Siena April 18, 2015

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view of Siena from the Church of San Domenico

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portion of Siena’s old town wall

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driving from Florence to Siena

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our local guide, Maria

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the City Hall's tower

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many houses are built on top of each other, so there are lots of interesting narrow walkways and alleys

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Siena is dedicated to the Madonna, and there are Madonnas everwhere

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we are in the goose section of town. There are 14 sections, each very proud of its heritage. Our guide, Maria, comes from the Selva, or Forest, section.

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we are walking through narrow alleys and tunnels to the Selva district
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Selva (Forest) community church

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The Palio di Siena

The winning contrade receives a Palio banner, which is designed each year by artists of Siena.

The earliest known antecedents of the race are medieval. The town's central piazza was the site of public games, largely combative: pugna, a sort of many-sided boxing match or brawl; jousting; and in the 16th century, bullfights. Public races organized by the contrade were popular from the 14th century on; called palii alla lunga, they were run across the whole city.

When the Grand Duke of Tuscany outlawed bullfighting in 1590, the contrade took to organizing races in the Piazza del Campo. The first such races were on buffalo-back and called bufalate; asinate, races on donkey-back, later took their place, while horse racing continued elsewhere. The first modern Palio (called palio alla tonda to distinguish it from the earlier palii alla lunga) took place in 1656.
The Palio di Siena is a horse race that is held twice each year, on July 2 and August 16, in Siena, Italy. Ten horses and riders, bareback and dressed in the appropriate colors, represent ten of the seventeen contrades, or city wards. A pageant, the Corteo Storico, precedes the race, which attracts visitors and spectators from around the world.

The race itself, in which the jockeys ride bareback, circles the Piazza del Campo, on which a thick layer of dirt has been laid, three times and usually lasts no more than 90 seconds. It is common for a few of the jockeys to be thrown off their horses while making the treacherous turns in the piazza, and indeed, it is usual to see unmounted horses finishing the race without their jockeys. Dirty tricks between the contrade teams are also common, and not discouraged.
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Palios won by the Selva community (banners that are given to the winning section of town of the annual Palio horse race)

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the crypt under the Selva church where the Palios and costumes of the community are kept

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costumes won by the Selva community in the annual Palio horse race

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costumes won by the Selva community in the annual Palio horse race
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the Duomo (basilica)

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Selva community garden looking toward town

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rhinos are the emblem of the Selva (Forest) community

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detail between doorway arches of the Duomo

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detail between doorway arches of the Duomo

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the Duomo (basilica)

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detail above the right doorway

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detail above the left doorway

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Coronation of the Virgin above the center doorway

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center doorway

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Duomo pulpit

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Duomo dome

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nave and dome

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Duomo library ceiling by Piccolomini

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the She-Wolf of Siena in the floor tiling

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Massacre of the Innocents by Matteo di Giovanni

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Duomo library ceiling by Piccolomini

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floor tiling

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Duomo Interior

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Duomo High Altar

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Duomo Library frescos panels 5 and 6

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Arthur in the library of the Duomo

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Duomo Library frescos panels 5 and 6

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Hermes Mercurio Trismegistus in the floor tiling

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Stained-glass window

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pulpit detail

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pulpit

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Piazza del Campo where the Palio is run

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Stained-glass window depicting the Last Supper

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The Torre Maggia

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Siena’s She-Wolf suckling Romulus and Remus

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statue at the Fonte Gaia

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Fonte Gaia (Fountain of the World) in the Piazza del Campo

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Piazza del Campo where the Palio is run

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statues at the Fonte Gaia

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Torre del Mangia

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pigeon drinking from the mouth of the She-Wolf at the Fonte Gaia

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pigeons on the She-Wolf at the Fonte Gaia

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on the road from Siena back to Florence

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Lincoln Ramírez, Bernie Benn, and Arthur Luehrmann

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We visited the American Cemetery outside of Florence dedicated to
those who fought and gave their lives in World War II

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Florence American Cemetery

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Florence American Cemetery, map with locations and dates of each battalion

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Florence American Cemetery

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back in Florence at the River Tiber

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