Glady's Italy Journal - April 2007
Siena, Italy - Duomo
My impression of the interior of the Duomo - the most colorful, light-filled cathedral I have ever been in. The alternating light and dark marble in the columns and walls gave it a Moorish effect. The stained glass window by Duccio has extraordinary color and detail.
Each morning in Siena, at 7 AM and 7:30, multiple cathedral bells ring for two minutes or more - not simply tolling, but like the war is over!
Siena today has 100 banks, and two universities, one which is the second oldest in the world, established 1240. The other for foreigners. Siena remains the economic engine of Italy, #1 in quality of life, jobs, schools, tops in business and trade, and therefore expensive to live in.
The Palio
The Palio is a horse race around the Piazza del Campo in Siena, a competition between Siena neighborhoods held twice a year, July 2 and Aug. 16th.
Larry and I saw on our schedule a class about the Palio in the hotel conference room from 9:30 to 11:00, "Why the Palio is more than a horse race." So long a lecture?? The instructor, Marco was most energetic and entertaining. He has taught at Texas A&M and other places in the US - pretty good English. Turns out the Palio IS far more than a horse race. The Siena neighborhoods, called Contrada, are much like the feuding families of Romeo and Juliet: they truly hate their enemy Contradas, and have for centuries. The first record of the contradas dates from 1100, and the earliest recorded Palio is in the 1200's. Prior to it, the Contradas were at war with each other, killing and maiming. In times of war or when the city was threatened, they united to defend it. The city fathers established the Palio to channel the rivalry and stop the killing. The Contradas are clearly defined neighborhoods, but invisible to tourists. It's a closed universe that few outsiders know exists. Each of the current 17 Contradas has its own church, and symbol as displayed on its historic flag. Contrada names are mostly animals: Goose, Pig, Dragon. Flags are not allowed to be flown except during the Palio, and for a couple of days over the home when a baby is born. In prior times there were as many as 29 contradas.
Citizens are fiercely loyal to their contrada, even today. There is a saying: "Only three things never change: your mother, your soccer team, and your contrada." When a Sienese woman won the gold medal at the Olympics recently, she wore her Contrada flag scarf to receive her medal. In an interview, she mentioned her Contrada a dozen times, Siena several times, and never mentioned Italy!
In the Contrada, they teach their children before they can even talk to hate the enemy Contradas. Some Contradas are allies, some neutral. Thirteen Contradas have a permanent enemy; some have one enemy, some two. Their greatest hope is for the enemy to lose, more even than for them to win. Each year, a Captain of the Contrada is chosen, whose job it is to set the strategy for that year's Palio. The strategy involves bribing the jockey's early in the year not to ride for the enemy, and corrupting your allies to help defeat your enemy, and yes, to help you win. The richest Contrada, The Goose, raises hundreds of thousands of Euros each year for these bribes. Only ten horses run, selected from hundreds. Some are the fastest, and some slow. Why? Which Contrada gets which horse is drawn just before the race, and maybe your enemy will draw the slow horse! Starting positions 1 to 10 are also drawn just before the race.
The race itself runs only about two minutes! The #10 horse starts the race. If the #10 is not a very fast horse, the jockey might delay the start of the race for a LONG time, hoping the enemy horse (fast horse) will get nervous and turn backwards, at which time #10 takes off! Some Palios have been delayed until the next day! Sienese are disgusted when tourists ask, "What time does the Palio begin?"
Siena, Italy - Goose Contrada
There are no rules. Jockey's can whip other jockeys, yank them from the saddle - anything. Many times a riderless horse wins.
After our lecture, we all walked to the Goose Contrada. The Goose flag was displayed where a baby girl gosling had been born. Each Contrada has its own little church, and we saw the beautiful, tiny Goose church. Before the Palio, all the members pack the church, and the jockey rides the horse into the church to be blessed. If the horse defecates, everyone cheers! It is considered good luck.
The church of the Goose Contrada is built at the site of St. Catherine's father's wool shop. She is the patron saint of Siena and Italy.
The rich Goose Contrada has built a beautiful museum to display the many Palio flags earned from winning the race, as well as other mementos . This museum is not open to the public, and its purpose is to teach the young and honor the Contrada. We were fortunate to be invited to see the private museum and church. I expect some Euros by our guide helped get us the invitation.
Our guide at the monastery the next day (a young, state guide, NOT a monk) said, "The Palio is like sex: Lots of preparation, and over in a minute."
Monte Oliveto Maggiore Monastery
Monastery Monte Oliveto Maggiore
This monastery is dedicated to St. Benedict. In it are beautiful frescoes depicting his life by artist Sodoma, created around 1550. Like St. Francis, St. Benedict was born wealthy. His faith took him to Rome, but he found the church there too corrupt. He joined an order, but they found him too straight-laced. They tried to poison him, and later threw him out! He became a hermit outside Rome for three years, and began to have a following. He later started the Benedictine monastery. Even then, others tried to corrupt him, bringing "bad women" to the monastery. I have a photo of the fresco depicting this scene.
Most of the abbey dates from 1300-1500 - quite ornate. The cathedral is baroque-white and light, not so ornate. Looks much like our Washington DC buildings.
Pienza
The views to and from this hill town - and from its walls - are spectacular. We walked around a bit, and found a lovely outdoor restaurant for lunch.
Back in Siena that evening we walked a short distance to the Medici fortress for wine tasting at the Italian institute that rates all Italian wines, the Enoteca Italiana. We sampled a white, and two reds. The second red was a $60 value, but the others quite reasonably priced.
Too full for a full dinner, several of us wanted just wine and cheese. Our guide recommended a place that ripped us off. A single plate of cheese came to 76 Euros, over $100! The only negative part of the trip.
San Gimignano
Nearly all of us on the tour caught the bus for this optional side trip to this typical Medieval Tuscan town. This is the "town of many towers." Most medieval towns had one or maybe two towers for military purposes, located at the exterior city walls, intended as lookouts for the enemy attacking. In this town, wealthy people built them on their property as a sign of their prosperity. Towers are in the center of town, often one right next door to another!
Our whole little group had a scenic picnic. Larry and I brought our leftover salami and cheese from our room's refrigerator, some delicious rosemary bread sticks, and our unopened little bottle of grapa, to share in a picnic. In the town, I bought dish towels with the Tuscany map, which we used as a little picnic blanket. The site was a next to the church square. Others bought wine, olive oil and bread. Don and Sue obtained paper cups from a wine tasting store - It was a highlight! We were leaving the next day, and feeling sad.
The farewell dinner was the last night in the Jolly Hotel dining room. We filled out surveys, and all agreed that the fun people helped make it such a great tour. We exchanged email addresses. Michael and Jan live in San Jose, and we hope to at least see them again. (Pictures of some group members on next page.)
"Arrivederci" Means "until we see again!"