Siena Shenanigans

Living in Siena, I am coming to realize that it is a town like no other in Italy.  It's small town feel and close knit community really gives the sense of how much pride the Sienese people have for their culture.  It isn't uncommon to see different contrada parades marching through the streets, small markets that that donate the proceeds to charity, or families enjoying the sunshine in the middle of Piazza del Campo.  Siena has something about it that mystifies its visitor and it has so many things that can't be found in larger towns like Rome or Florence. Being a part of the Siena community truly has so much to offer.

~Calcio~

Soccer is the main sport in Italy.  Katie and I live in Residence Paradiso, near the stadium in Siena, so we hear the games quite often!   The crowd gets very into the games judging by their yelling and chanting.  It is also common for kids here to play soccer as they grow up.  We went to watch our flat mates play a game against the other residence for students, Ciompi.  It was very clear that these guys had been playing since they were young, and like any young men, they of course needed cheerleaders, so Katie and I filled that spot.

 

 

 

~Luna Park~

Each year, kids of all ages wait for the month long amusement park that comes to the city of Siena.  Luna Park is like any other amusement park I have seen at county fairs in America; there are many rides for small kids, rides for adults, fun houses, games, "fair food", and everything is more expensive than it should be! The biggest difference is that alcohol is allowed in the park here.  From the amusement parks I'm familiar with in America, alcohol is only allowed in beer gardens or sectioned off areas.  The park here is very popular within the community and many people attend each night.

~Compassion for Contrada~

Siena is split up into 17 different contradas.  Leading up to the Palio, different contradas host parties on the weekends.  This is a very family-oriented atmosphere with people of all ages! There is food, drinks, music, and even dancing!  Most importantly, it's an occasion that members of the community come together and celebrate their culture.  Katie and I went to a party in the Chiocciola (snail) contrada with our friend Michele, who is a member of that contrada.  We got to the party at about 11 PM and left around 1:30 AM, when many more people were just showing up!! Parties here in Italy definitely start later and go way later than I am used to!

~Italian Catholic Mass~

Being abroad I've realized that I miss going to church on Sundays!!  So finally, I went to mass at the Basilica of San Domenico, also called the Basilica Cateriniana after the patron saint of Europe (St. Catherine of Siena).  There were about sixty people there and even though I didn't understand everything, I could recognize what was going on!  It helped that there was a handout that had the service line by line (still in Italian, though).  Just the feeling of being back in a church service was very nice!

 

San Domenico

~Palio Preparation~

On Sunday, May 25, the city officials of Siena hosted a "lottery drawing" to determine the last three contradas that will compete in the July 2nd, 2014 Palio.  Ten contradas of the seventeen in Siena compete in the Palio, so the seven "guaranteed" contradas were the seven that didn't compete in the previous race.  That means that out of the 10 that don't have a guaranteed spot, three are picked at random to participate.  The seven contradas that had a guaranteed spot in the July 2nd Palio are the Giraffe, Snail, Dragon, Turtle, Tree, Caterpillar, and Eagle.  This is a very emotional day for members of the contradas that are hoping and praying to become part of the Palio.  People flooded Piazza del Campo for this special drawing and no words were spoken, only trumpet music played followed by a flag representing the selected contrada being displayed.  Once a flag was posted, members of that contrada went sprinting to the base of the building, chanting and screaming in excitement, while members of their rival contrada would get incredibly sad or even angry.  The three contradas that were chosen by lot were the Shewolf, Panther, and Wave. The competitive nature of the contradas is arguably more impressive than the rivalry between Oregon State University and University of Oregon at the civil war football game!  Even though I won't be here for the actual horse race, getting to see all of the events leading up to the big day gives me a feel for the culture and passion of the Sienese people.

Main building in Piazza del Campo

People of all generations have a strong loyalty to their contrada

SO MANY PEOPLE!

Original seven contradas with a spot

Ten contradas competing in the July 2, 2014 Palio

All 17 contradas of Siena

~Stanze della Memoria~

In Siena, a museum was created to educate the people about the times when Italy, Siena specifically, was under fascism and resistance up until their liberation.  The museum is a room by room depiction of what life was like then.  It was a very emotional representation of what life was actually like for the Sienese people during fascist rule. 

"War is to men like maternity is to women"

~A Night at the Theater~

Another cultural first for me was watching the play, "The Imaginary Invalid," at a small, beautiful theater in Siena called Teatro dei Rozzi. The play was about a hypochondriac who tried to set up an arranged marriage for his daughter in order for him to have a doctor in his family.  However, the daughter had just met someone else that she fell in love with and wanted to marry instead.  In this comical play, the main character discovers that his wife is actually just hoping he will die so she take all of his money, while his daughter will actually do anything for his honor.  After discovering this by faking his own death, he lets his daughter marry the person she loves, then ironically actually dies.  The playwright, Moliere, originally acted as the main character, but actually collapsed in the fourth performance of the play and died soon after.  The money received from the purchase of tickets for this play will be donated to a fund for relief for women and children in Iran.

Ceiling of theater

~The Wonders of Water~

It is not uncommon when walking through the medieval city of Siena to see many beautiful water fountains.  It seems like water just flows through this town, and in fact it really does, but in a different way than most would imagine.  There are underground passageways called "The Bottini," that channels water to different parts of the city.  This underground system stretches over 25 kilometers.  Years ago, the entire Tuscan region was under the ocean.  As the shoreline receded and Tuscany was exposed, the city of Siena was built on ground that was made of a layer of limestone from the sand and clay underneath.  This soil structure allows rain water to permeate through the limestone layer, but be pooled by the clay that holds water.  These underground tunnels were excavated in the 12th-15th century to make up for the lack of water.  Once it was created, the main water basins were guarded by army officials to prevent rival towns of Siena, such as Florence, from poisoning the water and wiping out the Sienese population. 

This basin was once used for drinkable water

This basin was used for watering animals/livestock

This basin was used for washing clothes

At first glance, the depth of Siena can be overlooked.  The small town may not take up much space on a map, but the experiences I've had here are huge.  It has so much culture, history, and respect for tradition.  The Sienese people are very welcoming and friendly with a passion for their heritage and pride for their city.  Getting the chance to actually live the culture in this small Italian medieval town has taught me so much and makes me proud to also come from a small town back home.  Every place has its own beauty and its own history; it just takes time and an open mind to uncover it.