Day 19- Siena to Orvieto

(originally posted on facebook 6/29/13)

Day 19- Wow

Better start writing this fast- I'm fading! We got up at 5:30 this AM to catch the 7 o'clock to Siena, which it turned out, was our best way to get to Orvieto, tonight's stay. Little did we know as we walked into town, it was qualifying day number one for the summer's first Palio- the medieval horse race held in the central square. The whole town turns out for the race, each neighborhood wearing scarves and colors reflecting their particular area. 

The infield of the piazza fills in quickly for the morning's qualifying events

The pageantry is amazing and real- no amplified announcers- the groups erupt in song spontaneously and with gusto. As we were leaving town later one of the groups passed by us in full swing- people were crying and singing at the top of their lungs- it was amazing and stirring. It's also medieval in that the men and women sit and sing separately, and the riders are bareback!

Walking along a side street, this group came up at us singing their anthem. It was very stirring. 

We found a spot in the infield and wandered around to watch the crowds file in, mostly Italians, with lots of families. On the first race, two of the riders fell off their mounts on the first corner- they got up right away, but later we saw one being carted off on a stretcher. The funny part was that their horses kept going- in fact the riderless ponies won the three lap race...and then continued to race each other for another 4 laps, with the crowd cheering them on while their trainers tried in vain to make them stop! 

Bareback! Yeeee hah!!

These were just qualifying races, so they weren't quite as colorful as the finals, but they were also much easier to get into, and they were free. Afterwards we took in the Duomo, a kind of Tim Burton extravaganza in black and white stripes, and the amazing Piccolomini library, extravagantly painted by Pinturicchio in 1503. The downstairs baptistry also had beautiful ceilings, and below that there was the remains of a 13th century church that was just uncovered and preserved in 2003. 

Beautiful doorway in the Siena Duomo

We missed seeing the Museo Civico because of the Palio, but it was worth it. We took another train to arrive in Orvieto, another dramatic hilltop town (you go into town via a funicular railway) just as the sun was beginning to go down. The bells were ringing, the swallows were swallowing, and we arrived at a gorgeous designer pad that passes for a B&B somehow. Feels like we're in a Better Homes spread, and it's cheap!

The stone walls of this apartment were constructed in the 16th century!

Ok- I need to get to bed now- been a long day! Enjoy the pics!