More Horse Business

 Because it has been Palio again- about a week of Horse Madness beginning with the wonderful Prove di Notte, the enchanted dawn rides around the Piazza which denotes the beginning of the Palio, when new horses and new fantini (jockeys) have a chance to show off in front of the assembled  Contrada Capitani. 

Arriving at these two mornings of trials is a stirring experience- there are small cafes under the Palchi (the spectator stands which are by this time in place) where people crowd in to get their coffee and their Pasta, which is Siena speech for a croissant, then install themselves on the stands to enjoy the thrilling spectacle. 

Once these Provas are over, the assignation lottery of the horses takes place, and ONDA was assigned  a newcomer by the name of Canarinu, which was  led to our stable without much enthusiasm.

 Nevertheless the contrada rallied and soon there was a cocktail invented called the Canarinu, which included  orange juice; gin and and various  yellow alcoholic substances which everyone was drinking, and loud speakers were installed  on the Via Giovanni Dupre from which the twitter of canaries could be heard.  By the time the Cena della Prova Generale arrived - the evening of the 15th of August- the mood was high on the Via Giovanni Dupre. 

                                                                                  

August Palio is normally run on the 16th of August, but yet again, it started pouring down during the second part of the Corteo Storico, and soon the dreaded green flag which denotes a Palio postponement appeared from a window at the Palazzo Pubblico. 

Once more I had guests who had come from far and wide to see the Palio and who  were disappointed because they had to leave in the morning of the 17th. The rest congregated once more on the Piazza and the Palio finally went ahead after an unusually long and difficult Mossa - the starting of the race- when all sorts of shenanigans take place and the fantini from enemy contradas are doing their utmost to try and ruin the starting position of their adversary. The overwhelming favourite was the star fantino Tittia, riding for Istrice- the Porcupine. 

Our Canarino was unfortunately never to be seen anywhere near the front runners. This was a real surprise Palio- the winner was La Lupa, the She wolf, with a horse called Benitos, also running his first Palio and a rank outsider, ridden by the oldest fantino in the race at 43,  nicknamed Velluto,  who had never won a Palio before and had not even ridden one for 7 years. 

Once I got over the disappointment of not having our Canarinu winning, I was really happy for La Lupa  (who in my opinion has the most elegant colours and costumes of all, in black, white and orange)

because I love the win of an underdog - and here we had two of them, both horse and fantino performed a breath taking Palio. However, I quickly noticed that is not de bon ton to say that to other ONDA members. The correct contrada behaviour is to look sad and down hearted and mutter under ones' breath...

Nevermind. To hell with that. I am delighted for LA LUPA! 

                                                                             

The heat is on- still!

And in the middle of these hot summer days I have been lucky enough to reconnect with my equestrian self- again through my Swedish/Italian friend Gunnar whose daughter has a lovely mare called Valentina, stabled not far from Siena. She also has a younger horse that she uses for competition jumping, so Valentina is being neglected and I can ride her! 

Meanwhile, in more serious horse matters: Siena is beginning to limber up and preparations are underway for the August  Palio- the barriers around the Piazza and the VIP balcony at the starting point are put in place, and soon the 'tufo' arrives which covers the cobbles with a thick layer of earth; and then we are almost there!

 

The Deep Summer

 The summer marches on  here with its relentless heat reverberating beween the ancient buildngs and alleyways of Siena. Hoards of ice cream eating visitors attempt some relief  in the shade of the numerous awnings and parasols offered by the  trattorias and bars that line  Siena's meandering streets: this is the Deep Summer. 

 But there is always a sadness when August arrives... autumn is inexorably on the march towards us.   I want to grasp on to these days and store them with their azur blue skies, their breathless, uncompromising heat. 

I have an unusually long period of relative calm here at my tiny 'pensione', because although all three room are taken the guests are staying for a minimum of one week, so I am finding some days of freedom.  Yesterday I was invited to the coast to visit my friend the eye specialist Marilena, originally from Basilicata in the South,  but who has lived here in Siena most of her life. She has bought a holiday flat in the city of Piombino on the Tuscan coast just north of Livorno: a new discovery for me. I went in the company of my only Swedish friend here, the Siena eye doctor Gunnar, who has lived in Siena for 45 years and who met  Marilena when they were studying medicine at  the Siena university. They have remained close friends ever since and seen each other through two or three marriages and close relationships respectively- somehow showing that friendships can sometimes outlast the slings and arrows of love...how fortunate they are to have each other. 

The evenings now are full of events all around town- there is the Nicchio Contrada with its summer fest in their beautiful gardens; there are 'apericenas' with open air cinema- last night Fritz Lang's Metropolis - there is the yearly 'Siena Jazz', attended by one of my guests, Louis from Belgium,  a jazz pianist, who gave a concert with the  other members of his group at the Fonte Nuova (the 'New' Fountain..finished 1303..) in the Contrada of the Lupa  the other night...

And soon, of course,  there is once more the Palio- the first related event, shortly,  being the unveiling of the  August Palio, created by the artist/illustrator Riccardo Guasco, whose work I have already admired at the opera of Bologna, where he has made many posters: