Wow - we're almost halfway through this trip! But, in the madness of the Palio, it's easy to lose focus on the schedule . . .
First of all, if you're interested, the city has a website through which they post the prove and news about the Palio: www.sienanews.it
The tratta on Sunday morning was really interesting - there were some great horses (#21 lost his rider on the first turn, but still surpassed the rest of the horses, then kept running at the same speed for three extra laps before someone could stop him), many of which, including 21, weren't chosen by the Capitani. And the Selection was as usual - some groups were excited, and some not so pleased by the draw. My contrada, Aquila, hasn't won since 1992, and I think they were hoping for a winner this year, but it doesn't seem to be so. The kiddos have taken on their own chosen (or, perhaps, not so chosen - where they live?) contrade for the competition - Mark was mentioning that, with his Valdimontana flag on, he passed through a Nicchio group, who immediately got silent the minute he approached their previously-spirited conversation.
Your kiddos had a great weekend! Florence was HOT. Miserably. Even worse than Siena. But we got to see David (the real one), and enjoyed a great viewing through the Uffizi (and, I hope, they learned a little about Florentine art from me as we prepared to enter the museums). One of my roommates joined us, and we also met a friend of mine who is on sabbatical in Rome (she teaches Latin at the University of Vermont). Thank you again to SPI for getting reservations - ALL of the kids made a comment about how pleasant it was to pass the lines!
Sunday, while the first day of the Palio, was also the kids' first free day. Some stayed in town and experienced the craziness of the events, and some chose to walk a little out of town to enjoy a countryside picnic in perhaps a little cooler temperature. It is good to mention that these days are a little more crazy than usual - far more tourists, the locals are in their Palio frenzy . . . things can feel a little disorienting to the kids. Especially this week, with the overbearing heat. At least it's only until Wednesday, then we can get our beautiful, TRANQUIL Siena back for the last week and a half!
There are still opportunities to experience the treasures of Siena, too. This afternoon, we're going to do a little walk around town to see the two places sacred to St. Catherine (yes, they are going to see her head), and perhaps all head out to the Fortezza for a brief reprieve from the city's heat. Tomorrow, we start a three-day experience in the Piazza del Duomo, to see the view from the Museo dell'Opera and to see the beautiful interior of the Duomo itself (the floor has very interesting sections - all pictures of secular - sibyls, Latin-Greek authors - references to the coming of Christ). Wednesday will be the Palio, and all the madness which ensues with that. Until then, there will be prove at 9 AM and at 7:45 PM every day. I'll share with you more about the actual Palio day on Wednesday!
The kids are all doing well - enjoying their homestays, enjoying the city, enjoying being Italians - the first week has passed, and mostly so has their homesickness and culture shock. There still may be a little of it (admittedly, I REALLY miss my husband), so know that they still need you to be a sympathetic ear!
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share this time with them - what a great experience we're all having!!!
Grazie tanti,
L :)
Again, please feel free to check out the Siena News online to see what we're seeing . . . you may even see us standing there among the crowd!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
la prima settimana . . . finito!
Wow - we have finished our first week! I mentioned to the kids that today is the end of the first third of the trip, and they couldn't believe it. In one way, it feels like time is flying through the trip, but, on the other hand, they're feeling so settled in and comfortable that it's like they've been here for a long time!
Yesterday was the kids' first free day, and, besides seeing me at the breaks between class, they didn't have to deal with me at all. Well, Stephen and I had a laundry date (everything of mine is stained from the sweating in this heat), but besides that.. . . Today, we will be heading to the Fortezza which is located just on the edge of town to do a little journaling and share our experiences from this first week, plus look forward to our opportunities this weekend and next week.
A little aside about the Fortezza - most cities in Tuscany have a "Rocca", or small fortress which sits on the highest point of town, and overlooks the countryside, defending the town. Siena is a little different - their biggest foe in the medieval times was Florence, and, to defend themselves, they simply don't have any gates on the north side of the city (which is the way it is still today)! They were such rivals with Florence that, when the Guelfs overthrew the Ghibellines in Florence, Siena embraced the outcast Ghibellines with open arms. When Florence finally subjected Siena (one of the last cities in that area of Tuscany to give into the Florentine expansion), the Medici family of Florence had the Fortezza built, so that they could live there and keep an eye on the Siennese, to avoid any fumes of rebellion.
This week, we learned about the difficulty of finding ourselves in a new world, having to live a new lifestyle in a new home. This transition is extremely challenging and difficult, even for me, who returns to the same family every year! I have been so impressed with the fortitude and maturity with which your kiddos have handled these changes (in diet, in lifestyle, in living space) - truly, they made this the easiest first week for me. They appreciate the differences, but still have found a way to make themselves comfortable and settled into this new lifestyle, as well as to develop a relationship with their homestay families. We also learned a little about Siennese art history and the politics of Siena during the medieval times through the art which we have viewed. It really differs greatly from Florentine art - sure, you see the development of the incorporation of perspective, but the Siennese actually used more of the dichotomy of light and dark to emphasize and focus.
Tomorrow, we are headed to Florence for our day of culture there. For the first year ever, SPI has booked reservations for us for both the Accademia and Uffizi (no more 3-hour lines! Thank you, Jeremy and Becca!). Many tourists choose to stay in Florence, and then travel out to other cities in Toscana, but, to me, it's just another big dirty, dusty city for us to honor for a day, then return to the beauty and cleanliness of Siena. However, there are some great works we can't deny (THE David - none of those in-the-streets copies for us; the works of the great painters such a Botticelli, Raphaello, and the Dutch painters; sculptures of great artists, as well - Bernini is my favorite) which exist there, so we go! I'll also be sharing a history of art in Florence with them during our journey, so perhaps they can take something home to you afterwards!
Sunday is our official first "free day", where the kids have time to themselves to rest or to take opportunities of the events around them. Sunday is a big holy day for the Church, as well - the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, where, in Rome, the new archbishops are dedicated by the Pope outside in the Piazza di San Pietro (Vatican Square). And, in Siena, the 29th is the first official day of the Palio events. I'll share far more about the Palio on Monday with you, but here's a little about what's going to happen this weekend:
Tonight - Presentation of the drappelone, where all of the contrade's flags will be posted on the front of the Palazzo Pubblico, and will stay there until after the day of the Palio. This also means that the colors will be posted throughout the contrada - lamps are placed up on the walls, flags hung outside their windows . . . we don't decorate like this for Christmas in the U.S.!
Tomorrow - at 5 PM, the trial run on the Palio. Every year, there are about 30 horses which are chosen to be the best in the area (by veterinarians). The horses are released on the track (which is the gray part of il Campo - they laid a full packed-sand track down yesterday) to let them try out the turf.
Sunday - at 9 AM, the horses are divided into various batterie (groups), and the 10 jockeys who will compete will all wear the colors of Siena (the shield is simple - white on top, black on the bottom). Just like in every prova (practice run) and the actual Palio race on the 2nd, the last horse to enter determines the start of the race (he's called the rincorsa). At the end of this, the 10 Capitani (chosen leader of each contrada for this Palio) will meet together inside the Palazzo to choose the 10 best horses for the race.
THEN, at 1 PM is the Selection, where the 10 horses are assigned by lottery to each contrada. Each competing contrada marches in, with the jockey and Capitano at front, the leading men following along with them, the younger men just behind them, then the women and children in the back, all wearing the colors of their contrada, all singing the city Palio song. The Lottery is exactly as you'd imagine it - literally, there are 10 balls, each of which has the colors of the 10 competing contrade (out of the 17 total contrade), and 10 numbered balls, one for each horse (the number is painted on its rear). They come rolling down out of a big tumbling machine, done by the city officials in front of the Palazzo Pubblico, and a contrada is paired to a horse. From now on, the horse is the center of the celebration, treated like a king (they have their own personal human to take care of them the whole time - the barbaresco). In fact, the horse determines the winner of the Palio . . . even if it crosses the line first without its jockey, it wins. This event is quite a spectacle - if a contrada is paired with a good horse, people will be jumping for joy and yelling as they drag the terrified horse (by their jumping and yelling) back to their contrada. If a group is paired with a weaker (still one of the best among hundreds of others) horse, you'll see grown men crying in the streets, moping all the way pack with the horse to their contrada.
Finally, at 7:45 is the first trial run - the prima prova. This is the first time to have the jockey paired with the horse on the actual track, but jockeys aren't geared up - no nerbo (whip, made of a bull's tendon . . . NERVE) with which to hit each other (they tend to do this more than use it on the horse), nor zuccoto (metal helmet to keep their heads guarded from the nerbo). The starting order of the jockeys is determined days before in another lottery. Each practice run has myths attached to it, too - the first one, they say, often determines who the winner of the actual Palio will be. Last year, there was a big to-do - one of the horses got tangled up at the starting line, got its leg caught in the rope, and fell, hurting its leg (the contrada didn't get to compete, but the horse lived on) and taking a few other horses and jockeys down at first. The entire city had an ominous feeling about it. In fact, when the actual Palio happened, there was a discrepancy for about 20 minutes in the town before they determined the actual winner - and they felt that the fall in the first race was almost something that cursed the whole festa.
More to share about this event next week, but I'll be encouraging the kids to join me for everything on Sunday in town!
Off to Florence!
Grazie,
Laura :)
Yesterday was the kids' first free day, and, besides seeing me at the breaks between class, they didn't have to deal with me at all. Well, Stephen and I had a laundry date (everything of mine is stained from the sweating in this heat), but besides that.. . . Today, we will be heading to the Fortezza which is located just on the edge of town to do a little journaling and share our experiences from this first week, plus look forward to our opportunities this weekend and next week.
A little aside about the Fortezza - most cities in Tuscany have a "Rocca", or small fortress which sits on the highest point of town, and overlooks the countryside, defending the town. Siena is a little different - their biggest foe in the medieval times was Florence, and, to defend themselves, they simply don't have any gates on the north side of the city (which is the way it is still today)! They were such rivals with Florence that, when the Guelfs overthrew the Ghibellines in Florence, Siena embraced the outcast Ghibellines with open arms. When Florence finally subjected Siena (one of the last cities in that area of Tuscany to give into the Florentine expansion), the Medici family of Florence had the Fortezza built, so that they could live there and keep an eye on the Siennese, to avoid any fumes of rebellion.
This week, we learned about the difficulty of finding ourselves in a new world, having to live a new lifestyle in a new home. This transition is extremely challenging and difficult, even for me, who returns to the same family every year! I have been so impressed with the fortitude and maturity with which your kiddos have handled these changes (in diet, in lifestyle, in living space) - truly, they made this the easiest first week for me. They appreciate the differences, but still have found a way to make themselves comfortable and settled into this new lifestyle, as well as to develop a relationship with their homestay families. We also learned a little about Siennese art history and the politics of Siena during the medieval times through the art which we have viewed. It really differs greatly from Florentine art - sure, you see the development of the incorporation of perspective, but the Siennese actually used more of the dichotomy of light and dark to emphasize and focus.
Tomorrow, we are headed to Florence for our day of culture there. For the first year ever, SPI has booked reservations for us for both the Accademia and Uffizi (no more 3-hour lines! Thank you, Jeremy and Becca!). Many tourists choose to stay in Florence, and then travel out to other cities in Toscana, but, to me, it's just another big dirty, dusty city for us to honor for a day, then return to the beauty and cleanliness of Siena. However, there are some great works we can't deny (THE David - none of those in-the-streets copies for us; the works of the great painters such a Botticelli, Raphaello, and the Dutch painters; sculptures of great artists, as well - Bernini is my favorite) which exist there, so we go! I'll also be sharing a history of art in Florence with them during our journey, so perhaps they can take something home to you afterwards!
Sunday is our official first "free day", where the kids have time to themselves to rest or to take opportunities of the events around them. Sunday is a big holy day for the Church, as well - the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, where, in Rome, the new archbishops are dedicated by the Pope outside in the Piazza di San Pietro (Vatican Square). And, in Siena, the 29th is the first official day of the Palio events. I'll share far more about the Palio on Monday with you, but here's a little about what's going to happen this weekend:
Tonight - Presentation of the drappelone, where all of the contrade's flags will be posted on the front of the Palazzo Pubblico, and will stay there until after the day of the Palio. This also means that the colors will be posted throughout the contrada - lamps are placed up on the walls, flags hung outside their windows . . . we don't decorate like this for Christmas in the U.S.!
Tomorrow - at 5 PM, the trial run on the Palio. Every year, there are about 30 horses which are chosen to be the best in the area (by veterinarians). The horses are released on the track (which is the gray part of il Campo - they laid a full packed-sand track down yesterday) to let them try out the turf.
Sunday - at 9 AM, the horses are divided into various batterie (groups), and the 10 jockeys who will compete will all wear the colors of Siena (the shield is simple - white on top, black on the bottom). Just like in every prova (practice run) and the actual Palio race on the 2nd, the last horse to enter determines the start of the race (he's called the rincorsa). At the end of this, the 10 Capitani (chosen leader of each contrada for this Palio) will meet together inside the Palazzo to choose the 10 best horses for the race.
THEN, at 1 PM is the Selection, where the 10 horses are assigned by lottery to each contrada. Each competing contrada marches in, with the jockey and Capitano at front, the leading men following along with them, the younger men just behind them, then the women and children in the back, all wearing the colors of their contrada, all singing the city Palio song. The Lottery is exactly as you'd imagine it - literally, there are 10 balls, each of which has the colors of the 10 competing contrade (out of the 17 total contrade), and 10 numbered balls, one for each horse (the number is painted on its rear). They come rolling down out of a big tumbling machine, done by the city officials in front of the Palazzo Pubblico, and a contrada is paired to a horse. From now on, the horse is the center of the celebration, treated like a king (they have their own personal human to take care of them the whole time - the barbaresco). In fact, the horse determines the winner of the Palio . . . even if it crosses the line first without its jockey, it wins. This event is quite a spectacle - if a contrada is paired with a good horse, people will be jumping for joy and yelling as they drag the terrified horse (by their jumping and yelling) back to their contrada. If a group is paired with a weaker (still one of the best among hundreds of others) horse, you'll see grown men crying in the streets, moping all the way pack with the horse to their contrada.
Finally, at 7:45 is the first trial run - the prima prova. This is the first time to have the jockey paired with the horse on the actual track, but jockeys aren't geared up - no nerbo (whip, made of a bull's tendon . . . NERVE) with which to hit each other (they tend to do this more than use it on the horse), nor zuccoto (metal helmet to keep their heads guarded from the nerbo). The starting order of the jockeys is determined days before in another lottery. Each practice run has myths attached to it, too - the first one, they say, often determines who the winner of the actual Palio will be. Last year, there was a big to-do - one of the horses got tangled up at the starting line, got its leg caught in the rope, and fell, hurting its leg (the contrada didn't get to compete, but the horse lived on) and taking a few other horses and jockeys down at first. The entire city had an ominous feeling about it. In fact, when the actual Palio happened, there was a discrepancy for about 20 minutes in the town before they determined the actual winner - and they felt that the fall in the first race was almost something that cursed the whole festa.
More to share about this event next week, but I'll be encouraging the kids to join me for everything on Sunday in town!
Off to Florence!
Grazie,
Laura :)
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Settling in
Buon Giorno, Tutti!
Today is our third day of class, so I thought I'd share with you a little about normal life here in Siena (especially since, beginning Sunday (Domenico) and going through Wednesday (Mercoledi), nothing will feel normal around here due to the Palio).
In the mornings, we awake to a very nice, fresh, cool morning (mid-60's), where strolling through the city is comfortable. I met Lauren and Grace this morning on our stroll to the school, and they mentioned, "Why can't it always be like THIS?" In fact, it is hotter in Siena than usual right now, which, just like in Texas, when the weather is hot, tempers flare and patience is tried. (Dina, my homestay mom, just told me today that I needed to have more patience with things - what can I say? I'm a Leo - everything should go the way I want it, right?) But, as in the north U.S., people don't have air conditioning here, and complaining about the heat really feels ridiculous (as if the person I'm standing next to/complaining to is standing in some other individually-cooled zone). At least it's not as hot as it was in 2002 - in June, the temperature soared to 40 degrees centigrade (around 102-105) in Rome, and caused the death of many French people. Talk about feeling ridiculous - I, in a small skirt and tank top, complaining about the heat to a full-habited nun who is waiting for the same bus? I often find myself echoing the same words she told me - You know, I'm standing here, too. Really, when the sun doesn't touch your skin, it's never too uncomfortable (as opposed to the heat-carrying humidity of Texas) - it's something the kids quickly learned - if you're going to be outside standing around, be in the shade!
Classes start on usual days at 9 AM, and the kids learn about grammar, vocabulary, conversation, and culture, all integrated. The school diligently works to stay on top of the most recent research about learning language and immersion - it's cool to sit in on classes and see what they incorporate into just a 30-minute lesson. There is a break around 10:30 or 11 for 30 minutes for a snack-stroll, then classes resume for another 1.5 hours. We're all released at 1:30 for the day. But that's not the end of our day.
I don't want the kids to ever feel that I monopolize their time, and that they don't have any "free time", but I do want them to know what the city here has to offer - amazing art, history, opportunities! Yesterday, we went to the Pinacoteca to view the city's collection of religious art by artists from this city. Then, around 5 PM, one of the teachers at the school gave a lecture about the Palio, the Contrade, and Siena. (I'll share more with you about this during the event next week) Home for dinner, then out for a stroll in the evenings - a standard plan every evening! Again, once the sun is down (even as early as 6 PM), the city is very pleasant. In fact, that's the time you see the locals.
At 7 AM - 9 AM, before the tourists arrive, the locals sit out, chatting in the streets, and enjoying the beautiful morning. When it's hot, they're hiding in their homes. Then, from 6 - 9 PM, there is la passegiata every evening, where the locals come out from their homes to the comfortable evening to chat and enjoy each other's company. Tourists are enchanted by Siena, but it's really most charming when you're there overnight, to enjoy the true spirit of the locals.
Today, we're going to visit the Palazzo Pubblico, and the kids will have a chance to climb the Torre del Mangia (right on the Campo) to get one of the two awesome views of the city itself. Lots of pictures to follow! The frescoes in the palace are very famous, and depict allegories, scenes from history, and recollections of authors and artists. With the weather as hot as it is, I'm choosing for us to visit indoors spots, and hope that we'll get slightly cooler weather next week to do our "gire" around town. The kiddos are becoming familiar with those important saints of the city (Catherine - in the black and white with the lily - and Bernardino - the guy with the IHS symbol), and they're going to get a brief lecture about the history of the city today before we enter the palace.
Don't worry - they get a day or two every week (Thursday afternoons and Sundays, usually) for themselves. I do have to do laundry eventually! But seeing as we haven't reached those days, yet, I'll just have to keep you in suspense until then . . .
L :)
Today is our third day of class, so I thought I'd share with you a little about normal life here in Siena (especially since, beginning Sunday (Domenico) and going through Wednesday (Mercoledi), nothing will feel normal around here due to the Palio).
In the mornings, we awake to a very nice, fresh, cool morning (mid-60's), where strolling through the city is comfortable. I met Lauren and Grace this morning on our stroll to the school, and they mentioned, "Why can't it always be like THIS?" In fact, it is hotter in Siena than usual right now, which, just like in Texas, when the weather is hot, tempers flare and patience is tried. (Dina, my homestay mom, just told me today that I needed to have more patience with things - what can I say? I'm a Leo - everything should go the way I want it, right?) But, as in the north U.S., people don't have air conditioning here, and complaining about the heat really feels ridiculous (as if the person I'm standing next to/complaining to is standing in some other individually-cooled zone). At least it's not as hot as it was in 2002 - in June, the temperature soared to 40 degrees centigrade (around 102-105) in Rome, and caused the death of many French people. Talk about feeling ridiculous - I, in a small skirt and tank top, complaining about the heat to a full-habited nun who is waiting for the same bus? I often find myself echoing the same words she told me - You know, I'm standing here, too. Really, when the sun doesn't touch your skin, it's never too uncomfortable (as opposed to the heat-carrying humidity of Texas) - it's something the kids quickly learned - if you're going to be outside standing around, be in the shade!
Classes start on usual days at 9 AM, and the kids learn about grammar, vocabulary, conversation, and culture, all integrated. The school diligently works to stay on top of the most recent research about learning language and immersion - it's cool to sit in on classes and see what they incorporate into just a 30-minute lesson. There is a break around 10:30 or 11 for 30 minutes for a snack-stroll, then classes resume for another 1.5 hours. We're all released at 1:30 for the day. But that's not the end of our day.
I don't want the kids to ever feel that I monopolize their time, and that they don't have any "free time", but I do want them to know what the city here has to offer - amazing art, history, opportunities! Yesterday, we went to the Pinacoteca to view the city's collection of religious art by artists from this city. Then, around 5 PM, one of the teachers at the school gave a lecture about the Palio, the Contrade, and Siena. (I'll share more with you about this during the event next week) Home for dinner, then out for a stroll in the evenings - a standard plan every evening! Again, once the sun is down (even as early as 6 PM), the city is very pleasant. In fact, that's the time you see the locals.
At 7 AM - 9 AM, before the tourists arrive, the locals sit out, chatting in the streets, and enjoying the beautiful morning. When it's hot, they're hiding in their homes. Then, from 6 - 9 PM, there is la passegiata every evening, where the locals come out from their homes to the comfortable evening to chat and enjoy each other's company. Tourists are enchanted by Siena, but it's really most charming when you're there overnight, to enjoy the true spirit of the locals.
Today, we're going to visit the Palazzo Pubblico, and the kids will have a chance to climb the Torre del Mangia (right on the Campo) to get one of the two awesome views of the city itself. Lots of pictures to follow! The frescoes in the palace are very famous, and depict allegories, scenes from history, and recollections of authors and artists. With the weather as hot as it is, I'm choosing for us to visit indoors spots, and hope that we'll get slightly cooler weather next week to do our "gire" around town. The kiddos are becoming familiar with those important saints of the city (Catherine - in the black and white with the lily - and Bernardino - the guy with the IHS symbol), and they're going to get a brief lecture about the history of the city today before we enter the palace.
Don't worry - they get a day or two every week (Thursday afternoons and Sundays, usually) for themselves. I do have to do laundry eventually! But seeing as we haven't reached those days, yet, I'll just have to keep you in suspense until then . . .
L :)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Slideshow at bottom of page
Ciao, Tutti!
Just a quick note - I figured out how to download pictures from our trip, so all pictures at the bottom of this blog are from our trip so far! Enjoy!
This afternoon, we're going to get a brilliant art history lesson (from me) on our visit to the Pinacoteca of Siena!
More to share tomorrow . . .
Grazie!
Laura :)
Just a quick note - I figured out how to download pictures from our trip, so all pictures at the bottom of this blog are from our trip so far! Enjoy!
This afternoon, we're going to get a brilliant art history lesson (from me) on our visit to the Pinacoteca of Siena!
More to share tomorrow . . .
Grazie!
Laura :)
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