Finalmente!! Italia!!

Torre del Mangia, Siena

Ok so I am superissimo slack with blogging, I know kittens and mi dispiace molto. I have however been writing in my moleskine and present now the musings of my month in Siena>

Il primo giorno in la casa di Gianna, Coroncina, Siena, Italia.

Homemade bruschetta

My room in Gianna's house

Having your own room again after weeks of sleeping on couches makes you do strange things, like paint your nails half-naked with your ipod tucked into your underpants for want of a pocket or some speakers. Drawers become precious chests in which to hide your treasures. Putting a dress onto a hanger never felt so good.

Milo, one of Gianna's dogs, he luffs me

The streets of Siena

Nelle strade you can always find a vespa mirror in which to check your makeup, and in this land of the 'bella figura' no one thinks you vain for touching up your eyeliner in public or taking the shine off your nose.

The famous inlaid marble pavemento of the Duomo a Siena

They caged Minera under the Duomo (cathedral) in Siena, where her sacred temple used to be. The ornate floor depicting Elijah in his chariot of flames marks the grave of the goddess. By strange coincidence my new swimsuit is called Minerva-style ;) It's blue with rope print and couldn't be more ridiculously nautical. I remember her as I plunge into to mediterranean sea at Castelglione della Pescaia on the coast of Toscana.

The Contrada of Siena

The contrada are kind of like the school houses at Hogwarts, all have animal totems (owl, panther, tortoise, eagle etc) and a fierce sense of belonging. To continue the Hogwarts comparison the Palio could be likened to the quidditch finals, only much more dangerous. The Contrada are regions of the town as well as communities that people are raised in, almost like a family. They began as military regiments and developed into societies for workers in certain fields (goldsmiths, leatherworkers etc). Your contrada was previously chosen by where you were born but since the advent of maternity wards it has been determined by that of your parents. The girls take their mothers' contrada while the boys' take their fathers. So it happens that often there are families with mixed allegiances.