Oh the water...

The streets of Siena were silent and cool when I first walked out towards the Fortezza Medicea for my run this morning. By the time I returned, the sun was arching off the walls of narrow streets and heating things up. Istrice Contrada  (the crested porcupine) of which my apartment forms part, was leading its horse up the main street to the practice races. I had finished reading through Canto 15 of Inferno,  had some great coffee and a plum for breakfast, and was ready for the day.

In the afternoon we spent two and a half hours in the Palazzo Publico viewing works by Simone Martini (1315-1321) and Ambrogio Laurenzetti (1290-1348). The latter was from Siena and thought to have died in the Bubonic Plague that razed Siena's population. His allegorical painting Good Government is a fantastic representation of some of the ideas that were salient in the medieval world view. I especially love the figure of peace (above in white, center left) reclining on a huge stack of armour and, the half wall of the painting that shows the effects of good government in the countryside. A cinta senese  (belted Sienese pig) is a big star in this part.

This breed is unique to Tuscany and has been re-established. The lardo or white belly fat from these pigs is very prized and sold in our supermarket here. It tastes a bit like crisco and bacon.

Our readings centered on Cantos 9 (the heretics), 10 ( the Epicureans) and 11 (starting towards the lower reaches of Hell). Epicureans were NOT those people with really cool accessible recipes online, by the way, but rather the people who refused to believe in the resurrection of Christ (the modern-day association with food and drink comes from 1Cor. 15. 32)  Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die."  But the immorality was seen as devastating in Dante's day and by Dante himself.

A central idea in the punishments and sins (Contrapasso) is that the Ben Comune  or  the common good was betrayed when you lost sight of the whole by focusing on one part or another. Time and again Dante shows us how self-indulgence hurts other people.

After all the fire and brimstone (actually fire doesn't even come into the Inferno  until Canto 14 though we get a cool boiling river of blood before that)-I was ready for a cooling off. I bought some bread, cheese and sausage and took my books down to the Fontebranda , one of the most famous springs or fountains in Siena and one that is thought to be mentioned in Canto 30 of Inferno.  But I am getting ahead of myself-let's sit beside the fontebranda  for a bit and catch our breath before another day.

Palio di Provenzano

Today marks the second important ceremony in the days leading up to the Palio di Provenzano.  The Palio is a horse race run in the center of Siena. For some general information, you can read the Sunday, June 26th post below. The Palio is run twice-once on July 2nd and again on August 16th. The upcoming palio is named for the Madonna di Provenzano.  You can find out more about the Palio  here: Palio di Siena

Sunday the Palio or flag/standard was revealed. Each year an artist is chosen to do the palio and there are traditional elements such as an image of the Madonna, all 17 contrada shields, and the horses and city of Siena that must be included. I found the palio to be gorgeous but several people complained about the " ugliness of the virgin". Since the artist is best known for political cartoons, I am sure there is a subtext that I am missing.

Today's ceremony centered around the selection of the 10 horses to run, and their assignment to each contrada. The ceremony starts with 3 trial races in the morning. The contrada  capitans meet to select the 10 horses to run. This sounds fairly straightforward but negotiating, deals and complex algorithms are followed. For example, if you have very little money in your contrada this year, you may want to select horses that aren't the cream of the crop-that way you have an excuse for not using your money to pay a really good jockey. Jockeys can make up to 6 figures!

By noon the Campo starts filling up with contrada members wearing their scarves. Above are members of the tartuga Contrada. The main members march in singing their song and take a position just in front of the Palazzo Publico to await their assigned horse. Horses are chosen by lottery and the numbers read off by the mayor. As soon as each horse is assigned, members of the contrada rush to take possession and protect the horse-and lead it back to a special barn in their neighborhood. 

Above you can see the 10 horses selected, and the corresponding contrada to whom they were assigned. For example, the first horse called was horse #5 and he was assigned to Drago or Dragon contrada.  Poor Tartuga was called last and so missed out on the suspense and drama leading up to the announcement. 

It is important to protect the horse as you are permitted to have back-up jockeys but not back-up horses. Another interesting rule is that the horse can finish the race riderless and still win. While we were there an unusual scuffle happened. Unusual as this is considered a public space and civic ceremony-both of which are governed by unspoken but stern social norms. One of the contrade  responded to verbal taunts of another with physical attacks-and mayhem ensued. At issue was the fact that they advanced on the taunting contrada  members as they were leading the horse by, and spooked the horse. So it was a triple transgression-neutral space, public event AND the horse was virtually accosted. It took several minutes for the police to get things under control. 

You can watch the Palio and the events leading up to it from here: Siena live tv. Once you are in, you may see a yellow box that says you don't have the required plug-in. Click on the phrase that says: Se non riesci a visualizzare lo Streaming clicca qui or you can click right under the Live Streaming box where it says guarda Siena TV col tuo player preferito.  You should be able to watch the events over the next few days. (The tv show is called 96 hours).

28 and 6

Street to the Synagogue  in Siena

We wended our way through back streets today to make it to our classroom. The Campo is blocked off as they are preparing the dirt race track for the palio.  The trial races (there are three to select the 10 horses that will run on Saturday) are tomorrow morning and you can feel the excitement building.

The detour took us through the area where the synagogue is and has been for several hundred years. As in most of Europe, the Jewish population in Siena contributed immensely to the civic and physical construction of the city...and also suffered greatly. In 1348, just after Dante's time, the plague took a heavy toll on Siena's population and the Jews were blamed for this and exiled to the outskirts of the city.

A plaque on the outside of the synagogue described the events in 1799-on this very day (June 28th). After the French revolution, Napoleon lifted many restrictions on the Jews. A revolutionary anti-semetic group called Viva Maria protested and stormed through many towns in Italy wreaking havoc on Jewish neighborhoods and people. 19 Jews in Siena were killed in the horrible uprising and a fast every year on this date commemorates the suffering. Rebecca Weiner has an excellent blog with a virtual tour of Jewish landmarks in the city and a brief history here Siena's Jewish History

Frankly, I think I would not have registered the date on the plaque had we not just had an excellent lecture by  mathematician Gary Towsley. His lecture touched on some of Dante's mathematical knowledge and its use in the poem. This is the first time I have understood anything of those intricate drawings of intersected circles in many translations of the Commedia and it was so exciting. I won't begin to explain the Aristotelian notion of Earth and its relationship to the planets and stars surrounding it, but I do want to include some information about perfect numbers.

But before I get to that, let me say a word about one of the Cantos we studied today, Canto 3. Canto 3 of Inferno introduces for the first time the idea of the punishments in hell matching the sin. Contrapasso is the Italian word for it-I can think of several people for whom I really wish I had some contrapasso!

 The other is the idea of only getting as much as you are ready for. As readers we are also subject to this latter idea-we are only shown or told as much as we are ready to understand by Dante the poet as we travel with him

I have had people say this to me several times before as I was reading the Commedia  but today was the first time I felt it physically. Proof of this is that I actually understood the explanation of how the classics used math-and how mathematicians in Dante's day used it to describe the physical world. (Though it still baffles me that they spent such time and energy trying to work out how to mathematically describe the movements of the planets based on a stationary and central Earth).

In Dante's day, mathematicians described several numbers that were perfect-that is those for whom the sum of the number's proper  factors (those not including itself) was equal to the number itself. The first is 6 (1+2 +3), the second 28 (1+2+4+7+8), the next 496 then 8,128 and so on They are a big deal both because there are not a whole lot of them (I think there are now 47 known), and because they embody perfection-the parts and the whole are equal.

Dante's poem has six perfect numbers in it (Cantos 6 and 28 in each of the three books), and these Cantos themselves have important things to say about perfection or the extreme lack thereof. Check them out for yourselves

My perfection has been this day-6 and 28! Learning so many new things, feeling history through the soles of my feet, running alone at sunrise on top of Medici Fortress, and again with four of my fascinating fellow Seminarians at sunset, and now sitting down to a glass of Chianti and two more Cantos to read. 

Inferno, Canto I-4

Then was the fear a little quieted that in the lake

of my heart had lasted through the night I passed

with so much anguish. Inferno Canto 1:19-21 

Today we began the formal work of our seminar-the line crawl through each of the Cantos that comprise Dante's  Commedia.  The group is 16 of the most brilliant people you could meet, shepherded by two people for whom superlatives completely fail me. I was intimidated by this day.

But my fear dissolved into excitement and overwhelming joy as I heard the first lines of the Inferno  read aloud this morning in our classroom. To hear these words, in this setting, and amongst these people is indeed a gift. 

Those of you familiar with the poem know that it details Dante's journey through Hell and Purgatory with his guide Virgil, and finally to Paradise. It is a poem that was written almost 700 years ago and yet it appeals to us even now. Part of the appeal for me is the fact that Dante invites us along on the pilgrimage. I hope I can include a couple of reflections each few days in this blog. 

Food- Italy is a cornucopia of food. In the past few days I have had cheeses, sliced meats and breads that defy imagination. Today I was able to squeeze in my first visit to the supermarket. For anyone who has ever shopped or eaten in a new land, you will understand how much of an adventure this is. I planned to buy only enough for the next few days-this is how most people shop in Europe and Latin America and, as the market is only across the street from my apartment, I am able to follow suit. 

Our market is a traditional supermarket-not open air. The aisles are much less crowded with competing brands and it is far easier to get what you want AND need (maybe the Rolling Stones have never eaten in Italy?) That said, it sure was hard to resist overindulging in the sliced meats, cheeses and fresh seafood (not to mention the wine). 

The other type of nourishment has been the city itself. My brief posts do no justice at all to laying this out for the reader. This afternoon I was able to walk around our neighborhood and do mundane (but still fun) tasks. I found the recycling bins (every neighborhood has large public receptacles for glass, plastic, compost and non-recyclables), some ATM machines, and several places to wash your hands in public fountains. 

Tomorrow I will try to post more about the Palio as it is another of the foods that I am consuming now-the food of traditions. 

Montalcino and the Church of San Antimo

Lavender and Rosemary Outside the Benedictine Living Quarters of Abbazia di Sant' Antonimo

We spent the day outside of Siena visiting the Abbazia di Sant' Antimo and the town of Montalcino, famous for Brunello wines. The countryside was astonishing. I think perhaps one of the most beautiful aspects is the way that people have shaped their surroundings, been able to bring forth so much from the land for so many hundreds of years, and still have not lost the contours and foundations of the soil itself. Pressures from heavy tourism and the lure of easy money seem to be completely deflected by the intense sense of place, attachment to tradition and community well being. 

Dante talks quite a bit about the bene comune and it is amazing to see it in the physical landscape, food traditions and community customs.

The Abbazia was built by Charlemagne in 1113, but records and foundations of an older church from 813 belie the apocryphal story that his was the original church. It is along the Via Francigena (the road leading North to France), and  built in the French style of pilgrimage churches. There are 3 chapels for example, each with its own altar to accommodate more masses and people. Relics from San Antimo and San Sebastian are both said to be held in the church-given by Charlemagne in gratitude for being cured from an epidemic that struck he and his entourage on the way back from visiting the Pope.

We picnicked on salumi (cold cuts-prosciutto, salami, and a wonderful bologna), cheeses, bread, fruit and wine on top of the small city of Montalcino and spent the rest of the day exploring the town, eating gelato and strolling about. 

I had my first full exchange with an Italian couple-naturally it was around their beautiful brindle boxer dog. Here is the dialogue paraphrased in English-note the extreme range of vocabulary and clear evidence of brilliance in this exchange:

Me:  What a beautiful dog. What is his name? 

Italian Man: Eric

Me: I have a boxer too-her name is Edith.

Italian Man (brightening, with wife smiling by his side): Oh great! How old is she?

Me: She is two-she is small.

Italian Man (wife worrying as boxer dog pees almost on her shoes): Eric is one-he is a good dog.

Me: Yes-good dogs. Thank you.

Italian Man and wife (side-stepping large puddle of pee): Thank You-have a good one.

The sad note is that I was probably as excited that I initiated and held my own in this little exchange as I was about the visit to this astounding place.

FIrst morning-the swallows of Siena

This morning I awoke early and fixed myself coffee in the cafetera (I am not sure what the Italian word is for the little pot I usually call the bullet). I have two such pots at home and like them as they can be used on stove top or camping. Sarah, a Dante Seminarian, and I met to go running and did four or five loops on top of the Fortaleza Medici just beyond our street. The park was filled with people of all ages walking and running, and we could see the whole city and countryside from the hill top.

Here is a short video of the swallows that greeted me in the morning. I think they are red-rumped swallows but haven't been able to get a close view.

We had a full day touring the city with Wes Kennison. The most enjoyable was our afternoon and evening introduction to the palio. This is  a horse race that has been run for several centuries in Siena and involved the 17 local contrade (like barrios or  blocos or  escolas de samba- neighborhood associations with broad social roles). The symbolism and influence of each  contrada is visible everywhere-particularly now as we approach two important Sienese dates-the choosing of the horses on June 29th and the running of the July 2nd race. We particularly focused on onda  and my photos depict the dolphin and waves that are its principal symbols.

The photos below show preparations in the morning for the horse race track-a dirt track that circles the campo,  the major square in Siena. Dirt is trucked in and the depth and moisture level carefully measured.

Each contrada  also has a patron saint, a fountain within the neighborhood, and a totem animal or symbol. The tartuga or turtle was striking. Its fountain was just down from the main cathedral and the water was sweet and drinkable.

We went to a beautiful baptism outside of the onda church, and later were privileged to participate in the outside dinner for the  contrada.  Here are some images from the day.

Baptism-notice the silk scarf on the baby with the contrada  symbols.

The Palio for 2011 unveiled. The Madonna di Provenzano.

The contrada  dinner.

Contrada members open wine for the dinner.

arrivi-arrivals

Roma-Siena-Via Montanini, 101


The flight to Rome from Detroit was cramped but smooth. I was seated next to a woman who is the architect-on-staff to an archaeological dig outside of  Florence-wonderful conversation.

Three of my fellow Dante Seminarians were in Rome at the same time and we made the trip by train from the airport to catch our bus to Siena at Stazione Tiburtina. We had time to get a big slice of mushroom pizza to snack on. Yum!

Here is our group on the binari (tracks) waiting on a train.

The bus ride was long (almost 4 hours) but beautiful. Outside my window I tried to stay awake as the miles of agricultural land rolled by. Fig trees, espalliered pear trees, egrets and magpies jerked my nodding head up in attention. Alas only one small group of goats-but many sheep and lovely hilly farms.

Our bus stop was Piazza Gramsci. For those who are not familiar with his work, Gramsci is a favorite philosopher and social reformer of mine. You can find out more about him here: Antonio Gramsci

Lynn Kennison is the woman working as the administrative assistant, travel agent and general goddess of all things Siena with our seminar. We met her at the Picolo Hotel Etruria and then walked to our new digs. Below are some pictures-the apartment was owned by the governor of Siena under Napoleon. I am sharing the kitchen, large living room and dining space with four other women (about whom more later). Each of us has a private bedroom and bathroom. The kitchen is fully equipped for me to try my hand at some Italian meals to accompany our late night Dante readings!

In addition, I have wireless internet-which is why I am able to fit in this quick and rough midnight post (it is 11:30 pm Siena time as I write).

my room.

The view out my window

My own personal devil-just in case I miss Rick too much.

After a quick shower and change, we walked back to meet the others for a delicious dinner-vino rosso della casa (house red wine) and pizza-I had a white pizza with zuchini, porcini and truffles. We all shared the huge portions and brought back the leftovers for morning snacks.

Ron Herzman and Bill Stephany insisted on walking us to their favorite gelateria. I was too full to partake but here are some photos to give you a sense of the place.

And so on that note, I will close this post. Tomorrow I have plans to do a short run/walk early before our first session.

il viaggio

The airport in Charleston, WV is a safe and homey place to begin a journey. Similar to the Burlington airport in my home state of Vermont, the entire airport takes up less space than most city office buildings-certainly not any dark woods dread here. This morning I followed my routine-woke early and had my first cup of coffee in the barn with the goats, walked the 2 miles (to the end of our road and back) with Rick and the dogs, weeded in the garden and ran 4 miles with Edith. It has just begun to hit me that I am embarking on a momentous journey. Still, even in the midst of routine, I was more attentive to the signs and surprises along the way: a little green heron flying up and traveling parallel to me on the run, the oily slither of a skink crossing the hot road ahead of me, a quick black snake. And the coffee in my husband's company was more aromatic, lively and comforting this morning.

I will try to keep my eyes and heart wide open as I experience Italy.