If you had to pick a single unique thing about Sienna, it would have to be The Palio. Held in Il Campo, Italy's largest and most statuesque piazza, The Palio is a biannual bareback horse race in which each of Sienna's 17 neighbourhoods is championned by a horse and jockey. The riders proudly sport their hood's crest and colours and fiercely loyal residents slug it out with friends in adjacent neighbourhoods.
Anything goes in this race. It isn't unheard of to have a jockey ambushed on the morning of the race. Jockeys are even allowed to lash out at one another and their horses in mid-race. Animal activists have a hey day.
Hung out in Sienna over lunch at Trattoria Papei where I indulged in the hand-made spaghetti with duck and bacon. Mamamia, que belleza! Knockout dish with a glass of Brunello and very attentive service.
On a different note, I realize I have become an avid consumer of maps. I devour them, absorb their goodness then spit them out. Why I don't already have a GPS is simply beyond me. Note to self: early Xmas gift.
Firenze. At this point, all I cared about was a shower. Ahhhhh, to be reunited with clean, non-hiking clothes and latte on demand. After rubbing the grime off (wooohooo, no more filthy feet!), I devoted my day to a complete effort in cafe-hopping and people-watching. Perfectly respectable and exactly what the doctor ordered after my somewhat active pace.
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