Pisa & Siena - Day 5

Today we enjoyed the beautiful Tuscan countryside.  We rented a car in Florence and decided to drive towards Pisa, then head over to Siena for a little bit of shopping and dinner.

Pisa is approximately 45-60 minutes southwest of Florence, located on the right bank of the Arno river and the Tyrrenhian Sea.  While the main attraction is The Leaning Tower of Pisa, there are well over 20 other historic sites to see in Pisa, including the Basilica and Baptistry that stands on the same piazza known as the Piazza dei Miracoli or the Square of Miracles.


The tower was designed in the 11c to be 185 feet tall with 8 stories.  The tower stood straight for the first 5 years, but after the completion of the 3rd floor the tower began to lean.  The foundation of the tower was built on dense clay soil that could not support the weight of the tower, so it began to lean at the weakest point.  At the same time in history, Italy was in war with Genoa, so the country focused on winning the battle and the tower stood incomplete for the next 100 years.  In 1272 construction started again and the architect built floor 4 taller than floor 3 trying to compensate for the lean, but instead made the lean worse.  Again, the tower construction came to a halt because of war and it wasn't until 1319 that the 7th floor was added and 1372 when the bell chamber was completed.  The tower took almost 200 years to complete!  Funny enough, in 1860 the architect dug channel underneath the Tower to show the people the base, this further aggravated the lean and the entire state of Italy became concerned that the Tower would topple.  The Tower is one of the few towers that was not destroyed by the American soldiers during WW2, who were told to destroy any and all structures because of the threat of enemy snipers.  It was pure luck that when the soldiers arrived in Pisa, they were quickly asked to retreat, which saved this important (and fragile) structure.  Finally, in 1964 Italy voiced the importance in saving the Tower and put counterweights on the tower to help prevent it from falling.  And in 1990 the tower was closed for a long 11 year restoration, which elongated its life and made it safe for tourists to visit the site.  Today tourists can safely view the tower and climb to the top, if they so desire.  Before the restoration, the tower leaned almost at a 10 degree angle, today it is roughly 3-5 degrees.  It's quite fascinating to stand in front of the tower and realize that while this was an architectural mistake, it has became a landmark and an important figure in Italian history.  


After a few snapshots of Pisa, we headed straight west towards the Tyrrenhian Sea.  We wanted to compare this coast, with the Amalfi Coast.  It took about 20 minutes to drive to the beach from Pisa, but it was well worth the drive.  Locals were out sunbathing on the hot rocks and dining in the seaside cafe's....it was a perfect day.  We stopped at a quaint restaurant on the water and dined on a few starters:  escargot (in the shell - you have to "suck" them out), mussels, and an assortment of lightly fried, mixed seafood (heads, teeth, bones, and all)....this was quite a different experience for all of us, but worth the memories!


After leaving the seaside town, we headed Southeast towards the historic center of Siena, which has been declared by Unesco as a World Heritage Site! Siena is a beautiful Tuscan city about 60 km south of Florence.  It dates back to 70 AD.  The city center is surrounded by a wall, which was originally built in the 10c to protect from soil erosion.  It was finished in the 13c when it was used to then protect the city from Florence, who was a major rival to Siena. 

Our timing in Siena could not have been better.  We, mistakenly, arrived during “The Palio,” which is Siena’s famous, medieval horse race that takes place twice a year on July 2^nd and August 16^th.  For three days preceding The Palio, they practice the race.  We were fortunate enough to see the first practice!

The Palio takes place in the Piazza Del Campo and 17 “contrades” compete for the trophy.  Contrade’s are city neighborhoods that were originally formed as battalions to protect the city.  The contrade’s vie for the infamous “Palio” which is a painted banner depicting the Virgin Mary. Each year the Palio is commissioned and designed by a well-known artist. 

Only 10 of the contrade’s will race.  Seven of them are chosen because they did not race the year prior and the additional 3 are chosen from a lottery.   The horses are also assigned to the contrades and the jockeys make large sums of money, as well as bribe and trade with other “ally” contrades to prevent “enemy” contrades from winning the race! 

The city prepares for the race three days prior, with a practice race each day.  We arrived just in time to witness the race, as well as the singing, marching, drumming, and parades for each contrade.  The city was full of flags, depicting the colors and emblems of each neighborhood.  We happened to fal upon a blocked off area, where one of the contrades’s (depicted by an aqua flag with a vicious looking fish) were gathering before the race.  They were singing and drinking and having a great time.  It was really spectacular to see the loyalty and love they had for their neighborhoods.  In addition, before and after the race they all dine together as a community, in some instances blocking off whole blocks to seat 1000 diners for a post-practice race meal. 

While the race has been running for many, many years, it hasn’t been without scrutiny in regards to the treatment of the horses and the safety of the jockey’s.  The jockeys ride bare back on a rather treacherous terrain and the steep hills and dirt path are somewhat dangerous and not consistent for the horses who can be injured during the race. There are also no stalls for the horses to line up in, which can make for a very long start to the race.  We witnessed this during the practice.  They would announce each contrade and then they were asked to line up next to each other to start the race.  One horse was not interested in lining up at all and it took 5-7 minutes to get him even close enough to start the race.  The race started without him in line, so clearly he was not the winner!  

The race itself is a mere 3 minutes, but the festivities last a long 4 days!  Hotels and restaurants along the piazza can charge up to 500 Euros for a seat along the track. 

We were so happy that we got to witness this event, it was really amazing to hear the singing and shouting throughout the city and to see the kids dressed up in their medieval costumes reflecting their native neighborhoods. 

After the race, we ventured off for a bite to eat before leaving Siena.  Candace dined on a traditional Tuscan pasta dish, while Jeff had pesto, and I had a spaghetti Bolognese.  Tom decided to be a little different and ordered a white bean and sausage stew, which was excellent.

The drive back to Florence was eventful, as anyone who has driven in Italy knows, it’s not easy to navigate.  Jeff did a great job getting us back (in the dark) without GPS!  It was a really great day and we are all in love with Siena.