of arms on the façades, and you'll understand why people argue so fiercely over a village festival.