Siena, Part Two: Medieval and Magical

On Monday I wrote about my first trip to Siena, which is south of Florence and in the center of Tuscany. I got off the bus and looked out to see a fairy-tale view. Well, I rummaged through a bunch of boxes and found all of my pictures from that trip!

Here’s the view that took my breath away.

I took the photo before I had a digital camera, so when I scanned and cropped the image, it just came out looking even more like a painting. Beyond all of the fairy-tale stuff, I find Siena to be a really relaxing city. It’s a good gateway between the busier, often tourist-packed streets of Florence and the quieter towns and countryside Tuscany offers. There aren’t a ton of must-see sights, but the hilly, curved, stone streets tempt you to explore the medieval architecture and sometimes unexpected vistas.

Two of the main sites are the Duomo and the Piazza del Campo. The Duomo is one of my favorite churches in Italy (Ahem. So far. There are so many more to see, you know.) It was first completed in the last half of the 13th century, but an addition in the 14thcentury made it one of the largest churches in Italy at the time.

Its façade is stunning, but it’s the deep greenish-black and white marble on the tower and in the interior that makes it feel somehow lighter, hopeful even, to me.

The black and white marble, by the way, is a nod to the city itself, whose shield is also black and white. The story behind the choice of these colors relates to the founding of Rome. If you know the legend of Rome, you’ll remember two twins, Romulus and Remus, who were raised by a she-wolf, founded the city. Well apparently, Remus’s two twin sons, Senius and Aschius, ran off with the she-wolf statue from Apollo’s temple. Senius, from whom the city takes its name, rode a black horse, while Aschius was on a white one. As you walk around, be on the lookout for statues or depictions of a she-wolf suckling a child. There’s even one in the floor of the Duomo. While you’re looking for she-wolves, you might notice a number of other beasts, birds, insects, and other images around the city on flags, tiles, or lampposts. These denote which one of the 17 contrade, or districts, you are in.

Originally there were 59 contrade, which were created for military and administrative purposes in the Middle Ages. Tuscany was not stable or unified at the time. Cities and towns faced constant struggles over power and land. Siena and Florence, for example, had an especially torrid relationship. So in the 14th century, each contrada provided men to aid in Siena’s military defense. Over time, the number dropped to the 17 that remain today. Four of them are nobile or noble for various acts/reasons, like providing exceptional help in a battle. Each has its own symbol, coat of arms, motto, museum, and fountain. Most contrade have both an adversary, which is often a neighbor, and an ally.  There’s the:

• Aquila or Eagle
• Bruco or Caterpillar
• Chiocciola or Snail
• Civetta or Little Owl
• Drago or Dragon
• Giraffa or Giraffe
• Istrice or Crested Porcupine
• Leocorno or Unicorn
• Lupa or She-Wolf
• Nicchio or Seashell
• Oca or Goose
• Onsa or Wave
• Pantera or Panther
• Selva or Forest
• Tartuca or Tortoise
• Torre or Tower
• Valdimontone or Valley of the Ram

This may seem like another nice leftover from medieval times, but the contrade still play a role in Siena today. Twice a year, on July 2 and August 16, 10 members of the districts compete in a hugely popular bareback horse race called the Palio. Seven districts compete “by right” and 4 draw for a chance. One of my Eyewitness Travel Guide books says it is a medieval tradition that dates back to 1283 but the Palio website states it takes place to

celebrate the miraculous apparition of the Virgin Mary near the old houses that belonged to Provenzano Salvani. The holy apparition was therefore called "Madonna di Provenzano" in whose honour the very first Palio was run on August 16, 1656.” (More here)

The Palio, however, definitely retains an aura of medieval times with its costumes, flags, and ceremony. The race takes place in the center of town in the Piazza del Campo. There’s a central triangular area that fans out from one side to make the piazza. This part is fenced in and the area between it and the buildings makes a ring that is filled with sand.

Thousands of viewers pack the inner triangle and people sell off spaces in windows and on balconies for viewing the race. After all the ceremonial stuff is done, the race goes by in a flash. Then the celebrations start! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM0YqFJrypk] I’ve never been to the Palio. To be honest, I have no desire to see the actual race. I don't really like horse races after a traumatic experience watching a steeplechase when I was a kid. But I was in Siena after the Palio one year when the celebration was still going on and I loved the atmosphere. The Oca/goose contrada won and while walking around town we stumbled on an impromptu party. The owner of a shop popped open a couple of bottles of prosecco for a crowd. One of the corks landed by me. I still have it today. I remember thinking at the time, “Ah, this is the life!” Everyone was singing, laughing, chatting, and enjoying the festivities and their win. On another trip, as we lazily strolled around the Piazza, a wedding party came out of the Palazzo Pubblico (which also has a civic museum if you’re interested). The bride, groom, and small group of friends and family hugged and kissed in the warm sun. It all seemed so lovely and relaxed.

Then the bride and groom walked around the Piazza as onlookers clapped and wished them well. I loved how public and intimate it was all at the same time. I would love to do something similar one day. That’s really what Siena has always been about for me: relaxed exploration. Yes, there are tourists, but there is also the beauty of life going on around you. You can go there and just be and see. I’m now partial to shopping a bit and then people-watching in the Piazza while eating fig gelato. My favorite experiences in Siena have always unfolded quietly like a gift. I didn’t go looking for them, they were just there. I said this on Monday, but I think it would be even better to use it as a home-base for a longer trip. I would love to experience more of the restaurants, markets, and the evenings. It’s so great in the day that I’d like to see what kind of magic twilight brings.

Do Not Beware the Ides of March (or the Cats of the Theater)

I'm postponing my second Siena post until tomorrow because today is—dun, dun, dun—the Ides of March. Which really just means it's March 15th. The Ides themselves aren't particularly ominous since every month has an "Ides" according to the Roman calendar.

The Roman calendar had three fixed days in each month named Kalends, Nones, and Ides. The exact date on which they fell in each month originally varied because it was based on lunar cycles. Later, the dates became fixed.

Kalends was the date of the new moon and became the first day of the month. Nones fell on the day of the "half moon" but became the 9^th day before the Ides. And, finally, the Ides was probably the date of the full moon but became somewhat fixed as the 15^th of March, May, July and October and the 13^th of all the other months.

Before the year 153 BCE, the Ides of March was also the start of a new year and even included a celebration for the goddess of the new year, Anna Perenna. Get your wine and party hats out!

I, for one, think this makes way more sense than starting a new year in January when it’s cold and miserable. The Vernal Equinox is close and spring represents a rebirth and the beginning of the growing season.

But no. And do you know why? Any guesses? Politicians, perhaps? Of course!

According to this article, Rome couldn’t keep control over an outlying province and they wanted to elect new Consuls so they could take care of it. The only problem was that it was around December and elected Consuls started on the first day of the new year, the Ides of March. So they bumped the new year up to the Kalends of January.

Fantastic.

The next time you’re freezing your arse off because someone thought it would be “fun” to pack into a square with thousands of others and watch some silly ball drop at midnight, you can blame ancient Roman politicians.

So, as you can see, there’s no real need to beware the Ides of March.

Unless of course a soothsayer tells you to beware them. In that case, it wouldn't hurt to watch your back. Especially if your name is Julius Caesar and the year is 44 BCE.

I won’t go into all the fiddly details here because there are lots of places in print and online for that. The short version is that tension had increased between Caesar and the senate for some time over Caesar’s growing power. A group of senators plotted his assassination and carried it out on this fateful day thousands of years ago.

As the story goes, Caesar was on his way into the Theater of Pompey to meet with the senate because the senate building in the forum was under construction. As he entered the theater, a soothsayer stopped him and warned him that he was in grave danger on the Ides of March.

Caesar pointed out that the day had already arrived and he was still ok. The soothsayer answered back that although the day had come, it had not yet passed.

This is where the famous line from Shakepeare’s play, Julius Caesar, comes from:

Caesar: Who is it in the press that calls on me?

I hear a tongue shriller than all the music

Cry “Caesar!” Speak, Caesar is turn’d to hear.

Soothsayer: Beware the ides of March.

Act I, Scene II

Once inside, Caesar sat down. One of the senators, Tillius Cimber, immediately came forward with a petition to bring his brother back from exile. The senators involved in the assassination plot gathered around them closely, offering their support of Cimber.

Cimber then reached out and pulled at Caesar’s tunic. Caesar cried out “Why, this is violence!” just as another senator attempted to stab him. The rest of the group quickly joined in and began stabbing at Caesar. By the time Caesar was dead, he had a total of 23 stab wounds.

In Shakespeare’s play, Caesar’s famous last words are “Et tu, Brute?—Then fall, Caesar!” as his best friend, Marcus Brutus, stabs him.

In actuality, there does not seem to be a consensus about what he said just before he died. Suetonius wrote that he said nothing. Plutarch wrote that when he saw Brutus in the crowd of conspirators attacking him, he pulled his toga up over his head and fell to the floor as if resigning to his fate. I have also seen multiple mentions that Caesar reportedly said a Greek phrase to Brutus: “Kai su, teknon?” which means “You too, child?” Perhaps this is the inspiration for Shakespeare's famous line.

And so ended the lives of one of the most famous and, perhaps, infamous leaders in history.

Today, you can visit what is left of the ruins of the Theater of Pompey. They are located in a square in Rome called the Largo di Torre Argentina, which is south of the Pantheon and between Campo dei Fiori and the Forum. Only a small part of Pompey’s theater is visible on the west side, amidst the ruins of four other temples from different centuries of Rome's history. Apparently the actual spot of Caeser’s assassination is located somewhere in the square.

For some reason these ruins are one of my favorite spots to visit in Rome. They aren’t particularly grand but they do have quite a story behind them. There’s something about how I always seem to end up stumbling on the square while on the way to somewhere else, seeing the ruins, and then getting hit by this feeling of “Wow, this is where Caesar died.”

I think in part of why I love this square is because it has always been quiet when I’ve seen it. People seem to walk on by without stopping. It is one of the places where the past quietly meets the present. Real life isn’t drowned out by tourists flocking to a site. Rome seems to offer so many of these opportunities.

Here’s a video, for example, showing that part of the Theater of Pompey is now in a restaurant called Da Pancrazio:[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IxQ5MH87x4]

I'm also fond of the square because it houses the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary, a no-kill shelter for Rome’s homeless cats. I remember figuring this out for the first time in 2001. I was leaning over the railing going “Oh, look! A cat. . .another cat. . .and another? Um. There’s lots of cats here, what’s the deal?” They all look really well cared for each time I’ve been by the ruins. It just seems like a smart idea to use an open space like this for that purpose.

If you can somehow orchestrate a way to stumble on this place, that’s the way I’d recommend seeing it. Rome has a wonderful way of surprising you with the abundance of its ancient sites if you let it.

Siena, Part One: A Quick Mental Getaway

A little note: I have to admit I’m writing this post rather late. Like a lot of people, I’ve spent many hours in the past few days watching the devastation in Japan unfold. My heart aches for everyone affected by the earthquake and I wish I could give more, do more, and help somehow.

So with that being said, I’ll just do a quick “daydream destination” post tonight. I think sometimes it’s good to take a minute to try to unwind a bit from the constant barrage of bad news and haunting images.

After talking about my love affair with Florence last Monday I think it’s only right for me to take you down my little rabbit hole of Tuscany-love even further.

After Florence, I found that the cities, towns, and countryside of Tuscany were wonderfully varied and full of surprises. It seems logical to follow-up Florence with its former rival, Siena.

I remember getting off the bus on my first visit. It was on a small tour I took with 3 friends, some chaperones, and our teacher in high school. The driver parked outside one of the city’s old arched entrances and we all happily tumbled out of the bus to stretch our legs and see what this new city had in store for us.

Just opposite of the archway was a stone wall overlooking the countryside surrounding Siena. It was November, the week of American Thanksgiving, and fall was starting to turn the landscape from green to gold. Although the sun was out, the farmland and the houses that dotted the landscape looked as if they were in soft focus.

It was breathtaking. I distinctly remember feeling like I was in a fairy-tale come to life. After a few minutes of trying to soak it all in, I finally tore myself away from that vista. Together with my classmates, we walked under the archway and into the medieval city on cobbled streets smoothed by hundreds of years use.  The fairy-tale feeling continued. It was like going back in time but still having all the amenities of modern society.

Siena is one of those places that I think a lot of people see on a  quick day-trip and then move on to the next site to see. I have a strong hunch, though, that there’s more to Siena than first meets the eye. Each time I visit, I leave wanting more, wishing I had given the city more time to reveal itself to me.

Tomorrow I'll share a bit more of what I think makes Siena special.