Contrada
A (plural: ) is a subdivision (of various types) of Italian city, now unofficial. Depending on the case, a will be a "località", a "rione", a "quartiere" ("terziere", etc.), a "borgo", or even a suburb. The best-known are the 17 "contrade" of Siena, since they form the teams in the palio di Siena. In some parts of Southern Italy and Sicily, a is a subdivision of a , also administrative. In other regions, as in most of Lombardy, it may simply be a street, but with historical and social importance; however in Mantua indicates a street in the old town . In Veneto, particularly near the Alpine foothills, is a smaller hamlet in a rural area (a group of houses usually smaller than a "frazione"). A synonym is (Ital. ); in some municipalities, mostly populated "contrae" are administered as neighbourhoods (Ital. "quartieri"; e.g. in Bassano del Grappa, historical "contrae" of Campese, Sant'Eusebio, Valrovina, San Michele and Marchesane have each a neighbourhood council); in Noale, "contrae" are the seven subdivision that compete in the local palio. In Vicenza, a used to be a neighbourhood in the town centre, but now it replaces the noun "via" (street) in the old town. In Venice, each  was subdivided in . In Florence, a is a street of secondary importance. The term is not used officially, however. In the Marches and the Republic of San Marino, indicates a street within an inhabited area (e.g. "contrada del Collegio" and "contrada Omerelli" in the city of San Marino).