I have now officially been in Siena for 24 hours and so far, so good! My trip over went smoothly (no luggage disasters or thefts) and aside from a moment of confusion trying to find the right bus to take me to Siena the transportation went well. I laughed a little as I got in a taxi to take me to my residence as I realized that in one day I had been on two planes, a train, a bus, and in a taxi: that's a lot of transfers! Anyhow, after arriving at the residence I unpacked and got incredibly sweaty and gross in the process (it was hot yesterday and the building has no AC) so then I took a shower and headed over to the study abroad office where I will be working for the month of August. After taking care of business there for a few hours Ninni (my boss) and Joe (the other assistant) and I went for a little walking tour of the city (a practice for the orientation tours we will do for the students) and then later we went to eat at the Nicchio contrade, and finally, around 11:00pm I finally went to bed.
This is now my third trip to Italy and it still hasn't lost its magic for me. There is something wonderful about walking down narrow streets paved in stone full of little shops and cafes, or standing the shadow of a cathedral dome and looking up at the spires. Siena, in particular, is a magnificent place. There is a strong sense of community here, which I was reminded of at dinner last night. Since the Middle Ages Siena has been divided in contrade, sort of the equivalent of districts or nieghborhoods of the city. These contrade compete against each other twice each year in the famous Palio horse race. Prior to the Palio, there are a number of acitivites in each contrade to celebrate and prepare. The Nicchio contrade (where we ate last night) puts on a huge festival in the gardens of their community center. There are various food vendors (including a splendid buffet), wine and beer vendors, and games, and around 11:00pm dancing begins in a little disco area. The whole city is welcome to attend, and it was packed last night with a variety of people, old and young, families, lots of small children running around and playing games on the grass (most American parents I know would never let their kids stay up so late!) and it was endearing to look around and see happy smiles and hear laughter as friends and family greeted each other and ate together. This strong sense of community and family is one of the things I love most about Siena, and I was glad to be reminded of it on my first night back.
Tomorrow the students arrive and the craziness begins! I promise to have some pictures to post soon; until then, ciao!