Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons – Top left: Drappellone photo by Gilda from London, UK; Top centre: photo by William Domenichini; Top right: photo by Roberto Vicario; Bottom photos all by Roberto Vicario
Jochen and I were just in Italy for a short vacation and travelling through Tuscany on our way to Agropoli on the Amalfi coast where our daughters were attending a dance workshop and performing. Jochen is presently in Germany teaching a refresher saddle ergonomics course, and has asked me to take over this week’s blog for him since he has little time to write anything right now. The format will be a bit different, but hopefully no less informative.
We did a whirlwind tour for about a week and got an introduction to Florence, Pisa, Paestum, Pompei, Rome and Siena. We enjoyed seeing the incredible architecture, the ruins, the artwork and sculptures, but of all the places we visited, we really enjoyed the medieval city of Siena the most. Learning about the connection to horses that Siena has, made it even more significant why this city ‘spoke’ to us the most, so I thought that I would share with you the history of the Palio – an annual event that takes place July 2 and August 16 in the marketplace (Piazza del Campo) of the city.
Siena itself is a city rich with architecturally significant buildings including churches, palaces, and hospitals (Siena was one of the first European cities to have a hospital in 1090), with museums housing the works of artists such as Donatello and Michelangelo. These buildings, along with the narrow streets and the many water fountains work to transport the visitor into the past. We unfortunately were just a couple of days too late to experience the Palio itself, but the history behind it is fascinating…
Read full blog here.
~ Sabine Schleese, with thanks to Wikipedia and the promotional brochure from Siena for details
