Yesterday we went to Siena, and saw many of the preparations for the Palio. Although it was very hot outside it was a lot of fun being in the city. Some of us visited the museum of torture instruments, which was a little creepy. We also went to a church called San Dominico (I think), which has the head of Saint Catherine on display. My favorite part of Siena was seeing the parades. We saw parades for two different contradas. I don’t remember what the first contrada was, but the second one was the Snail. The Snails’ parade was flashy and exciting. They were all wearing costumes with the contrada’s colors and they had drummers and people waving giant flags. They also had people from the contrada following and cheering and singing songs. It was fun to watch, and it looked like so much fun to participate in!
Mrs Thompson writes:
A very exciting day in Siena. Parking was a challenge, but once we got inside the gates, we were swept up into the preparations of the Palio. The Palio is a famous horse race that occurs in Siena's Campo twice a year. Each neighborhood, or contrada, gets a chance to race in one of the races. The winner gets bragging rights for the rest of the year. The winning horse eats at the head of the contrada's feast table, which winds down the main street of the neighborhood. The parades take place for days before the race. The whole contrada takes part: men, women and children. Each of our students was given a contrada to study. The minute we found a vendor, everyone bought the scarf for their respective contrada and wore it for the day. When we went to the main cathedral to admire the gorgeous stone work, the lady letting us in suggested we have our own race!
No comments:
Post a Comment