Unfortunately we have not had internet access so I have had to write my experiences down in a word document and then copy them over to my blog later. I have also kept extremely busy so I haven’t written in awhile. SO here goes the past 4 days of our Italy trip!
On Thursday it was time to say goodbye to Venice. We took the water bus back to the main land and rented a car to drive to Siena. This was by far the part of the trip John was the most worried about. We have heard nothing good about Italian drivers, but it was time to see for ourselves. We hit the road for the 3 hour drive on our way to Siena. We did find that the rumors of Italian drivers ring true! They drive really fast and tail right behind you honking for you to get out of their way.
We were headed to Siena to attend the Palio. The Palio is a horse race they have in Siena twice a year. It is where they take 10 wild horses and race them bareback around a track located in a square at the center of town. The race lasts 2 minutes but the build up is amazing! The people walk in groups wearing their flag and sing songs. They put on a show of flag waving, drums, and even a charge on horseback with swords. The town of Siena itself is a beautiful place. It is a walled city built on the side of a mountain. The town is divided into 10 contradas. Every member of the town is baptized into a certain contrada (districts)...based on family heritage or residence. Each contrada has a horse, jockey, and a flag. During Palio week the whole town is a buzz with excitement. For three days before the race they perform practice races. On the last night before the race each contrada gives a “good luck” dinner for the jockey and every member of the contrada is in attendance. John and I went to the final practice race and were able to score tickets to a contrada dinner (few tourists get to go). We watched the race from a rooftop and then attended the dinner where the local teens served us course after course of food, wine, and champagne. They sang songs, gave toasts, and cheered on their jockey. The party lasted well into the night but John and I had to leave around mid-night to drive to our hotel in Florence.
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