YA-19: Sara in Siena, contrada parties and exams!

Hello again! You might want to grab a cup of tea and/or snacks for this one because it’s going to be a long blog entry (can you tell I’ve been neglecting my duties lately?). Enjoy!

On May Day morning I went to PAM with Dad to do a massive grocery shop (got to make the most while your parents are in town) and then I spent most of the morning studying. Unfortunately, after lunch it started to rain so we had to stay inside until it cleared up but the sun eventually came out and we were able to go on an afternoon stroll. I took Dad to San Francesco, the Piazza and then we went for coffee at MeetLife. I then left Dad who wanted to walk around a bit longer and I went back home to do some more work – had a lot to catch up and some exams looming over the horizon. All in all, it was a nice and simple public holiday giornata.

On the Tuesday I had lessons so I left Dad sleeping in while I went to class and then I had to run some errands and get the books for Storia Sociale. I had lunch at home with Dad and then we decided to go to the Duomo. We got tickets for the whole thing and I’d never been inside before but it is beautiful! My favourite part were the floors of the Cathedral and Libreria Piccolomini, which is decorated beautifully with frescoes and golden details. The view from the Facciatone is also amazing – you could see our house from it! And then the rest of the Complesso Museale del Duomo is also interesting, they have a massive variety of paintings and the crypt and baptistery are also pretty. Overall it was a good decision to go. On our way back home we bought a basil plant from an organization to fight breast cancer and Dan and I have decided to name it Boris. Unfortunately, we are struggling to keep it alive so any advice will be appreciated…

Dad was leaving on Wednesday morning so I went to Storia Sociale and then back home to say good-bye and drop him off at the bus station. It was lovely to have him around and explore Italy together <3

After dropping him off I decided to get to work and do some cooking and have lunch before going out for a run. I fancied running so I went to the Fortezza and ran three laps which adds up to about 5km – you can imagine how tired I was at the end but I was really happy to have got back into running. I showered and got comfy in order to start reviewing properly for my upcoming French exam and then was told there was a newspaper meeting in the evening. Unfortunately I really had to study so I had no more options than to stay in and go to the next one…

Thursday morning was the French test. The quiz went fine and when we got to the oral presentation everybody was so much more nervous than we should’ve been. The oral was in front of the students, which I find strange in comparison to England, but once it got going it was just a matter of managing to go next and get it done. I got 30 con lode in the subject, so I’m more than happy! I spent the rest of the day attending my other lectures and running a few errands, but mostly taking it as a break – a treat after the morning test. That night I met with Megan and Jess to go out for dinner. It had been a while since we’d been out and Megan and I have decided we want to go through the list of restaurant recommendations in Siena. We want to end our Erasmus experience being able to rate the restaurants and Contrada parties – worthwhile aim, huh? Food and dancing; can’t go wrong with that! That night we tried Osteria Gatto e Cane near Jess’. I went for pici cacio e pepe which I’d never eaten before and were really tasty, with some bruschettas and roasted veggies to share. All the food was good and the portions were filling, which was great! Cosy and local place to go for sure.

After dinner it was mildly raining but we’d heard there was a Contrada party at Valdimontone, so Megan and I head there. Fortunately, they’d set up a tent in the garden which was much needed because at one point it was raining cats and dogs. The music and atmosphere were alright – it was a fun night, but it’s not up there with the best. It also felt like Friday, but it was Thursday, and that totally threw me off!

Friday was a normal day of errands and lectures, but in the evening I met up with Jess, Nat, Emilia and Ivo to go to Morbidi for apericena. I hadn’t been there in ages and the food is definitely good. A pricier place than usual aperitivo, but so worth it! We got a table and it was lovely to catch up and have a chat. I’m such a fan of more social meet ups in which you can actually talk! After eating we went around town trying to find a nice place to have a drink and I then left them and head to Parsifal for a photo gallery event with the newspaper lot. It was a cute event – the photos pictured the impact of students in Siena, with before and after shots of different locations. We had a couple drinks and chatted; there was also a group playing some traditional music from the south and I ended up being taught how to ‘dance’ the tarandella. It was overall a great experience because I got to speak Italian and have a different Friday from the usual, as well as meeting a lot of new people (which, at the same time, means forgetting a lot of names…). We eventually moved onto Le Logge and hung outside but I left them at around half two. I wasn’t planning on a late night, but what can you do when you get caught up in actually being part of the Italian landscape of Siena?

Clearly after going to bed so late, my head wasn’t functioning properly the following day. However, I had to get up early because Sara was coming to visit in Siena. It was lovely to have her and I can’t believe she made such a long trip to and from on the same day – she must’ve been exhausted in the end! We were unlucky with the weather and had to fight heavy rain, but we made it work. I showed her around the city, we went into the Duomo, we had pizza at La Trofea and ice-cream at La Favorita (honestly, probably the best ice-cream in town)… She really loved Siena despite the weather which I’m happy about. Megan joined us by PAM for a bit before Sara had to go and catch her train, and we attempted and failed at taking a decent picture together haha

I spent the rest of the afternoon doing some cooking and napping before the evening. The plan was to go out to the Contrada party at Lupa, but the weather took a very wrong turn and there was a proper thunderstorm and horrible rain. However, Megan and I were ready and, since it seemed to subside a little, we decided to go to the house party at Saverio and Matteo’s. If it kept raining, we could always stay there if the Contrada party was outdoors… We dropped by for a bit but really wanted to go dance at the Contrada so we made a bit of small talk before heading to Lupa – turns out it was indoors which was great! It was a lot emptier than the day before, probably due to the rain, but the music was great and Megan, Fredericke and I ended up jamming away the whole time. We then found Emilio and Tsubasa so we joined them and stayed until the end of the night before deciding to move onto Al Cambio. However, I was so tired I gave up and decided to go to bed before actually reaching the club lol Lupa is definitely up there in the contrada party chart.

On Sunday the 7^th it was Mothers’ Day in Spain so I rung up Mum before heading to the Pinacoteca. I wanted to check it out because it was free the first Sunday of the month. There were a lot of medieval triptychs with gold paint, maybe too many for my taste as I’m not a fan of that period but I have to say if you do actually like it, you should definitely check it out. I spent the rest of the day home doing some revision but mostly relaxing and going to bed early to catch up on my sleep.

On the Monday we had a massive misunderstanding with our Cinema lesson. I had the usual morning and was thinking the class would be at 2 until Dan mentioned it starting at 12 and I was really confused and nobody really knew what the deal with it was, so we went round at 12 and it was only Erasmus and a couple Italian girls who’d turned up and the teacher was nowhere to be found. After waiting for a bit we decided it would be on at 2 then, so I went to the mensa at Sant’Agata with Duncan to grab some lunch before class. It was annoying to waste the time but nice to spend some time with Duncan outside the classroom lol Then back home I had to deal with Student Finance paperwork and ring them up a few times as well as go to the gym and do some work. The usual.

Tuesday was not much different. I went to class, I ran some errands, our landlady came over. We found out our contrada’s società is downstairs which is amazing because it means we’ll be in the midst of the festivities when the time comes woop woop! I also phoned Lara because it had been ages since we’d last spoken and it was great to catch up. I really miss her and can’t wait to see her in the summer. And then I went to Maudit to join the British lot for the evening. It was fun and the odd event happened with some Canadians on tour in Europe coming round to our table. If that’s not the place to meet the strangest people in Siena, I don’t know what is.

Wednesday and Thursday were quite uneventful. I went to class, ran some errands, did some revision. I like to go and run in the Fortezza now that it’s warm but not overwhelmingly hot. I had the cinema exam for which I got the feedback today and was complimented by the teacher on the content and my Italian, so I’m super happy! I also encountered the weirdest thing in Siena thus far: a sort of fraternity of young guys who dress up in capes and blast music from pimped cars with stages on top. Literally, so weird. They have been touring Siena for the past week. And I decided to have two movie nights because it had been ages since I’d last watched some films. I was tempted to watch a new one, but in the end I went for the trusty ‘Sweeney Todd’ and ‘The Lovely Bones’, both of which I’m a big fan of.

This past weekend has also been great fun. On Friday I was quite efficient writing up posts for the different blogs I’m a part of (if you didn’t know, I also write for the University of Bath Placements’ Blog which you can find here: http://blogs.bath.ac.uk/hss-placements/author/zam22/ ) and going to the gym (literally, I nearly died in cross-fit last Friday – it’s Monday as I write and I have the worst sore muscles ever and I think I might’ve pulled my arm so any advice on that hit me up). Anyhow, I was decidedly going out anyway so I got ready and head to Emilia’s for pres with Jess, Ivo, Dan and Francesco. We played cards and chatted for a while until we went out to la Civetta – it was mildly raining but that was not going to stop us. The music was really good and we had a great time. When that finished at one, Megan and I were still really energized and wanted to find somewhere else with music so we went on a quest with Francesco. Unfortunately, Cacio e Pere had just finished and Pantaneto was dead. In Leocorno we found Tsubasa, Emilio and a friend of theirs and joined them in looking for something else. Eventually we ended up at Tsubasa’s dancing to the music of his laptop. It was such a bizarre but fun night.

On Saturday I was knackered and should’ve probably slept in but was planning on “being efficient” which did not go to plan. Instead, I did some laundry and chilled in bed until after lunch, when I joined Megs, Emilia and Jess at Orto Tolomei for some sunbathing. The weather was lovely and it was so nice to chill under the sun – perfect temperature to feel warm but not melt from the heat. I – as always- slathered SPF cream on so I don’t think I got very tan, but it was a lovely afternoon in the park with such a summery feel. Then at 6 I met with Megan again to go to the Battesimo dei Contradaioli of the Contrada dell’Oca, by Fontebranda. It was a lovely event to attend and we saw how the contradaioli get christened and receive their contrada banner. The community feel is insane and I cannot believe how, in such a small place as Siena there are seventeen different contradas! Now that the events are starting I actually want to stay in Siena to experience the Palio properly – I can hear the drums every morning and I randomly bump into contrada parades. It is something unique to Siena and I don’t want to miss out on it!

Anyway, after the christening we went to Piazza del Campo to chill for a bit before heading home to have dinner and get ready to go to Emilia’s to watch the Eurovision Singing Contest 2017. We played the drinking game and had the contrada party right next door, so I wasn’t paying much attention and only stayed for the performances before heading to the party with Megan. I was surprised to hear that Spain got no points, until I realized he’d sung a clear false note – that explained everything… I also had bet that Portugal would win and, alas, there we go. At Civetta it was rock’n’roll night so Megs and I jammed out to the songs and when it finished we headed to Al Cambio. It was horribly hot in there as per, but we found Emilio and his friend and danced with them all night. I had so much fun! Literally, we danced for hours. And then after the club closed we went home because it was pretty late and we were pretty tired.

And, as expected, on Sunday I made myself get up at a decent time but ended up not being productive at all. I phone Lara and Erin which was nice and also checked out the market with Megan – there was a lot of clothes and shoes and kitchen gadgets on sale, but nothing too eye-catching. I attempted (what I deem a failure) at doing some work but ended up giving up and having an early dinner. While I was making dinner I hear the Oca parade coming down my road and it was amazing! There were drummers, flag waving, and all the contradaioli of all ages. It was insane! Then I hurried to Sant’Agata for the Piazza del Campus meeting. It was kind of hard to follow because they were speaking very fast and about topics I wasn’t familiar with, but it will eventually get better I think. I was also very tired. After the meeting I went with some of them to Cacio e Pere because there was supposed to be a concert but the place was packed and it hadn’t actually started yet so I decided to just go home and greet my bed for a much needed sleep.

And, finally, today I went to the usual lectures, I went for a run and have been writing this post for ya’ll. I doubt I’ll be doing anything interesting today; I’m planning on having a chill night in.

If you’ve read this far, congratulations! You deserve a cookie. I have no idea of what I’ll be up to this week aside from probably enjoying the lovely weather we’re having and attending a few extra events and contrada parties – you’ll have to wait for the next post!

A dopo!

Zoe