Exploration

What a week (and a half)! I've spent a lot of time adjusting to my surroundings, which means something new each day. Last week I went several CET outings, the first being a cooking class at Fonte Giusta, an amazing restaurant in Siena in the Camollia section. I got to see the kitchen from which all the gorgeous ravioli and cinghiale and pane, etc. are born, and the owner of the restaurant was enthusiastic about having us get our hands dirty and mix ingredients with our fingers to create batches of almond biscotti, homemade pasta, and eggplant/spinach/ricotta-filled tortellini. He didn't speak a word of English. Unfortunately, this meant that I am not much closer to achieving my goal of becoming a master Italian chef by the time I return home, but I did get to see some pretty cool stuff. Eggs yolks here are vibrant shades of red-orange, and I learned how to fold up a square of pasta around some filling into a fancy napkin-shaped tortellini. Afterwards, the real chefs topped our wobbly creations with fantastic sauces and kept the food coming until I thought I was literally going to explode. We got a doggie-bag of biscotti to bring home, too!

Another highlight was a visit to the Onda Contrada museum near San Francesco, several blocks behind the Piazza del Campo. A unique little church houses the memorabilia of this contrada's Palio wins, and serves as a neighborhood stronghold for baptisms and other blessings. The space within Siena's walls is divided into 17 contradas, or neighborhoods, and people are very, very loyal to their communities. If you are born in one contrada, you remain a member of it for life even if you move to a different one. This makes for strong internal bonds among the people of the city, but also makes it difficult for outsiders to truly integrate. The Onda (Wave) contrada museum and crypt were full of ornate religious decorations, tons of hand-painted silk banners, and historical Palio costumes. These banners are the prize for winning the famed Palio, or contrada horse race, that takes place in the Piazza del Campo every July.

Saturday I left Siena to take a day-trip to Arezzo, where they were having their monthly antique market. This occurs the first weekend of each month, and was so much more widespread than I expected: tables and furniture covered every street of the city. After browsing, I also saw the inside of the Duomo, the famous frescoes of San Francesco, and Giorgio Vasari's house. Vasari is a major figure in Arezzo, he's known for writing a comprehensive book about the lives and works of the famous artists of his day (and before), and this year marks the 500th anniversary of his birth. (Arezzo is also Roberto Benigni's hometown!) It was remarkable to see the difference in style between the two cities, Arezzo was much airier and open than Siena. However, I find myself loving the ancient stone palazzi of Siena and the feeling of medieval history that radiates from every brick of every towering building.

The rest of the weekend, I wandered the streets of Siena intending to visit all 17 contradas, but I only made it to the end of my own (L'Aquila - Eagle) before I came across a pretty park behind San Agostino near Porta Tufi that overlooks the Tuscan countryside. I ended up spending the entire afternoon lying in the grass bathed in sunshine and reading a book. Perfetto.