Back in Siena

Last week, I wrote about how much I missed my Rome of 2005. But you really can’t go back again, can you? The things you saw on your epic trip will always evolve and change. Sometimes for the better. But mostly…. everything will be slightly worse. If only because they won’t be the way you fondly remembered them.

And just like Rome, Siena also went through several major alterations deviating from the observations mentioned in Bullets, Butterflies, and Italy.

The biggest change was that Torre wasn’t even competing! I guess it shouldn’t be such a shock since only 10 of the 17 contrade get to compete in any given race… but still! This was Torre! This was Zack’s contrada and his temporary home during the Palio! But now the neighbourhood was stripped bare of all its banners. And now no one wore their Torre scarves. And there was no singing, no parties, no horse… and no hope.

I don’t know if it was related, but the Maudit Music Pub in Torre was inexplicably closed during the festival too, leaving all the Torre men to drink at the less hip Bar Salicotto.

Even the Havana Club in Leocorno was closed, although it’s now called the Bella Vista Social Pub. And I wonder if they still make a mean mojito.

Security was very tight during all the Palio dinners too. Every time I walked near a contrada barrier, an eager guard jumped up and questioned where I was going. (In 2005, you could tour all the contrade after they had feasted on the food.)

The only improvement was the pathetic playground where Zack slept. It’s been upgraded now with new rides and fresh cobblestone.

Thankfully, the Palio experience was still the same. It’s still inspiring and fun, but without a proper horse to cheer for, it was a little underwhelming (for me). And Onda won! (If you read the book, you’d know that was Antonella’s contrada – and Zack’s contrada enemy.)

If I wrote Bullets, Butterflies, and Italy today, I would have to severely alter the story. In Rome, I would have to change my adventures at the Circus Maximus, la Bocca della Verita, the National Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, and delete the Supperclub experience. In Siena, Zack would have to choose an entirely different contrada! And that means changing the entire Siena section!

The one new twist in 2012 was the Euro Cup tournament with Italy losing to Spain in the finals. In the rest of Italy, the loss was akin to a modern tragedy with anger and massive disappointment.

In Siena, it was a slight inconvenience. The game was played during the night of the Palio dinners so virtually the entire town was busy feasting and toasting a hopeful outcome to the following day’s race. I mean, the Euro Cup comes along once every four years, but the Palio is forever!

In Rome, for the semi-final, I watched the game with 50,000 Romans in the Piazza del Popolo. In Siena, for the final, I watched the game in a small pub with a dozen disinterested university students and one very angry bartender.

So yes, I reeeeeeeeeeeally miss the Siena of 2005. But there was still some hope left in this 2012 book reunion tour. After Rome and Siena, there was still good old Amalfi…
 

For more posts about my return trip to Italy, check out:

https://www.johnmeyerbooks.com/back-in-rome/

https://www.johnmeyerbooks.com/back-in-amalfi/