This is water.: Italia, Days 6-7: Siena

I arrived in Siena on the morning of August 5 and waited for my host, Wilmer, to pick me up from the train station. Soon, he came rolling up in his white convertible, waving. Wilmer is a young doctor; he is finishing his residency for a specialization in psychiatry in Siena. He is also very social. For four years he was president of the Erasmus program, which I mentioned at the end of my last post. He has also worked as a tour guide, and knows the history and sights of Siena very well. That first morning I threw my backpack in the trunk of the convertible, and we stopped by the grocery so he could buy things for breakfast. After that we went to his apartment, where he made some espresso for me in a cup with the buildings of Siena painted on it. Wilmer is also an artist; while I drank my espresso I looked around at his oil paintings, which hang on the walls of his apartment.

Siena espresso

A few of Wilmer's paintings

The first day in Siena Wilmer and I went to the pool. It was extremely hot, so it was nice to be able to get wet, although I hid from the sun, lying on the grass under some trees and applying lots of sunscreen. I'm sure I got a few looks from other people at the pool, as my butt was bright red from the beach the day before. I talked to Wilmer and got to know him a little better, learning about his family and his interests. I would say that Wilmer is a friendly person, but not someone I would normally hang out with. I think he just has some different ideas about things than I do, maybe. I do know that Wilmer is probably the world's worst driver. He drives way too fast, and in the middle of the road, making one fear for their personal safety. It seems his attitude is that since he is a doctor and a really "cool" guy he can do anything he wants without consequences.

In any event, Wilmer is very good at showing people around Siena. The Palio di Siena is a famous horse race which takes place twice a year in the summer. It has been a tradition in Siena since the Middle Ages. The riders in the Palio represent the contrade, the districts of the city. These districts have existed since the middle ages, although over the years they were consolidated from 59 to only 17 today. The people of Siena identify strongly with their contrada. Each contrada has its own symbol, some of which include Eagle, Caterpillar, Little Owl, Snail, Giraffe, Crested Porcupine and Panther. During the season of the Palio, the different districts have big parties lasting for days. While I was in Siena, The Nicchio (Seashell) contrada was having a huge 10-day party, which Wilmer took me to. As I said, Wilmer used to be very involved in the Erasmus program, and at this time of year Erasmus students from all over Europe come to Siena to study Italian language before their Erasmus year in Italy. Each night while I was there, we met up with a group of recently arrived Erasmus students in the Piazzo del Campo and went together to the Palio party in the Nicchio contrada. There was food and drink, music and lots of people. It was fun to meet the Erasmus students; I talked with girls from Germany, Holland, Poland and Estonia.

See more about the Palio:

http://www.ilpalio.org/palioenglish.htm

Piazza del Campo - Siena's most famous "square" and the location for the Palio races

My second day in Siena was my sight-seeing day. I got up at the crack of noon after being out late the night before, and headed into the center. Riding into the city on the bus, I had seen a store that looked like it had beads and jewelry, so I went back to it. It was a little shop run by a Bangladeshi man, and he had excellent prices. I bought a labradorite ring and a strand of rubies for a song. After the jewelry/bead shop I bought a tourist map and commenced my sight-seeing adventures. I went first to the Duomo di Siena, where I bought the all-inclusive ticket to visit the museum, cathedral, crypt and baptistry. In the museum, you can climb the tower, where there are great views of the city and surrounding region. Tuscany is definitely best seen from a high place; there is nothing to compare to that green and gold quilt spread out over rolling hills for miles and miles into the distance. The interior of the Duomo is quite impressive, and includes the famous pulpit carved by Nicola Pisano. The best part of the whole cathedral, in my opinion, is the Libreria Piccolomini, which houses some amazing illuminated manuscripts. The room itself is covered floor to ceiling with bright and detailed paintings and adornments.