Siena and San Gimignano

Another fabulous day on our Italian Serenade tour. Our first stop was the magnificent town of Siena which is another walled hilltop village. 

The Siena Cathedral was begun in the 12th century and is a masterpiece of

Italian Romanesque-Gothic architecture. Its main facade was completed in 1380. The original plan called for an ambitiously massive basilica however, the scarcity of funds, in part due to war and plague, truncated the project. The east wall of the abandoned original folly still stands unfinished today.

The historic centre of Siena was declared a World Heritage Site and it is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions. Siena is famous for its cuisine, art, museums, medieval cityscape and the Palio, a horse race held twice a year. The Piazza del Campo is the shell-shaped town square and it is here that the Palio occurs.

Siena retains a ward-centric culture from medieval times. Each ward (contrada) is represented by an animal or mascot and has its own boundary and distinct identity. Ward rivalries are most rampant during the annual Palio. There are 17 wards (contrada): Eagle, Caterpillar, Snail, Owl, Dragon, Giraffe, Crested Porcupine, Unicorn, She-Wolf, Seashell, Goose, Wave, Panther, Forest, Tortoise, Tower and Ram

The Palio di Siena is a traditional medieval horse race run around the Piazza del Campo twice each year on 2 July and 16 August. In the week leading up to the race the town really comes alive and we were lucky enough to experience all the colour and noise of the festival that accompanies the race. Each ward has its own very distinct flag and the residents can be seen walking the streets proudly wearing scarves of their flags tied around their necks or draped over their shoulders. They also beat drums, chant war cries and sing songs which taunt the other wards. The horses and riders vie for a trophy which is a painted banner (Palio) bearing an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Interestingly it is the horse that is declared the winner so if one of the riders falls off and the horse continues on to cross the line first, they are still the winner.

Back on the bus we drove on to yet another beautiful medieval town – San Gimignano. Firstly, we stopped at a local farmhouse for a wonderful lunch of local goods – cold cuts, salads, pickled vegetables and wine. After lunch we travelled the short distance to the base of the town. We then walked up the hill to the main square. It was very hot and thirsty work so in our free time we sat in one of the many bars that line the square and enjoyed an ice cold drink.

It certainly was easier on the walk down the hill back to the bus where the air conditioned comfort was a welcome relief. A two hour drive saw us at our hotel in central Florence. Our room is gorgeous and we were happy to spend our free night doing some washing.