The caress of the streets of Siena

There is no doubt that to start a new life in a new city where one knows no one is harder when one gets older. In addition, people have told me that particularly Siena would be a difficult nut to crack- the people here are known to be more reserved than perhaps any other Italian city. I think that is true. Now, when I have finished my school which took up half the days and put me in contact with interesting people from all over the world; and before the work on the flat has started; I find myself in a sort of limbo, where I spend most of my time alone. 

I have started to draw again, after many years. Like the proverbial English lady in Tuscany I set out in the morning with my hat; my folding stool and my sketchbook. then I find an exciting corner with lovely shapes- and that is the thing that fascinates me about this place: the shapes of the streets which create sweeping, sculptural gestures; as if they had been put there by  the brushstrokes of a giant artist, as the narrow  streets curl boldly around the three hills of Siena.

These grand  brush strokes also make for a lovely play of light as the sun hits the facades in unexpected ways, creating abstracts shapes that really need to be painted rather than drawn. So therefore, watch out- ecco the imminent arrival  of the ultimate version  of that English Lady in Tuscany: the one with the easel...

These are simple sketches of course without any pretence of being anything but a conventional record of this my adopted city  for my pleasure...

But the thing that keeps me interested is those bold  curves which feel like a tender caress, everywhere in this lovely place.
                                                   

And here, above,  is that little street called Via del Sambuco, where, in a few days, there will be a long 'shoot' placed from  the top left hand window, through which all the rubble of the building work will be thrown, because it is my flat where work is to start tomorrow morning.

Remembering Mali- remembering my Keita

 I don't expect there to be any new readers to my blog- so if you read this, you know who you see here. This photo was taken just after the Coup d'Etat in 2012. In spite of the turmoil, Keita and I - with two friends, Lassana and Levy, decided to go on a little holiday. And here we are, having been seduced into the waters of the Niger when we passed the bridge on our way to Guinea. It just looked too inviting! more about this holiday: www.djennedjenno.blogspot.com April 24,  2012 It is just over ten years ago now...

Why this sudden remembrance of times past? Well, it is Tabaski today (the West African name for Eid Al Adha) so there is an unusual lot of messages and contact between Siena and Mali today... and some of that involved 'my' sons Moussa and Lassie, who wanted to see pictures of their father. So I started digging out pictures...Well, it is a long and complicated story which belongs to my previous life. 

That request put me on a road of nostalgia - it made me put on KarKar- Boubakar Traore and Habib Koite on Spotify, and that is guaranteed to engender a state of exaltation and make me cry- both with  happiness that I was allowed to live through those times; and  with sadness that they are gone.  This time it also made me think that those extraordinary times were probably the greatest adventure I will have. But who knows? It would probably be greedy to think that anything could remotely come close to those days... 

I know there is a large part of me still remaining somewhere there by the shores of the Bani and the Niger...

Having said that, the work on the flat is finally going to start on Monday. And I have received, finally, that illusive Residency. I am now a Bona Fide inhabitant of Siena. Let this present chapter unravel and see what beauty there is here too to be discovered!

PALIO!

I decided to sit it out in the hot sun at the San Martino Bend this time, in order to ensure a great position. I arrived just after one- here is a picture of the tiny bit of shade offered to us at about 3pm, when the shadow of the Torre del Mangia passes to give some relief.  A long, hot day but with plenty of cameraderie. My crowd were not really tourists- well, some were from other parts of Italy- my neighbour by the railing was a girl from Livorno in Tuscany who comes here every year, and on the other side were a young couple from Verona, who had just spent their honey moon in Sweden. In other words there was plenty of opportunity to practise my Italian while the sun was beating down on us; while the balconies and the Campo was filling up, and while we all awaited the arrival of the Carabinieri- the mounted Police in their nineteenth century uniforms, who traditionally begins the Palio festivities. This year the Capitano was a woman!

Then began the Corteo Storico, the great Parade that includes representation in the form of flags, coats of arms and regalia from all the 17 existing Contradas and also from the several Contradas that no longer exist;  the alfieris and drummers as well as the  horses that are about to run the race.  These ancient suits of armour and weaponry are normally proudly displayed in the Museums of the Contradas. 

                                                 

And then,  as the shade finally arrived at last the Campo was ready for the big event...

But this proved difficult... The Palio was beset by problems this time- First of all, only eight horses were admitted at the starting point; two having been excluded for safety reasons, since they had suffered minor injuries during the trial run.  But that was not all: the race took nearly an hour to get going: it included four false starts, during which two more horses were eliminated- one because his jockey fell off and had to be carried away on a stretcher, and another because of another injury.  Here below we see 'Tittia', the most famous jockey, or fantino, at the San Martino bend during one of the false starts. He rode Zio Frac for the DRAGO Contrada, and eventually managed to arrive victorious in a photo finish over the Torre Contrada, to my great delight- I saw Tittia win the July 2019 Palio for Giraffa...

And today they were all out celebrating, doing the ceremonial parade through town to all the other Contradas while carrying their precious Palio, which this time was painted by the English painter Emma Sargeant. 

 

Siena on fire...

Siena really does live for the Palio- it is the soul and the life blood of the city, and this fundamental event  has not taken place for two years, therefore, although there are undoubtedly events more important on the world stage at the moment, here in Siena nothing exists apart from this just now...

The 'tufo' has once more been trod by the hooves of 85 candidates for the race- they have tried out the Campo on two 'night runs', when the selection committees have weeded out those that they don't deem suitable- both horses and fantini- the jockeys,.

the rejects- I would take them all on happily!- were led out of the Palazzo Pubblico before the crowds while the remaining ten were allotted to the ten fortunate Contradas who are taking part tomorrow.

There have been six 'Provas', or trial runs, and the Campo has been packed - as if it were the Palio itself.

Here below the Mayor, centre top, surveys 'his' city preparing for the joyful return of its raison d'etre tomorrow at this morning's Prova':

 

where the favourite Schietta- below- ridden by Carlo Sanna with the nickname Brigante. is getting a good start; it is one of the few horses who have run the Palio before- most are novices,  

 Tonight is the event which, after the Palio itself, has top billing: the Cena of the Prova Generale, when all the Contradas are eating in the street- I am with Paolo and his family at the Contrada of Valdimontone, just here where I have lived for the last year.

Below my window the dinner table preparations are taking place, but first of all they are waiting for 'our' horse to arrive from the stable- they will all then join the procession down to the Campo for the last 'Prova', before the dinner. I think I might just stay here for this one, since I have been at all the others, and have just washed my hair and feel more inclined to have a Campari Spritz while awaiting the evenings events in the cool and comfort of home for a change...

                                                                                  

                                                                                    

The "Tufo" arrives! ONE WEEK today to PALIO...

It was all happening on the Campo today, as the race course was covered with a thick layer of  "tufo", the earth on which the city is built, to make the cobbles horse friendly. Here it is applied to  the notorious San Martino bend, which is the most dangerous- the corner most likely to cause a pile up. It is lined with mattresses, (hidden under the white areas) to soften the impact of any potential blow...

 The city was out in force this morning, here with the Mayor De Mossi (white T-shirt above|) surveying the progress.                                                              

Nevertheless, proceedings still went on as if it were a normal Saturday, with a smart wedding spilling out from the Palazzo Pubblico, complete with Carabienieri in historic outfits...

Dublin and Siena (via London)

Arrived back to Siena Tuesday night from London, (yes, yes, I know I have been flitting about, rather...) into a city which is  limbering up for the Palio-there is palpable excitement in the air, and the countdown has started- 8 Days left! The Campo is changing shape hour by hour as the coveted seating is erected around the course- a seat here or on the balconies costs between 200- 350E and they are all sold out! So I will be taking up my free spot next to the Red Cross (just to be on the safe side) in the corner of the Campo, like last time- three years ago. 

But I need to mention the exciting trip to Dublin too...whither I flew from Amsterdam to take part in birthday celebrations for my old friend David- below with his partner, dear Jeremiah, right, who has exchanged London for Dublin since he works for the European Commission, which has  now usefully posted him in this splendid city. 

I knew I was going to love Dublin- and I was right.

 It turned out to be one of those rare cities that behaves just the way it should; a mythical place which lives up to its reputation. There are just a few cities that have done that for me and they have all been  in the States: New Orleans; New York and Los Angeles have all behaved admirably according to expectation.   Dublin was also just the way it is billed;  a fun loving. eccentric, passionate, poetic city where much alcohol is consumed, and where anything can happen. 

The truth of that preconceived idea  became  immediately obvious as we stumbled across Sweny's pharmacy/bar, where the owner PJ serenaded me with  songs in Gaelic and we were offered glasses of wine and no one expected any payment.  Sweny's is mentioned in Ulysses, and has therefore been saved intact  by fans of James Joyce as an important and original location worthy of preservation.  I found myself catapulted into this Joycean Dublin because it was BLOOMSDAY, which is celebrated every June the 16th,  representing the 24 hours during which the action of the novel takes place.  It was doubly special this year because it  was a hundred years since the controversial novel was finally published. 

There were readings all over town of the strange, wondrous and delirious text, none more extraordinary than the Circe dream sequence, beautifully read in the Abbey Theatre by Barry Mc Govern. I thought I must have  eaten magic mushrooms for breakfast as I tumbled around on the precipitous and vertiginous wordscape that was so beautifully enunciated by McGovern...

The whole of Dublin was out in force, joined by a plentiful supply of enthusiastic American tourist Joyce fans,  dressed up like these below, trying -and often succeeding quite beautifully- to look as if  they were Edwardian. All in all a strange and rather unforgettable experience...

                                                        But now... Siena and Palio!

Below a couple of pictures form July 2019 when  I witnessed Giraffa win the July Palio and decided this is where I want to be!

                                                     

                                        

Movement

The most important thing to happen in the last two weeks is undoubtedly the arrival of that all-important document S1 to my letterbox in Siena, which was communicated to me this evening, about an hour ago, on WhatsApp by Paolo who had gone to my apartment in Siena to check... and there it was! Hurrah! After one month, it arrived finally to its destination...which means that I can now become a resident in Siena; we can start the work on the flat; I will be able to register for |Italian health care; I can go to all those museums in Siena for free when my friends come to see me etc etc...

but before this happy event, there were other reasons to be cheerful, such as the arrival of my lovely god daughter Aoife, (here enjoying a deep fried baby squid at my favourite seaside restaurant in Castiglione della Pescaia last week) and her boyfriend Kai, who kept me company for a few days in Siena. 

Last Thursday I left for France with a coach. Cheap transport, and quite tiring of course. But it has its plus side- It is wonderful to travel through the Alps and to see the world change and feel the distance... arriving at Lyon, I was once again happy to stay with my lovely friends Monique and Pascal. This time we explored 'La Colline qui Prie'- that is to say the oldest part of the city, which includes the cathedral, a comparatively plain edifice if  set against some of the more elaborate cathedrals of the North. But  what a city- I love it! And the food... Ah! here below is Pascal, always a most erudite and enthusiastic guide.

Another long night's bus journey brought me to Amsterdam to see my dear friend Birgit, who was such an integral part of my life in Mali. She works at the Nordenmarkt, selling all her lovely West African stuff at the market on Saturdays and Mondays. 

She took the day off yesterday and we went to the Dutch sea side, which is quite a different experience from my newly acquired Tuscan sea side habits...for a start, the sea is much colder of course, and there are no rows of umbrellas on the beach... the feeling is quite 'Northern'...

And Amsterdam,,, what a lovely city! had almost forgotten. But quite terrifying of course with those  great hoards of cyclist that threaten to mow one down around every corner if one is not careful...

                                                              And tomorrow off to Dublin!