Sometimes il treno non va, especially if there has just been a major train disaster somewhere down the line. Still…Siena was achieved eventually.
The town is a maze, a series of concentric rings with cut throughs in the steep hills. July 1st marks the first day of the first part of the annual festival of il Palio which is both a religious and political holiday. Seventeen districts, or neighborhoods (contrade), exist in Siena, each with its own flag and colors.
There will be parades, and singing, and a horse race (only 10 districts per year compete, I’ve read). Without tickets, we probably won’t see the actual race.
In general it has been a good trip, but you know you’re desperate for home when you read every page of the International Herald Tribune, even the day 3 of Wimbledon coverage.
The Traveling
Don’t expect your train trip from Florence to Siena to be something out of Under the Tuscan Sun. Trains world-wide tend to run through poor or industrial areas and everybody’s laundry looks like everyone else’s laundry.
Tomorrow, it’s back to Rome, a nice dinner and a sleep, and then home.
P.S.
Dear Rome,
They have this great thing in Siena called a toilet seat. You find them in any number of the available restrooms. Try them, they’re quite comfortable.
Leave a Reply