Friday, July 1, 1983
Another four-leaf clover.
At 21:45 I went downtown where the Bieler Braderie/sidewalk sale
was in full swing. At this time of day, most of the stands were empty, but all
those offering food were in business. The big tents down the side streets and
in the squares were full of people, and in nearly each tent a band was playing.
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| Four-leaf clover |
I caught the local train to Bern at 22:34. I saw the girl who is going
to start on the night shift on the CP Station. We wished each other a good
weekend. Arrived in Bern at 23:10 and changed to the 23:38 to Interlaken. Heard
a bunch of American guys who incorporated lots of swear words in their speech,
and only talked about girls. I got off in Spiez at 24:00.
Saturday, July 2, 1983
Boarded the 0:07 local to Brig, and dozed. Arrived about 1:30, and
there were lots of people on the train, most who got on the train headed to
Belgrade, Yugoslavia. I waited for the 2:17 train to Florence. A
military-looking guy and his mother also wanted to go to Florence. They
couldn’t understand the key to learn what the ‘R’ meant for the 2:17 train. It
was a train of sleeping cars and needed to be reserved. They were going to try
to take it anyway. It turns out the guy spoke some French, so would not need my
help. The 2:17 train arrived and the first few cars had no numbers on them.
Then I saw cars numbered 122, then 123, then 121. They weren’t in order, so I
had to ask where car #126 was, I was told the fourth one along, so I boarded
that car, but it was #124. The attendant didn’t know where my car was and told
me just to keep going! Two more cars and I found it. The French-speaking
attendant asked if I spoke English. Oui, I said! He had me fill out a couple
customs forms. I was doing just fine writing on my ticket folder held in the
air, but the attendant told me to use his desk. Then my writing got all jiggley
and bumpy! Then I was told my compartment already had five people in it, and he
would put me in a less crowded compartment. I was put in the next compartment,
which had four people in it already! I found my bed light so that the
compartment light could be turned off. I fixed up my bed, turned off the light,
and hopped into the sheet sack. My throat got scratchy and I managed to get
throat lozenges out of my jacket that was under my hard pillow. It took me a
long time to get to sleep. The train made a couple long stops.
We were buzzed awake at 7:45. The guy in the top bunk got off the
train, followed by a lady. Because the lady was ready to get off long before
she actually did, I figured the train was behind schedule. I was left with a mother and about 6-year old
son. Now I could see that we were stopping at Reggio Emilia and Modena. At 8:00
we stopped in Bologna, and I knew we were about an hour late. We were due in
Florence at 8:42, but arrived at 9:25, having made up some time coming through
the mountains. Once in Firenze/Florence, I saw there wasn’t a direct train to
Siena until after 11:00, unless I could change in Empoli. I looked around for
an information booth, finding a box of local schedules instead. I saw I could
take the 9:45 train towards Pisa, and change to the 10:19 train to Siena. I
double checked with the conductor before boarding the train to Pisa. There were
a lot of Americans. Arrived in Empoli about 10:15. The hills were covered with
neat tree silhouettes (Pinus pinea/Stone Pines) and the evergreens were
very tall and thin (Cupressus sempervirens/Italian Cypresses). Lots of people got off
the train expecting to get on the 10:19, but now I saw that train only ran on
weekdays. There were two locked trains marked for Siena in the station.
At
10:50, they opened up one, and we piled in, leaving at 11:10. It was to arrive
in Siena at 12:13, but arrived 10 minutes late. I checked the return train
schedule, then went to see about the bus. As I crossed the street, a very full
bus pulled away. So I just walked up the hill to the walled town of Siena,
al;ong Viale Giuseppe Mazzini. I entered through a gate guarded by a pair of
statues of the she-wolf with the twins Romulus and Remus. Siena is supposedly
founded by the sons of Remus, Senius and Aschius. I continued up Via Giuseppe Garibaldi
and entered the medieval old town on Via Montanini. The streets were
cobblestoned and the tall buildings on both sides were dark and “rustic.”
I
passed the interesting Piazza Salimbeni, but hurried onward on Via Banchi di
Sopra to the Piazza del Campo to begin my tour. I had to go down a narrow
alley, through the “bleachers,” and out across the dirt racetrack to reach the
middle of the shell-shaped square. I didn’t count the 11 streets leading into
the square as many were blocked by bleachers, but I did count the nine fanned
out sections of differently shaded brick (laid 1349) representing the medieval
government of the Council of Nine (1270-1530).
In Dante’s Divine Comedy, he tells the story of Provenzano Salvani, a
military commander who was among the proud, who then had to beg the citizens
gathered in this square, to spare his friend who was in prison. Also, San
Bernardino found this a great place to preach, as he was an eloquent speaker
and spoke especially against sodomy and witchcraft. Legend has it that Henry
James greatly admired the Campo when he was here in the 1870s, and described it
in his book “Italian Hours.” Then, of course, the Campo is known for the
twice-a-year horse race, the Palio.
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| Ferrovie dello Stato Italiene/FS Automotrice Leggera a Nafta/ALn 668 3178 diesel railcar |
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| Rear of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiene/FS 646 train |
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| Piazza Salimbeni |
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| Sections of brick in Piazza del Campo |
At the high point of the campo was the Fonte Gaia/Joy Fountain (1419), a large pool with marble wolves spouting water. It was surrounded by copies of Jacopo della Quercia’s statues and reliefs; the originals are in the Palazzo Pubblico, which was closed.
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| Fonte Baia/Joy Fountain |
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| The walls of the square were padded! |
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| Palazzo Pubblico |
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| Torre del Mangia |
It was named for the glutton watchman who rang the bell of the clock tower. In front of the tower was a chapel, a canopy of round arches. The Capella di Piazza was built to thank God for ending the plague in 1348. To the right of the chapel was the entrance to the palazzo courtyard, called the Cortile del Podestà/Courtyard of the Governor with brick columns and stone capitals. In the center of the courtyard you had a good view up at the tower. There was also a weatherworn statue of the Glutton, who looked like he had really enjoyed life.
I walked back to Via di Città with its Loggia della Mercanzia/Lodge of Trade (1417-1444), in Gothic Renaissance style. Tourists were resting on the carved stone benches with bas reliefs of philosophers and generals. At number 89 Via di Città was 12C Palazzo Chigi-Saracini, half brick and half stone in Gothic style.
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| Palazzo Chigi-Saracini |
It is now a music academy, and I was able to go in the courtyard with its gallery (painted and decorated ceiling) and well. Practically across the street at #124 was a palazzo with a rustic Florentine façade.
I walked up Via del Capitano to the 13C Palazzo del Capitano del Giustizia/Captain of Justice, the house of the chief magistrate, now decorated by the names and coats of arms of the magistrates through time. I arrived in the Piazza del Duomo/Cathedral. Wow!
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| Siena Duomo/Cathedral and campanile/bell tower |
It really looked beautiful. Somehow the striped look was not ungainly, but harmonious, as they say. It was started in Romanesque style in 1196, but finished in 1263 in Gothic style with points and pinnacles. The façade was done by Giovanni Pisano in pale pink and green stripes. This was overshadowed by the rich mosaics in the pediment, with the gold sparkling in the sun. The sides and towers were done in black and white stripes. The bell tower had increasing numbers of windows as it got taller. You can tell the present cathedral was meant to be the transept of a larger church, because to the right you could see the arches meant for the aisles, and farther right, a tall wall meant to be the façade. The expansion was halted due to the plague in 1348.
The steps outside and the terrace were in an inlaid marble design, as was the entire interior floor. Many of the mosaic panels were surrounded by cords, and some of the cords had lowered a cloth to cover the paintings. Each one has a set time to be displayed. The mosaics were designed by various Renaissance artists and represent allegories, virtues, sages (Socrates and Dante are in a central panel), and sibyls. I saw a sibyl by Domenico Beccafumi. Then there were scenes form the Old Testament, one in the north transept was of the Massacre of the Innocents. The black and white striped marble pillars were interesting by not being round. It was hard to see what was meant by alternating bases. The cornice frieze contained the terra cotta busts of Popes, all in a row around the nave. At the entrance were two stoups, but Ii didn’t know what a stoup was! (Now I know they are holy water basins!) The central doorframe was intricately carved stone. The rose window by Pastorino de’ Pastorini depicted the Last Supper. The marble pulpit was carved by Nicola Pisano and had scenes from the life of Christ and allegorical figures on the column. The staircase was added 200 years later (how did they get up there before then?!) The pulpit was to be compared to the Petroni funeral monument whose artists were inspired by Pisano’s work. The Piccolomini altar by the library entrance had figures of Sts Pater and Paul, Gregory, and Pius done by Michelangelo. Michelangelo later redid the St Francis done by Torrigiani, which is also at the Piccolomini altar.
To the left of the left transept was the Chapel of St John the Baptist with a bronze statue by Donatello. I couldn’t determine where chapel of St Anson was located. I went behind the chancel to see the woodwork of the choir stalls, and a large hymnal stand. On the other side I went to the Chapel of the Siena Virgin to see the two Carrara marble statues by Gian Lorenzo Bernini of St Jerome and Mary Magdelene. I saw a statue of an anguished half-undressed woman, done in a finer marble than other statues in the cathedral, and it certainly was in the Bernini style.
In the chancel was a fresco of Paradise by Domenico Beccafumi. Two angels point up to the rose window in the choir, done after the design by Duccio of the story of the Virgin Mary. The bronze tabernacle on the high altar had candle-bearing angels. On the left side was the carved marble portal of the Libreria Piccolomini. I tried to peek through the gate to see the Pinturicchio frescoes. I left the cathedral to circle around to the baptistery down below, but it was closed. I returned to the Campo, keeping an eye out for the bakery I had been to with my sisters. I didn’t find it but found a bakery that sold similar panforte/fruit cakes like Lebkuchen. I bought a couple to give to Marsha and Jan & Kirby.
I walked along with a group of Italian youths who Polonaise-ed and Wizard of Oz’ed down the street. I later saw them in the Campo doing group struts. They apparently were not locals, since each one had a different scarf.
Every contrada/parish or district has its own scarf in their contrada colors, that the parishioners wear in different ways: around the neck, over a shoulder, across the back, at their waists, etc. I thought about buying a scarf, but then couldn’t decide which one! There were so many scarves to choose from in the shops, I wasn’t even sure which ones were contrada scarves. I did see groups of locals, who not only wore he same scarves, but the same type of clothes in the parish colors.
I walked back along Via Montanini to Piazza Tolomei with the austere but elegant Palazzo Tolomei (1205). It looked like a prison, but housed a bank. Across from it was the small 11-12C Chiesa di San Cristofofero/St Christopher’s Church. Farther along I was back at Piazza Salimbeni to check out the 14C medieval Palazzo Salimbeni in the middle, the Renaissance Palazzo Spannocchi (1471) to the right, and the Baroque Palazzo Tantucci (1548) to the left. Each building was decorated with banners at every window. At night there were electrically lighted torches.
I was harassed only a little, maybe because when it started raining, I had an umbrella and kept walking, and didn’t have to stand in crowded doorways. A fat man followed me a ways, and I ran into him a few more times. I tried brandishing my umbrella at him.
I tried finding the Basilica di San Francesco (1228-1255), but got turned around in the back streets. I saw three different signs pointing towards it, but no San Francesco! Next I went across town to the Basilica di San Domenico (1226-1265). I could see it up on a hilltop. I went down a side street to the Oratorio di Santa Caterina da Siena/Oratory of St Catherine of Siena (1465-1474) built on the site of her birthplace. It appeared to have several chapels and a nave. I went into the nave with large painting on every wall, and an altar with nothing underneath. I determined that the relics of St Catherine were not here, but in San Domenico, but I could not find the entrance to the basilica. I went down around to the back to get a view of it across to the main hill on which Siena is located.
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| Siena as seen from the Basilica di San Domenico |
Everything was a burnt orange color (siena) of bricks, except for the Duomo/cathedral and the top of Torre del Mangia. Down below I saw an entrance to the lower basilica of San Domenico and entered to find stairs to the main basilica. A guy was going around lighting candles.
The church was large and empty looking. There were several chapels across the front, with a couple relics, a painting here, a bit of fresco there, etc. I couldn’t determine which works were by Francesco di Giorgio, Matteo di Giovani, Giovanni di Paolo, or Rutilio Manetti. Along the right side of the nave I found the chapels of interest. What is now the sacristy is the Cappella delle Volte/Chapel of the Vaults with the portrait of St Catherine by Andrea Vanni. Next door was the Cappelle di Santa Caterina. To the left, and on either side of the tabernacle were frescoes of St Catherine’s life by Il Sodoma. A reliquary held the shrunken head of St Catherine herself.
St Catherine was one of 25 children of a cloth dyer, and she entered the Dominican order at age 13. She had many visions, especially here at this church, and received the stigmata later in life when in Pisa. The mystic marriage of St Catherine to Christ is a favorite subject of painters. She was politically active and instrumental in bringing the Popes back to Rome from Avignon.
I found my way down past the Oratory of St Catherine to the 11C Fontebranda/a source of water. It looked like a brick building with open arches in the front, and the inside of the entire building was a pool of water.
I returned to the Campo which was now filled with people, several person deep at the railing. I walked around the outer side of the square looking for a viewing spot, but there were bleachers all around. I heard drumming up a sidestreet and followed a crowd to see what was happening.
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| Contrada/district group |
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| Contrada "knight" |
The pageantry began at 17:30 with the ringing of the bell in Torre del Mangia. You could see a man hitting the bell with what looked like a sledge hammer. A mounted carabiniere squad trotted onto the track and pranced around the track. One horse was really skittish. Not the Queen’s Mounted Guard, for sure! After the second time around the track, they broke into a trot, the leader waved his sword, and off they raced. The skittish horse had started running when the others were still trotting, and was past the leader when the “race” began! They ran pell-mell out into a side street. Wow!
Next the parade of 15C costumed people, led by a fellow on a horse holding a banner with the Siena coat of arms. They represented the occupations of Siena in that time: art, culture, music, banking, baking and government. A band plays music composed by Pietro Formichi in 1875. A group of knights, then flag bearers, and mounted standard bearers.
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| The parade starts (on the right side) |
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| Contrada flag bearers |
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| The band in the stands |
Only ten of the contrade compete in the race, and they were
paraded around the track with their jockeys riding bareback, wearing what might
have been medieval costumes in their contrada colors, but modern
helmets. Skittish horses! Once it looked like they were lined up, a cannon
boomed. But it boomed a second time, and all the horses were recalled and lined
up again. A false start? They tried again, but another false start. And
another. Oh, my! It was hard to believe they were being so picky about the
start of a race that is reputed to have a lot of cheating, with dirty tricks,
and drugged horses, etc. At the 6th false start, one horse took off
without its rider and made the full circuit before being caught. A couple of
girls wearing that horse’s colors began bawling and sobbing. Someone from the
stands of the medieval groups jumped out and was probably going to kill the
horse for the false start, but he was dragged back into the stand! As they
tried lining up for another start, another horse took off without his jockey,
but was caught at the turn. Next false starts numbers 7, 8, 9, 10… No one could
believe it! The locals were yelling when they thought the horses were lined up.
Some Americans were ready to leave this “boring” event. People were fainting
left and right in the heat, and the medics were running here and there with
stretchers. I had an iced tea to drink, which was enough to keep me from
fainting, I guess!
People were starting to leave by hopping the wall and running across
the track. They were roundly booed by the medieval spectators, some of whom
jumped down to accost those leaving. If you wanted to leave, you needed a
police escort. Or you could pretend to faint! Now kids in the medieval stands
were fainting. Emotions ran high and fistfights broke out. Across the Campo was
a disruption that required the attention of a full squad of police. Between
false starts, the horses were made to walk in tight circles. False starts
numbers 11 and 12. The first false start was at 19:45, and now it was 21:30.
One horse and jockey were led out of the square surrounded by a protective
contingent of fellow parishioners. Others were ready to kill this guy who they
assumed was the false starter. I heard someone say they were taking him to the
hospital. Jockey, or horse, I don’t know! The locals were really mad and ready to
fight, or really upset and sobbing. But then a green flag was put up on the
Palazzo Pubblico, and there was sort of a sigh of relief among the crowd, with
half-hearted cheering, and everyone started to leave. The green flag apparently
meant the race was postponed to the next day. I was so disappointed; this was
my fourth year of trying to see the Palio and I had come so close! Oh, well, at
least this time I got to see all the pageantry and excitement. The race itself
(three times around the Campo) takes 90 seconds, and a horse can win even if he
lost his jockey!
I joined the crowd pressing out of the Campo and headed to the train
station. The crowd thinned until I was practically alone. A car stopped and
honked at me, but I kept on.
A rattling old train was backed into the station at 22:40, and people
piled in. I got in a compartment with three American girls, sitting across from
four American guys. A car full of Americans! The train left a half our late at
23:15. Three of the guys were having a political ideological discussion, and an
hour later the fourth and older American guy told them they were boring. The
girls talked of high school pranks and their travels.
Sunday, July 3, 1983
We were due in Firenze/Florence at 00:23, but arrived at 1:00. The 1:37
train for Bern didn’t come in until 2:00. I was shown to my cuchette which was
already made up. This time my conversation with the attendant was carried out
totally in French. The train left at 2:15, I used the restroom (no lock!), and
then hopped into bed in the top bunk. There was only one other girl in the
other top bunk in our compartment. I fell solidly asleep, waking at 7:30. We
were buzzed at 7:45. The compartment normally seats six, but friends of the
girl came in and we had eight, and several of them smoked.
Arrived in Biel at 12:05, and missed the 11:53 train to Biel. So I
caught the 12:08 local train, arriving in Biel at 12:45. Walked home through
the booths of the Braderie.
When I got to the Personalhaus/staff residence, there was a note from Marsha C asking
if I could find her and the drum corps group after the parade to be an extra
body in a group picture. So I took a mineral shower, ate cookies with
grapefruit juice for lunch (my meals for the last two days!), put on a white
top Marsha had left and my old blue jeans and sneakers I had worn all weekend.
I reached the end of Nidaugasses about the time of the beginning of the parade
passed.
I inched along with the parade to take a couple pictures of the Bözingen Drum Corps.
Marsha was smartly pounding out her rhythm on the scala timpani, a set of four drums.
She seemed to be
enjoying herself, while the rest of the group looked especially grim.
As they turned
into Uniongasse, I raced down to Mühlebrücke and back up Zentralstrasse. I was
able to hop on a table to take pictures as they rounded the corner onto
Zentralstrasse. I followed them, dodging people, food stands, and clothes racks
on the sidewalk. But then I had to run back up Industriegasse and down the
parallel Rüschlistrasse. By the time I reached Zentralplatz, they were already
passing, so I went down Unterer Quai to Karl-Neuhaus-Strasse, and dodged around
some grills to take pictures of the group (mostly with Marsha’s camera) on
Bahnhofstrasse. I followed them to General-Guisan-Platz, but ran into a
blockade of grills. I ran across the street to Thomas-Wyttenbach-Strasse to
wait for parade to come back from the train station. A couple minutes later
they came marching by. Urs, the friend of Ruth D, was taking a video,
but was able to move along in the street with the drum corps the whole
distance. I ran into Urs at Silbergasse, and by now there were fewer
spectators and I was also able to stay with them on the street. We continued
back to Zentralstrasse, then left on Mattenstrasse. When the parade ended, the
drum corps members collapsed! After a rest, they took the instruments to their
cars parked on Schwanengasse, then headed to some tents set up on a side street
for drinks. They all lit up cigarettes, including Marsha. I thought we would
take the group picture first, then they could all relax. I knew they were
tired, but I was tired and cranky myself, having kept late hours the whole
weekend with little sleep, being on my feet all weekend, and having just
practically run half the parade route. So after finding out when and where they
were going to take this group picture where they wanted my extra body, I took
my leave and returned to the Personalhaus for a real shower. I got dressed
again and headed to the lakefront. At Leubringen, I saw Barbara S’s car pass
in the opposite direction, and figured I was too late for the group picture. I
returned to the Personalhaus where Marsha had been dropped off by Barbara. She
took a shower and went back out to the Braderie. At 19:30 I laid in bed to
read. I closed my eyes to listen to the music coming from the Braderie.
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| Braderie Program cover |
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| Braderie Program map |
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| Braderie parade |
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| Parade participant #25 |
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| Marsha playing the scala timpani |
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| Ruth and Barb |
Monday, July 4, 1983
The next thing I knew, I
woke up and the clock said 5:55. I couldn’t tell if it was morning or evening.
I was still fully dressed, my window was wide open, and my radio was still on!
Well, it was nearly 6:00 am, and I had slept at least 10 solid hours.
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