A Day in Siena

I spent Friday running errands. I registered for class (yay for being a "very beginner!"), went to the supermarket, and reserved a place to go to Siena on Saturday. I was very pleased with myself, and had the first substantial meal in days.

Yummy!

Early Saturday morning, about 50 people climbed into a double-decker tour bus to make the hour and a half drive to Siena. I wish I could have sneaked a picture of our guide, Riccardo, who was very easy on the eyes, and funny to boot. But he spoke primarily in Italian during the drive there, reserving the English until our arrival in Siena to explain the rules. So I tuned him out and enjoyed the sunflower-strewn landscape of Tuscany instead.

The rules were for attending "Il Palio." It is a bareback horse race dating from medieval times. 10 horses, chosen at random from the 17 contrade, or neighborhoods, of Siena, are raced around a tiny track in the Piazza del Campo. It is a rough-and-tumble Kentucky Derby, and quite literally so: a horse had died in a crash the previous day during training. Jockeys are allowed to use whips, not only on their own horses but on the other horses. And since only the horse has to cross the finish line for a victory, the jockeys are known to throw themselves off their horses in order to sabotage other riders. Crashes are many: three horses crossed the finish line sans jockey. Rumor of drugs and tampering abound, forcing the city to protect both horses and riders in the hours leading up to the race.

The piazza closes at around 4, even though the race starts at 7, so we were directed to find a place near the edge of the track before then. Riccardo suggested finding one of the contrade's churches to see the blessing of the horse at 3:30, but other than that, we were left at ends. So, with my new friends Helen and Rae from Hong Kong, I went to the Duomo of Siena. Now, I've seen a lot of cathedrals in my day, but this one actually looks different from all the other Gothic spires I've taken pictures of. We bought a pass to see the museum, cathedral, baptistry, crypt, and panorama view of the city, and it was worth it.

View of the Duomo from the panorama. I love the stripes.

After touring the cathedral, we found a pizza place and wandered through the winding streets of the medieval town. The different contrade were decorated with flags and lamps in their colors. Some of the animal sigils were quite amusing.

Like the weird carp-thing of this particular neighborhood.

I bought a scarf for the Tortoise cantrade, while Rae opted for the Little Owl. Helen, who is taking the picture, chose the Goose. Helen's jockey won. Mine was the first to fall off. Alora.

We got some gelato and claimed a pretty good space (relative to elsewhere) near the track. It rained off and on, but at least it was cool. After hours of waiting, and a medieval-style parade that took almost two hours on its own, the race finally started.

The jockeys start warming up their horses for the big race.

Afterwards in the crowded Piazza del Campo: the celebrations were boisterous, to say the least.