Mapping SIENA

Palio dinner preparations in the Onda neighborhood As with every Palio, only 10 out of Siena's 17 contrade can participate in the horse race.  The ten contrade which will race piazza del Campo on July 2, 2015 in the world's oldest continually run sporting event are:  Torre (tower) Nicchio (shell) Civetta (owl) Valdimontone (ram) Leocorno (unicorn) Oca (goose) Pantera (pantheress) Selva (forest) Onda (wave) Tartuca (tortoise) PALIO HOSE RACE JULY 2, 2015 The weather forecast shows 30 degrees for the whole week in Siena. If you're not great with the heat and sticky crowds skip the long afternoon of waiting in piazza del Campo on July 2, and make do with a trial race instead. The first of them takes place on the evening of June 29 at 7.45 pm. Followed by morning trials at 9 pm and evening trials (again at 7.45 pm) on all the days leading up to the final race on July 2. The morning trials are less busy than the evening ones, but the light is beautifu...

Understand a bit of Italian? This is the night to figure out how much regarding a topic that seems a bit removed but actually isn't at all.  Italy entered the first world war exactly a hundred years ago on the 24th of May 1915. 600'000 Italian soldiers died during the war. Many of them were 'Italians' born in Brasil or Argentina who traveled to Europe as young men to fight for a country they had never put foot on before. 150'000 of Italy's soldiers in the first world war had been born in Brazil, Argentina and other  countries their parents had had to migrate to for a better future abroad. An important fact to consider when we read the daily headlines regarding todays incessantly growing immigration to Italy and Europe via Lybia.  'La storia quasi vera del milite ignoto' is told by Emilio Franzina, the writer of the book with the same title, which tells the story of a young soldier born in Brasil to Italian parents of Venetian heritage.  ...

Often left out for Siena's more prominent museums in piazza del Campo or near the cathedral, the Pinacoteca is nevertheless one of my favorite sights in town. A visit in the quiet palazzo is a must for lovers of the Sienese school of painting. But you don't have to be into early Renaissance art to enjoy the lay-back atmosphere in the museum, which will be near empty even on a Sunday afternoon in high season. It may be a little more crowded during the late night opening for this Saturday's museum night. But the panorama views over the medieval town from the upper floors should make up for it.  Works by Duccio, Simone Martini and the Lorenzetti brothers will guide you trough the 14th century, the golden years of painting in Siena, when the town was one of the foremost economic and artistic competitors of Florence. The works by Sano di Pietro and il Vecchietta are the local highlights of the 15th century, whilst Sodoma and Lorenzo Lotto represent the master painters o...

Close to the Firenze-Siena highway, tiny Monteriggioni is a beloved stop on the Tuscan tourist trail. However, most locals don't take the Monteriggioni exit for sightseeing but for a bite to eat at bar Orso. The roadside cafe not far from the highway exit is well known for its panini: generous Tuscan sandwiches filled with prosciutto, salami, Pecorino cheese or - my favorite - acciughe sotto pesto (anchovies marinated with parsley, garlic, chili pepper and extra virgin olive oil).  However, on a sunny winter day skip bar Orso and drive up to Monteriggioni itself. The medieval stronghold is visible already from the highway and similar to San Gimignano has been a landmark along the former pilgrim route since medieval times (and hence also got its mention in Dante's Divine Comedy). The fourteen towers have been cut back and rebuilt through the centuries but the intact town wall is the real deal. The small town has several bars and restaurants. On a warm winter ...

Matera has won the title of European Capital of Culture and even though we're disappointed in Tuscany, this is a well deserved victory. From the start of the competition Matera has been an eye-catcher. The bottom-up approach of its bid was impressive and once the city council married the idea of Matera's candidature (it had initially been born by a private group of people), the committee was swift in connecting the young and creative local scene to European and international forces. Hang on there, this party isn't over yet! #Siena2019 In regard to digital involvement Matera was the benchmark for the other Italian candidate cities with its great website and busy interaction on every possible social media channel from day one of the competition.  But what must have been most important to the jury, Matera put together a soundproof bid book called 'Open Future/Open City', which has already started to infuse the people of the Basilicata (once mainly known as Ita...

Today is the big day. The European and Italian jury meets in Rome to proclaim Italy's European Capital of Culture 2019. Two cities in Europe will share the title; Plovdiv has already been designated to be Bulgaria's ECoC city in 2019 whilst Lecce, Perugia/Assisi, Cagliari, Matera, Ravenna and Siena are still in the race for the title in Italy.  Until 5 pm today that is, when the jury chosen by the European Union will supply the name of the Italian winner. In Siena the press conference will be followed via live streaming in piazza del Mercato (the square below piazza del Campo). From 3 pm members of the Siena 2019 team will meet voluntaries, locals and supporters of Siena's bid in the former market square. Join the crowd for a party with events and live music and keep your thumbs up. Pier Luigi Sacco and his team have worked hard on an inspiring bid book. If Siena wins the title, every single project in it will be put into practice over the next years culminating in...

I'm busy helping prepare our Tuscan village's Festa dell'Uva , the harvest festival 2014. But if I wasn't turning moldy medieval cellars into improvised bars stacked with Montecucco wine I'd be giving a hand in Siena today. Not just Palio horses and Renaissance art. Join Siena's Magenta Day! MAGENTA DAY: FRIDAY OCTOBER 3, 2014 If you explore the Tuscan city today skip Duccio, Pinturicchio and the cathedral for a change and join some contemporary pink frenzy instead. From 10 am the Magenta Day takes over Siena's town center and no matter whether you're a local, an American tourist or one of the refugees who arrived this summer - everybody is invited to join in. Participate and experience for yourself how contemporary culture and innovation are - at last! - back in town. Siena is competing to become European Capital of Culture in 2019 - and judging from today's program SIENA 2019 is doing one hell of a job! Starting off with a ...

It can still get hot on piazza del Campo by the the end of September, but  the locals are already showing off their elegant autumn outfits (likely bought in one of these trendy shops )  whilst the tourists still flock around in shorts and straw hats. The start of school and university also brings the last people back from Castiglione della Pescaia (the lovely Tuscan seaside town where a lot of Sienese own their beach houses) and reopens the city's cultural life after all the summer heat.    Siena's wine bar and Jazz club Un Tubo begins the season this week with a concert of singer Barbara Casini (Thursday 25) dedicated to Brazilian rhythms and a  tribute to Kenny Wheeler (Friday 26). And from the beginning of October the weekly Jam session will take place every Tuesday evening. Entrance to all concerts is for free. For more info on the gigs this autumn check out Un Tubo's event calendar .  Classic music lover will have to bide their time since Micat...

After the frightening looking fall of the leading jockey of the Valdimontone (ram) neighborhood right at the beginning of the race, Aquila (eagle neighborhood) and its yellow wearing jockey seemed to be in pole position to win the Palio dell'Assunta in 2014. Nevertheless Occolé, the horse of the closely following Civetta (owl) had the better of them and won the race after leading it for the full last round, closely followed by the horses of contrada dell'Aquila and Chiocciola.  Andrea Mari (called Brio) riding the winning horse Occolé  for the Civetta neighborhood When visiting Siena this summer and autumn you will not just see the colors and hear the victorious chants of the members of the Civetta neighborhood , but also those of the members of the Drago, the neighborhood of the dragon which won the July Palio 2014 .  Want to celebrate along? Join one of the 30 victory dinners organized by Civetta all through the roads of their neighborhood until Tue...

Born last year, the Siena and Stars festival is in its second round and continues to bring more great live music to one of the most beautiful locations in Siena's city center. With a focus on some of Italy's greatest singer songwriters the festival opens with  Antonello Venditti (11/7) in piazza del Campo (concert for free!) followed by  Franco Battiato on July 15. The Sicilian pop star will be accompanied by Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, one of Italy's leading symphony orchestras.  The international highlight of the festival takes place on July 18 with the 'Balcan Party' by Goran Bregovic and his Wedding and Funeral band - a concert that should get everybody off their chairs. The same counts for the Tarantella night with Ambrogio Sparagna and the Orchestra Popolare Italiana on the 17th of July.  Getting ready for Siena and Stars  If you rather let other people do the dancing, come on the 22nd to admire the ballerini of Milan's teatro della Scala ...