31st May 2015 Sienna
Shorter version:
Lovely long breakfast in the garden (how I am going to miss this tomorrow…). I walked to the cathedral for mass & saw one of the Contrade celebrating their saint’s day. An easy afternoon studying the route for the next few days which will be the most challenging of the Via in Italy… Wonderful experience in the Campo,this evening as the contrade which will participate in the next Palio on 2nd July are named!
Longer version:
After another lovely long breakfast in the garden of the hotel, I walked into the centro storico to go to mass at the Duomo at 11h00. On the way I saw a distinguished-looking man wearing a colored scarf with his linen jacket and he confirmed that this was the flag of his contrada (area of the city). In Sienna there are 17 contrade, each with its own church and patron saint. I asked whether he always wore it and he said No but today was the feast day of the patron saint of his contrada & also the Lord’s day. And then I heard drumming echoing through the streets and saw drum bands and supporters dressed in costume and waving flags, all going towards the same contrada church.
I walked on to the cathedral where I was admitted to the mass. The church looked splendid all ulit up and with many flowers (and no tourists allowed in during the mass!).
The service in this massive and so beautiful building, with the lights, the music and the choir was remarkable and allowed one time to reflect and think a little more deeply. At the end of the service the bells began to ring out joyfully. It was lovely walking through the city, a little calmer than yesterday. I spent some time this afternoon looking at the route for the days ahead as the next three days will be the most challenging of the whole Via in Italy – very long stages and ending up at an altitude of over 800m…so we will see. It was so easy to tell mtimw that I would go to Rome but I know it will be a true case of day by day…one if the lessons I’ve learnt from the Via.
In the early evening we went in to the centro storico to see a very unique event – the selection of the contrade which would participate in the next Palio (the famous horse race in Sienna) on 2nd July. Of the 17 contrade only 10 can participate in one Palio. So each time there are the 7 who couldn’t participate in the preceding race and three more to be named (in today’s draw 4 had to be chosen as one was disqualified from participating).
So the flags of the 6 who would automatically participate were hanging from the lower windows of the Municipal Palace (while the flag of the disqualified contrade was hanging one level up for a future participation). The drawing was taking place in the municipal palace. We were comfortably installed on the terrace of a bar at the top of the Campo with a good view and our Aperol Spritz but then thousands of people started to arrive in time for the 7pm announcement.
The Campo was full to breaking point and all the little access streets and steps also, whole families out together wearing scarves etc of their contrada. At 7pm the trumpets played out of the lower windows and the flag of the first contrada selected was raised beside the other 6. Great cheering went up from the supporters. This was repeated 3 more times, with much excitement and noise everywhere. Then the flags of the unlucky contrade were placed out beside that of the disqualified contrade. Within 15-30 mins the Campo was almost empty again…I suppose the supporters were either celebrating or commiserating in home territory… It was a pleasure to be a witness to this important event for the people of Sienna. We went our merry way to a little restaurant where I ate local sausages with white beans. Then home to pack up for the big day tomorrow.