In the heart of Tuscany,with that enigmatic landscape known as the "crete" a wasteland suitable for conversations with the devil-as a bakdrop, rises a magical city with an intense silhouette of towers and pinnacles. No,not magical in the sense of fabulous or extraordinary, expressions that an unthinking tourist might use, but magical in the sense of inexplicable, and capable of autentic prodigies.
There are amny cities in the world that have attained a certain notoriety in the sphere of the occult.
We know that, for this reason, Prague attracts hoards of visitors; we know all about the overcrowded community of ghosts that dwell at Turin, at a stone's throw from the production lines and the robots of the Fiat car factory; to mention but two.
According to the scenario, magical places carry with them a certain reek of sulphur or of cemeteries. Instead, Siena has different aromas: because is it both magical and alive. It is for this reason, I believe, that it has become an exception to the rule. Here, unworldly things happen that have, however, firm roots in the most commonplace matters of life.
For example, witches are summoned, not for the usual, rather debasing conjactures regarding jealousy or money, but to bring victory to the contrada ( city ward) in that great and lively horse race, the winner of whichtakes possession of the prize, the Palio.
It is impossible to enumerate the invocations and spells cast to protect the horse and colours of each contrada from the enchanted arrows of its adversaries. The often derisive tone does not rule out a profound sincerity of feeling.
Here-among a hundred- is an episode to which I was an eye witness on the occasion of a victory of the Palio by the Contrada of the Chiocciola. The city quarter was, of course, transformed into a kind of simple, popular, earthly paradise where all came to drink wine from the fountains and eat at tables put out in the streets closed to the traffic. The members of the Chiocciola gave an incredible significance to the celebrations: they even invited the dead to the banquet. Entering the Oratory of the Contrada, in fact, one could see all the altars covered with portraits of the deceased relations of the members of the Contrada. Hundreds of photograhs, bots recent and yellow with age. In other words, the vital miracle of the triumph of the Palio had also to be shared with those who were no longer of this world, but lived on in the memory of the living: grandparents, old uncles and aunts, prematurely dead cousins and friends of once upon a time were asked to leave their heavenly paradise and relive a few hours in the collective joy.
"Because in Siena nobody is alone they told me not even when they are dead"
In every contrada they will tell you stories similar to this.
Sometimes a colour is enough to start up emotive mechanisms that would be unthinkable elsewhere.
And so, during the 1990 football world cup, half the Contrada of the Selva supported Italy while the other half cheered on Ireland that had the extraordinary honor of wearing the same colours as the Contrade: green, orange and white. Who really wishes to see the Palio must do so through the eyes of paradox and mystery.
Otherwise he will miss the very essence and the profound vibration of it all.
by Emilio Ravel...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HISTORY of SIENA
Legend says that Siena was founded by Senio and Ascanio, sons of Remus, of the famous duo Romulus and Remus who founded Rome. Statues of the wolf feeding the twins are spotted throughout Siena, but without historical foundation! Instead, the Romans established a military outpost in 30AD called Siena, and it developed into a busy little trading post in the following years.
The Lombards arrived in 6th century AD, and the Franks also had an input in the governing of the city. Great works were carried out, the most important being the Via Francigena, the road which linked Rome to France, used by pilgrims and travellers; this greatly increased Siena's importance. During this time the Church was actively involved in governing the city, especially between the 9th and 11th centuries, after which the Sienese people claimed their right to govern and administer the city.
Economic and military power grew enormously and inevitably friction grew between Siena and Florence, as both cities tried to enlarge their territory. There were many battles between the two cities between the 13th and 15th centuries, some won by Siena, but eventually Florence had the upper hand and Siena was incorporated into Florentine territory and administration.
Despite both external disputes with neighbours and internal disputes over government, in the years 1150-1300 great artists were discovered and the city was adorned with beautiful monuments such as the Duomo, the Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia. The Council of Nine, a benificient governing body in the mid-13th century, were behind a lot of these improvements, which you can still see today. However a devastating plague hit Siena in 1348, while the citizens were planning the extension of the Duomo, and killed 3/5 of the population, after which the city was slow to recover.
With a diverse group of rulers from the 14th -19th centuries, including Emperor Charles V and Cosimo I de' Medici, Siena grew in economic power, with the famous bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena giving employment and security to the citizens throughout the ages. When Italy formed a republic, Siena became part of the region of Tuscany and prospers today from a combination of finance and tourism, thanks to its beautiful artistic heritage.
Posted by ::SIENA:: THE GOTHIC DREAM at 4:32 AM 0 comments Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Google Buzz
Friday, December 10, 2010
