Postcards From An Italian Adventure – Siena
scott, July 23rd, 2010 Gay Friendly Tuscany Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals
Our dear friend, Bella (Dolly Goolsby) is on an extended adventure in Italy. She has graciously agreed to let us republish her travel logs. Enjoy!
Monday, July 5th
Hi, everyone,
Good morning, everyone,
I have not written for a week or so, therefore, thought I had better let everyone know that I am alive and well. I have been staying in Florence, for the most part, except for a day trip to Siena last Wednesday. I will start with that trip.
Siena is a lovely hill town, about an hour drive south of Florence. Twice a year, On July 2 and August 16, Siena has this big event, called the Palio. It takes place in the main town square, the Il Campo. The race is a competition between the 17 contrade (neighborhoods) of Siena.
This race has more significance to Sienese than I can describe in the blog, so you might want to go online and look up “Palio” and read more about it. For the race, dirt is brought in to make a track around the Il Campo. Bleachers are set up around this track, but the poor people who cannot afford the bleachers, like me, pack into the inside of the Il Campo to watch the race.
I did not go for the actual race, but went two days earlier, to watch the trials. These are held twice a day, for the three days preceding the actual race, but done the same way, and the same fervor.
The riders wear the colors of their contrada, and the horse will have some of the colors in its bridle. The riders ride bareback, make 3 loops around the track, and that is the race. If a rider falls off and his horse continues to run, the horse can win without a rider.
It was crazy, but fun. The entire race lasted a minute, but the pageantry before the race was fun to see. I was glad that I got to see it, and also glad that I went for the trials and not the real thing, because eve at 9:00 in the morning, the crowd was a bit crazy.
After the race, I did my touristy thing. The big fountain in the square, called the Fountain of Joy, is beautiful. There are usually pigeons walking down the noses of the wolves to get a drink of water. I thought it amazing that, right after the race, there was not a pigeon in sight.
I toured the Duomo and the Duomo museum, had lunch on the square, then headed back to Florence.
I am going to go back to Siena on Friday, and take a wine tasting tour through the Montalcino area, home of Brunello wine. That should be fun.
I am going to close this post now, and write more later, about Florence and my new duckling, Amanda. I have to change apartments today, so need to get packed and ready to go. I am just moving one floor down.
In the meantime, keep me in your thoughts and keep in touch with me.
Ciao for now
Dolly
Want to Follow Bella’s Adventure Directly? Check Out Dolly Travels
Click here for gay travel resources in Florence & Tuscany.
Categories: Uncategorized bella, dolly, gay travel, Italy, lesbian travel, palio, siena, tuscany, Uncategorized
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