On this trip to Italy, I’m glad I got to see a couple more ancient Tuscan cities – Arezzo and Siena. I had been to Barga, Lucca, and Florence, and while there are similarities, each city and town has its own flavor. Once we made our way through the densely packed market crowds of Siena, we had the most spectacular view of the city, medieval buildings with tiled roofs spilling down the hillside. It was almost overwhelming to think we would be navigating our way through to the city center. Mom and I stood for a while and just took it all in.
We were in an open courtyard in front of a church, but we could see our way into the maze or narrow streets and alleys. I put on Google navigation to guide us through. Our target was the Pizza del Campo, the shell-shaped city center. We decided we would visit the Siena Duomo on the way and stop into any shops that enticed.
On the short bus ride to Siena, Carolyn (our guide), told us some of the notable things about the city. Siena is famous for its horse race, which takes twice a year in the city square. When you see pictures of the square in this post, you’ll see what a crazy thing that is. It is not flat, and doesn’t seem anywhere near big enough for a horse race, not to mention all of the spectators who flock to see it.
The race isn’t just a horse race about Thoroughbreds and speed. It’s about neighborhood pride and bragging rights in your community. The ancient part of Siena is divided into 17 “Contrabass” or neighborhoods. Each has a flag, a mascot, and members who are only part of that group by birthright or marriage. Do you see the display of flags in the shop below? Those are the contrada flags.
The horse race is a competition between the 17 Contradads, and they take it very seriously. A few interesting things about the race – the horses are assigned, so sometimes you get a good one and sometimes a nag. Well, I’m sure none of them are truly nags, but you might get a horse that’s not known for its speed. Each horse is blessed in the Contrada’s church by their priest. They walk the horse right up the aisle and everything.
It also doesn’t matter if the rider finishes the race – only the horse. It’s sort of funny that the jockey is somewhat irrelevant. Since the square is a hard surface (it was paved in the 1200s, which is wild to think about), tons of sand are brought in to provide a proper racing surface for the horses.
Our local Italian “fixer”, Paola, is a part of the Owl Contrada by marriage. She said the “Ducks” won the last horse race. She laughed and rolled her eyes, “I couldn’t drive my car through the Duck for a week because of the celebrating!”
This is the Duck Contrada…
Like most historic Tuscan towns and cities, the roads are narrow, lit by slivers of sunshine that make their way through gaps between the buildings.
Like Arezzo, Siena is hilly! It was a hike getting through the city. I don’t think this picture does this stretch’s steepness justice. I offered my arm to my mom to steady us both as we descended.
Brasseries had to get creative with outdoor seating on this stretch.
The good thing is that there are so many beautiful things to look at, so there were lots of excuses to stop and take a break, admire the splendor, take pictures, and catch your breath.
It really is a stunning city.
This was the view from one of the spots where we stopped to take a breather.
That is the church where we started.
After a few wrong turns, we made it to the Duomo. It was hard to appreciate because it was closely encircled by other buildings. You can’t step back and take it all in as you can with the Duomo in Florence. The marble design is similar, though.
Mom and I took a look at the stairs and decided we would just enjoy the Duomo from where we stood!
One thing that caught my eye throughout our walk through Siena was the impressions the iron rings left on the walls of the buildings after centuries of use. I guess these were places to tie a horse. Does anyone know?
I also loved peeking through narrow archways and alleys to see quiet spaces away from the main flow of pedestrians.
It’s impressive when you make it to the city center and finally see a large expanse of sky.
The “square” is actually shell-shaped, gently sloping towards one end, almost like an amphitheatre. It’s lined with restaurants with housing above. Apparently, people rent out their windows and balconies at a premium for the horse race.
Mom and I decided to sit in the shade on a low stone wall and just take it all in. People-watching is a great way to experience a place like Siena. You’ll see tourists taking pictures, making their way from one attraction to the next, but you’ll also see locals walking their dogs, people commuting to work, or taking a lunch break, and kids playing. We noticed several groups celebrating a young person who was wearing a laurel wreath on their head. We speculated what the occasion might be, and later learned they were celebrating graduation from university. They would wear laurels with ribbons and flowers that indicated their major and celebrated their achievement.
We sat there for almost an hour. I wrote in my journal and took pictures of the dogs passing by or visiting a nearby water spigot. Mom and I pointed out interesting people and guessed what they might have been doing in the square that day.
We finally decided to check out some of the surrounding buildings and restaurants.
We found a sign that is always a welcome sight in Europe! It was a pay toilet and, since we were planning on going to a restaurant to get a small bite to eat, we didn’t need to use it, but it’s always a good idea to make a note of where the public bathrooms are!
After looking at the menus of several restaurants, we decided to eat at one on the perimeter of the square that offered a mini-pizza. Neither of us was very hungry, but Mom wanted a Coke, and getting something to eat or drink means access to a (usually) nice restroom. It also gave us a place to sit in the shade in chairs more comfortable than a stone wall. That particular day wasn’t hot, but it was warmer than our previous days in Italy, and the sun was intense.
The mini pizza ended up being perfect for us to split as a snack, and the restaurant was a nice place to sit. We could look over the entire courtyard. I enjoyed watching a uniquely-colored brown and white pigeon bobbing between our tables. I tried to get a good picture of it, but it was too quick.
I was able to get a picture of a beautiful plant stand I admired, though, because it was stationary.
Little did I know, but I was about to be able to take my fill of pigeon pictures. Our group was meeting at the fountain, which had somehow escaped my notice even after sitting in the square facing it for over an hour.
The fountain is gorgeous, and it’s filled with pigeons bathing and getting a drink. They would perch above the spouts, lean their head over, and peck at the water stream until satisfied.
Walking through Siena at a leisurely pace was enriching, but the best part was yet to come…
You can read the next post HERE.
Since my Italy posts have been spread out over several months, you can find them all linked below…
Plein Air Painting in Italy & Podere Tour
Dinner in a Castle | Tuscany Creative Retreat
11 Responses
Oh wow, what a beautiful place! I am enjoying my “virtual vacation” through your words and lens. I can’t imagine living in a place like that, it feels so foreign to the way we live here in North America. I can feel the heat from the sun on all those terra cotta walls even though it is well below zero outside my house right now! February dreaming!
Marian, Did you ever need to worry about safety in any village you visited? Did you go out during darkness and if so were places safe?
I felt safe everywhere we were, but we were with locals and guides who looked out for us, except when we were in Florence. We didn’t go out at night by ourselves, and we decided not to go to London because there were a lot of protests happening at the time.
Lovely. These villages are so ancient, it’s fun to imagine what life was like back in time.
I love the warm colors of the buildings. Do you suppose Siena, Italy is related to the oil paint color sienna?
I was told it was!
Dear MMS,
Because I will most likely never return to Sienna, your photo tour raised my spirits. Not only are your images incredible, they brought back wonderful memories of tagging along with my husband and the choir with whom he was singing in magnificent cathedrals.
Hugs from Mercer Island,
Diney
We visited Sienna in October, we had a beautiful sunny day. So fun to sit in the courtyards and people watch. The buildings and narrow streets are appear to be an interesting road to drive on and trying to park in your narrow garage on a hill. Your phots bring back memories.
I visited Sienna on my very first trip to anywhere with a passport. Loved it. I noticed all the square ‘holes’ left open in the building facades. We were told they were gaps left for the supports for the scaffolding to construct the buildings.
We were also told that bribes and skullduggery was part of the Palio race.
I remember seeing markings near the cathedral. As big as it is, it was originally planned to be much larger, but the plagues hit Sienna hard, drastically reducing it in size.
I remember eating gelato and sitting in the sun in that shell-shaped piazza…
I’m going to try painting a street scene from your photos for my watercolor class.
Too bad you didn’t go inside the Duomo. It’s magnificent. You didn’t have to use the steps. The street to the right goes around to the front of the building. Your pictures are beautiful. We were there last August the week of the horse race and the locals were partying in the streets and parades every day. So festive with all the flags. We left before the race. It was hot 107 degrees! Love Siena. Want to go back.
We were there in September and I quickly decided that it Siena my favorite city I’ve ever been to.
You will always remember your calves and knees after Siena. And most Italian places. It was an old tradition, of course, a religious thing to honour Maria with a horse race since the 17th century. In those mountainous regions, the only way to transport or to plough the land was by horse in the old days. Later, the Fiat 500 gave solace to knees. XD They scolded away my son and his girlfriend when they came for a cappuccino in the afternoon, way too late! He had to go for a coffee at breakfast time. Italians have their traditions. XD It is a lovely country, with good food and hospitality.