Sienna and the Palio

So instead of going to Florence like we had planned (we heard that it was not that great from multiple people), we decided that we would go to Sienna instead. We got to the train station and learned that the place we were staying at was only a 10 minute walk away. We decided to try it. What we did not know was that most of it was uphill. So we were sweating away, lost as can be, when we decided to turn around and get a taxi instead. When we checked in, the man helping us was the nicest, and sweetest old Italian man ever. He told us all about the area we were staying in, about Sienna, and about the Palio (more on that in a bit). After we settled in, we headed out for the town.

Ever since we got to Italia, we have noticed that it is very similar to Spain. The language is similar, the buildings are similar, the people are similar, and it has really been throwing us for a loop. Sienna is like a medium sized town jammed into a small town that is up on a hill. All the streets are very narrow and they all look the same so it is easy to get confused if you do not know where you are going. We wandered around the town for a bit and then went to Il de Campo, the main square of the city, which was set up for the horse race. After the square we went to dinner (recommended by our nice Italian host) where we had pasta and duck.

The next day we slept in and did some more sight-seeing around the city before deciding to go on a tour of the Brunello/Tuscany area. The ride was beautiful, but nausiating (gotta love tour buses). We went to see a vineyard in Brunello. The vineyard was hundreds of years old. A cute, old Italian man showed us around, and let us sample some of his family's wine. We met several wonderful couples on the way, and had a great time. After that, we went to see an Abbey in the middle of Tuscany. It was lovely. We also stopped in a town called Montalcino to see an old tower at the top of the city. We thought that the tour was well worth our time, as we wouldnt have seen Tuscany without it.

Now about the Palio (you should look this up on google as our knowledge of it only brushes the surface). Today (the 2nd) is the day of the Palio, which is a horse race that takes place in the square. They put bleachers around the outter edge of the square (which is more circular than square) and a railing farther in, and between the two they cover the pavement with sand for the horses to run on. It is how they have been doing it since the middle ages. We learned that the city is divided up into 16 districts/neighborhoods, but not all of the districts participate in the race every year. Only 10 horses are selected to race, and then districts draw lots to decide who gets to race that year. The horses are then assigned to the districts, not the other way around. Four days of trial runs take place before the big day. From what we could tell, the trial runs happen only to show off the horses. The riders do not really compete to see who can win, but we did notice that they run them flat out on the straight to show off their top speed. We only saw one trail run in the morning so it was not that busy, but we did see pictures from the day of previous races and the entire little square was packed with 50,000 people. Sardines. Again, we only learned a little about this amazing event, so do your own research to give it justice.

Sienna was fab! So glad we went. Until we talk to you again from Rome...Arrivederci!