Today was the walking tour of Siena with one of our leaders. He's been here every summer since 1984, and he knows everything about this city. What an amazing day long tour! (Well, except that my calf muscles have increased in size already!) There are three main hills in the city...big hills...mountains. We walked all three and saw most of the sights.
I've seen so much beauty in one day, maybe more than I've seen in the sum total of my life. Everything is old; one of the churches that I sat in today was built in 1100 ad. My house was owned by Napoleon's governor for Siena. It has marble staircases and modern plumbing- thank God! My front door is almost twenty feet tall... in case a giant decides to drop in for a caffe latte. Many of the buildings have lines from The Divine Comedy by Dante inscribed on them. He seems to be ever-present in Siena.
The Palio events started today. I saw babies being baptized in one of the contratas (neighborhoods-- think...Scottish clans). Tonight, I am going to that contrata's feast (one of our leaders is a member of that contrata). They all wear scarves around their necks to symbolize their contrata during Palio and during the race they cheer their own rider and horse. Everything in Siena is connected to the Palio and the contratas. I need to figure out which contrata I live in, though I doubt I'll be brave enough to wear the scarf around the city.
Even though it's only been one day, I don't think I'll want to leave Siena-- who needs a gym with five flights of stairs to the apartment and three hills of despair?
More later.
I've seen so much beauty in one day, maybe more than I've seen in the sum total of my life. Everything is old; one of the churches that I sat in today was built in 1100 ad. My house was owned by Napoleon's governor for Siena. It has marble staircases and modern plumbing- thank God! My front door is almost twenty feet tall... in case a giant decides to drop in for a caffe latte. Many of the buildings have lines from The Divine Comedy by Dante inscribed on them. He seems to be ever-present in Siena.
The Palio events started today. I saw babies being baptized in one of the contratas (neighborhoods-- think...Scottish clans). Tonight, I am going to that contrata's feast (one of our leaders is a member of that contrata). They all wear scarves around their necks to symbolize their contrata during Palio and during the race they cheer their own rider and horse. Everything in Siena is connected to the Palio and the contratas. I need to figure out which contrata I live in, though I doubt I'll be brave enough to wear the scarf around the city.
Even though it's only been one day, I don't think I'll want to leave Siena-- who needs a gym with five flights of stairs to the apartment and three hills of despair?
More later.
The church from the tenth century.
The staircase to my apartment.
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The baptism in the ondi contrata.
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