Palio di Siena- Not just your average horse race

Before I came to Italy, when I would think of horse races, my mind immediately thought of the Kentucky Derby.  Growing up on a horse, I have always respected the athleticism of the gentle beast.  Horses are such a majestic animal with the original "horsepower," yet they have the capacity of really connecting with their human owners and trainers.  I had no idea that studying abroad in Siena would land me right in the middle of the horse capital of Italy!  Upon arriving in Siena, I learned that the city is split up into 17 contradas and twice a year, the city hosts the Palio di Siena, a horse race between the contradas.

Ten contradas compete in the horse race each time, which are held annually on July 2nd and August 16th.  The race is held in the main plaza in Siena; Piazza del Campo.  This huge piazza is right in front of town hall and is filled with people during the race.  The race track, which is quite challenging, is covered in dirt for the event, but its sharp turns and difficult inclines make this a very dangerous race, for both the horse and the jockey.  The jockey rides bareback and the first horse to make three laps and cross the finish line wins; regardless if the rider is still on the horse or not.  The horse is the true athlete of this race and is treated like royalty if they bring victory to their contrada.

Partial view of Piazza del Campo

 Of the 17 contradas present in Siena, ten participate in the Palio.  The seven that didn't participate in the previous race are a guarantee for the next one, and the other three are picked at random.  Horses are randomly drawn for each of the ten contrada, and depending on how good the horse is, the contrada hires a jockey that will match the horse's abilities.  Family is a very important aspect to Italian culture, so their dedication to their contradas is very intense.  To win the Palio is a great honor and can stir up many emotions for the winners and losers of the horse race.  Winners are presented a silk banner that is created as a competition for artists in the area and displayed in the respective contrada's museum.

Some of the Palios won by the Porcupine Contrada

Example of outfits worn by jockeys and parade members

The Palio di Siena is a reminder that Siena is a medieval town.  The rugged horse race, the intense dedication to the specific contradas, the parades and dinners that take place before and after the Palio within each contrada, and even the Renaissance style outfits the jockeys wear are all reminiscent of the medieval days of Italy.  It is a very unique cultural aspect of the small town of Siena and is an amazing attribute to the city and its people.
Follow this link to watch a video on the Palio; pay attention to the reactions of people in the crowd to fully understand how emotional this event is for the Sienese people. Click here to watch! Palio di Siena

Livin la vida Lucca!

After about a two and a half hour train ride, I was in Lucca, Italy! Lucca is known for its still in-tact Renaissance walls that surround the city.  Thunderstorms were predicted in the forecast, but luckily today in Lucca was beautiful!  Everything was so green there and very serene.  Despite there being quite a few tourists, the town was still very low key and relaxing.

Renaissance era wall surrounding Lucca

Inside of the city, there are many churches.  The two that really stood out to me were Chiesa di San Michele and the Chiesa di San Frediano.  I also got to climb to the top of Torre Guinigi.  At the top of the tower, I could see all around the city.  It's buildings are similar to that of Siena, but there is much more green vegetation in Lucca.  The tower is 44.5 meters tall and is famous for the trees growing at the top.

Chiesa di San Michele

Chiesa di San Frediano

View from top of Torre Guinigi

Torre Guinigi

The renaissance walls surrounding Lucca are very prominent, standing 12 meters high.  They were completed in the year 1645.  The walls are a great place for walking, biking, or running.  The entire landscape was so green and the day we were there was sunny and beautiful!  The small town setting emphasizes to me how much slower life moves here in Italy.  The Italian culture seems to truly value time spent with each other and aren't worried about rushing on to the next thing on their list of things to do.  I could stand to take some notes on this mentality!

"Dare to take the path less traveled"

After our sunny, warm day in Lucca, Katie and I traveled back to Siena to find that Italian thunderstorms can compare to the Oregon rain!! Good thing we had our rain jackets!

Felice giorno dell'indipendenza Italia!

April 25, 1945 marks the day that Italy was declared free at the end of World War II!  Since then, every year on April 25, Italy celebrates their independence.  It was so amazing to be here during their celebration, since American forces helped in liberating the Italian people.  Siena celebrated by having a military parade that started close to Piazza Gramsci and marched through the streets to Piazza del Campo.

Following the military personnel, there were many members of the community singing "Bella Ciao," which was also sang by Italian resistance during WWII.  Once the parade reached Piazza del Campo, speeches were given honoring the lives that were lost in order for Italians to have the freedom they enjoy today.  I was honored to hear that American allied troops were mentioned in the speech.  It makes me really proud to be an American when I think back on all of our history, which often mixes with the history of other countries, such as Italy.  I was also proud of myself that I was picking up on some of the words used in the speeches (which were in Italian)!

This weekend was also the first contrada celebration!! Starting this weekend and going up until the Palio di Siena on July 2, each contrada will have a celebration within their own district.  The Dragon Contrada was the first to go, which is the contrada I currently live in!  It begins by flags being hung all around their section of the city and tonight there was a parade.  Members of the contrada also have a big dinner on Sunday.

Dragon Contrada Flags

To Spain!

For the long Easter weekend, Katie Litchfield (my partner in crime for study abroad) and I decided to make our one trip out of the country.  So, we decided to go to Spain!! With nothing but a backpack of clothes, the address of our hostel, and a Rick Steves' book on Barcelona, we were off to experience more of Europe!

~Girona~ 

View of the Onyar River

After taking a bus to a train, a train to a plane, and a bus to a bus station, we finally found our hostel for the night.  The next day, we explored the city of Girona, which was very beautiful.  We hadn't even planned on actually seeing Girona, but I am so glad that we did.  We stumbled upon a depiction of the life of Jesus Christ using statues that were put up for Easter weekend. 

Having the chance to experience some of the religious culture here was a really awesome experience.  A majority of shops shut down all of Easter weekend to offer people more time with their families and to celebrate the wonderful fact that Christ was resurrected. 

 

We stumbled upon a lovely park just on the backside of the cathedral.  It had wonderful views of the city of Girona and also provided a very relaxing atmosphere that was very welcoming.  The green landscape and outdoorsy feel gave me a very serene feeling, like I was almost at home.

Staying in Girona was my first time sleeping in a hostel!  These are a very different experience... similar to living in the dorms, just with strangers!

Equity Point Hostel

~Barcelona~

After leaving Girona, I experienced my first taste of culture shock.  After buying a train ticket and thinking it was a bus ticket, we finally got straightened out and put on the right train.  This is after, of course, an older man with rotting teeth offered to help us find our platform and upon my decline of his offer, he planted a big ol' wet one on my cheek!  Anyone who knows me well will know that I have a large personal bubble (which I am letting get a little smaller here in Italy), but I am still not comfortable with kissing strangers!  After getting off the train in Barcelona with only the address of our hostel, Katie and I realized how big the city actually is.  With a direction from the tourist information office, a map, and Katie's knowledge of the metro system, we finally made it to our hostel, where the WiFi was down.  It's safe to say that this trip challenged everything that I have, but I know that it has made me a much better traveler and gave me so much more self-confidence.

Barceloneta Beach on the Mediterranean Sea

Mmmm... Tastes like home

Famous "La Rambla" street

Cathedral of Barcelona

 

The first day in Barcelona, we visited the beach, and had dinner at a really great burger place with almost an American atmosphere.  We also explored famous "La Rambla" where the shops and dining services are not the most interesting things... people watching here is really great and the forwardness of some people becomes very known.  In some situations, it's really okay to say no
 The second day, I discovered that I am extremely thankful that my parents taught me how to read a map!  We successfully made it to all of the major things we wanted to see, including the Picasso Museum, a really cool Chocolate Museum and the Arc de Triomf, which led us to a beautiful park filled with people soaking up the Spanish sun.  This park had a huge fountain and lots of people jogging and playing with their dogs or kids; a very lovely family atmosphere!

Stone in the Picasso Museum

Chocolate sculpture

Of course, my favorite chocolate sculpture!

Arc deTriomf

On our third and last full day in this huge city, we visited the Sagrada Familia.  This is an enormous church began by the architect Antoni Gaudi, that remains unfinished.  The outside of the church has a very Gothic look, while the inside is very modern, bright and open with gorgeous stained glass pieces surrounding the church.  After visiting the Sagrada Familia, we hopped on the Barcelona city tour bus and took in the areas of the city we hadn't walked yet.  
 

Outside view of Sagrada Familia

Beautiful stained glass all around the Sagrada Familia

This says "Give us this day our daily bread," in 50 different languages

At the end of our Barcelona trip, I decided that I have officially arrived at "Appreciation Station."  This means that I am so thankful and grateful for the small, safe town of Siena.  I don't know how I got so lucky to not only be somewhere that I can feel at home, but it also to ironically be the horse capital of Italy!  Seeing the world really makes you appreciate what you have at home, as well as the cultures and people that you have around you.  It really puts everything into perspective.

Lives that are Leaning

Pisa is a city located in the beautiful Tuscan region of Italy.  It has four major marble structures located in the Piazza dei Miracoli.  These include the largest baptistry in Italy, the Duomo di Pisa, the Campo Santo, and of course the infamous Leaning Tower.  I learned that the Leaning Tower of Pisa actually leans about 15 degrees to the south, while the baptistry leans, also, about 5-6 feet to the north!  

Pulpit in the Baptistry by Nicola Pissano

Inside the baptistry, the giant dome provided great acoustics in the building.  One person was able to harmonize with himself by singing different chords and timing them with the echos.  This building was the second added to the Piazza dei Miracoli. The baptistry contains a pulpit created by Nicola Pissano, which is the main focus of the baptistry.  The rest of the building is fairly plain on the inside, but the structures on the pulpit are very intricate and well thought out.

The Duomo in Pisa was created by Busketo beginning in 1064.  It has a very Romanesque style to it and contains the bones of Pisa's patron saint, St. Ranieri and the tomb of Holy Roman Emporer Henry VII.  The architect Busketo is also buried in the facade of this massive structure.  The Duomo also contains a very elaborate pulpit created by Giovanni Pisano, son of Nicola Pissano.

Main alter in the Duomo

Painting on inside of the dome in the Duomo

The last of the four buildings in the Piazza dei Miracoli is the Campo Santo, which is a monumental cemetery.  The name "Campo Santo" directly translates to "Holy Field" because it is said that the soil on which it was built came from Mt. Calvary, the mountain outside of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified.  Legend claims that any body buried in this soil will decay within 24 hours.  Located within the Campo Santo are dozens of Roman sarcophagi decorated with very intricate sculptures of historical, religious, and mythical subjects. 

 

The Campo Santo walls were once covered with frescoes, but they were damaged during World War II.  However, two frescoes survived enough to still show their details and are still in the Campo Santo.  They include The Triumph of Death and the Last Judgement.

Triumph of Death

Last Judgement

View of the Arno River

This trip was not only my first time in Pisa, but also my first time on a train! I love the train system, especially in Europe because it is fairly inexpensive, it is quick, and it's actually much smoother than a bus!  On the way to Pisa, I met a couple on vacation from Australia.  They were so impressed that I was able to leave my home country and family and be on this adventure.  They were shocked when I told them that I am only twenty and shared with them all I have done in my life so far.  I love these moments; they make me very proud of who I am and where my life is going.  I truly believe that it is not the material things that you have, it's the experiences you have in life that makes life worth living.