Arriverderci, Perugia! Ciao, Roma!

And so Wednesday night was my last night in Perugia. It was really depressing, and I already miss it so much, but honestly, it was one of the best nights of my trip. After dinner at the house, with most of my stuff packed already, a few of us went out to La Tana to meet up with a few of our non-VCU friends: Adrian, Gabi, Breck, Janill, Jen, and some other New Yorkers. We knew that we had to be outside for our taxi to the train station at 6:15 the next morning, so we didn't plan to stay out long.

I got bored at La Tana, as usual, and many of our friends were running mad late, so Adrian and I bailed to walk to the center of town. We never made it, however. We stopped in a club with a decent crowd hanging around, and it was poppin', so we texted people and most of them showed up a bit later, including some of the late New Yorkers. We danced until it closed at 2 AM, and then went to Domus, the late-hours discoteca, which I hadn't even been to yet. It was so much fun. While some people filtered out between 2 and 5, the last of us left as the club closed, wandering slowly home. Saying goodbye to everyone was so hard. In the end, Eddie, Chelsea, Gabi, and I stood for a good thirty minutes talking to the remaining New York kids (Kate, Cesar, and some guy whose name I don't even know). I'm going to miss everyone so much. But I'm already hoping to see a few of them in New York when I get home from Italy.

I've been in Rome 3 days now. The first day, running on zero sleep (we successfully made it home just in time to finish throwing our stuff together), we took an insane tour, walked who-knows-how-long, and saw all kinds of cool stuff, like the Colosseum, etc. I took tons of pictures. I loved most of all seeing this monument, il Vittoriano, which many Romans call "the wedding cake" because of its appearance, and Palazzo Venezia, where Mussolini worked. We even saw the balcony from which he gave his speeches. In total that day, we walked I think 9 and a half hours. After dinner, 5 or 6 of us went to see la Fontana di Trevi at night. It was incredible.

The second day, we saw the Vatican, which wasn't particularly important to me, and a lot of other stuff. There's honestly just too many places to list them all right now. That night, we hung out at the hotel.

Today, everyone but Eddie, Chelsea, and I flew home. Cinzia and Riccardo woke us at 8:30 and told us they were leaving, and I honestly felt my heart sink. I feel lost and alone and a bit terrified, to be quite honest. And so Eddie flies out tomorrow morning, and Chelsea's mom is meeting her and she's leaving tomorrow morning, and I'm going to be completely alone. And I am so terrified and so unprepared. I don't even know if I can do this, and I'm having mood swings during which I don't even want to. Travel is so tiring. I really, really, really, more than anything, just want to get up in the morning and go back to Perugia.

But I can't call Perugia home anymore...

travel plans

No seriously, this keyboard is ridiculously impossible to use.

Anyway, I found an internet caffè this morning which is much faster, and I love it. I'm finally making travel plans for the week after the program. I checked my flight info, and I leave Rome around 21:30 local time on 6 agosto. Which puts my landing in NYC on the afternoon of the 7th. For some reason, I'd thought I had another day here, which is a shame, but it is what it is.

So I'm staying in Rome, I believe, Thursday night (the 29th), Friday night (the 30th), and Saturday night (the 31st). Sunday I'm planning to take a train to Genova, where I'll stay for two nights. Tuesday I'm traveling to Bologna, where I also want to stay two nights. Aaaand that's all I've got so far. Riccardo offered me a place to stay if I need to come back to Perugia before Rome, so that's a possibility. Also, I may ask him if I can leave my big suitcase here while I travel and live out of a duffel bag. I want to see Florence, if only for a day, so that might happen too. I don't know! Planning is hard.

poop

I'm blogging from an internet caffè because my charger caught on fire yesterday.

Not good timing, universe.

The keyboard here is so strange, I keep mistyping things. Crazy Italian keyboard. I'm gonna take a picture of it.

My hour of internet time is up! Ciao!

piu' vita italiana

Although I blogged just yesterday, I've been sitting on several aspects of the Italian life for a week or so, intending to write a bit about them--all things that have struck me about Italy and my trip here in general. It shouldn't be too long.

It's often funny to me to realize small differences between life here and life in America. For example, I can't remember the last time in the U.S. that I paid for anything in cash, which is all I do here. And at one of my favorite restaurants here (Pizzeria Mediterranea) a few days ago, I realized how much people in America rely on some things to be done for them; can you even imagine what a group of young adults in America would do if a restaurant didn't split the check for them? In Italy, I've learned what now seems like such a basic skill--dividing our own bill--as it's customary for the check to contain every item ordered at one table. And I feel like that's the kind of thing that Americans just don't usually do. At least, I never did it before coming here. So now I'm actually growing comfortable handling cash, breaking bills, and making change amongst the group at a restaurant; and we always manage to come up with exactly the right amount for our bill. I don't believe most of my generation in America can do that.

Another small thing: I've come to find the sight of laundry hanging out to try very pleasing. Yes, clothes on a line dry a bit stiff, but it's just so easy and economic not to have drying machines, which take so much power and are very expensive appliances. They don't seem like a necessity to me anymore. Of course I'm sure some people here have them, but people know what to do without them, as well.

I'm becoming exceptionally spoiled in other ways, however. Class here is, as my friends and I so fondly say all the time, "all about the pausa." Which, in English, is a break (often ours last as much as 20 minutes) that occurs every hour of class time. When I have to sit in class for longer than 45 minutes at home, I'm not going to know what to do. I love the pausa (pause) so much, and I'm going to miss it in the States. It's all about the pausa, guys. Italians have the right idea.

And not only do students love la pausa; I often suspect my professors like it even more. I asked a question during a pausa one day, and Teresa (Professoressa Sollevanti) said she would answer it when the pausa was over. I thought that was so funny. Teresa is probably my favorite teacher. We also usually start classes on Italian time, which is an average of fifteen minutes later than our scheduled time. Which means that often I don't even have to leave home until 8 for my 8 o'clock lesson.

I like most of my classmates, except this one woman who we call "the nun," (she is a nun, btw, but her real name is Valentina). She's from Ukraine, and she is so rude. I cannot wait to never see her again in my life. It's rude freaking people like her which make me think organized religion is a big crock anyway. But now that I've publicly insulted a nun, I'm definitely going to hell. I'm sorry, but I'm going to call a rude person a rude person even if it is sacrilegious.

And while I'm thinking about rude people, I had the funniest conversation waiting in line for a bathroom at a bar the other evening. Two girls ahead of me were speaking some language I didn't recognize, so once one of them had gone into the bathroom I asked the other (in Italian) where they were from. She said the Czech Republic, and I said that was cool, and then she asked where I was from, and I said I was American. Then she said, "you speak Italian very well," and I excitedly said, "thank you!" She followed with, "most Americans can't speak well." I thought it was an interesting (and funny) way to both complement and insult me. I speak Italian very well... for an American.

I didn't actually take offense, though. There's a grain of truth in it, as most Americans here (including myself) sit in the middle to low end of their classes; I believe that's just due to a lack of practice. After all, how many Americans speak Italian? Not enough to practice at all outside of class. And in addition, I know for a fact that many of the students who come here specialize (major) in Italian language in their home countries. We, on the other hand, take two or three hours of class a week, which is just not the same.

Today, I went to una farmacia (yes, pharmacy) and successfully obtained medicine for my throat, which will just not get better (my poor immune system. I doubt I've slept eight hours a single night since I left Edinburg, almost a month ago. Or I think I remember doing it once; it stands out because it was so abnormal). But the point of that story is, I had to ask for help, because they don't apparently keep even most minor medicines out on shelves, and I was able to ask for what I needed (something to heal a sore throat), answer a few questions about my symptoms, and then pick from a few different options, all in Italian. So now I have extra strength cough drops with flurbiprofen. Whatever flurbiprofen is.

Venezia e Burano

This past weekend we took a tour group to visit Venezia (Venice) and the surrounding lagoon, staying overnight in a nearby town in Veneto (the region of Italy in which Venezia is the capital city). Because our program director, Cinzia, is veneziana, I was excited to hear about the history and explore the city with someone who knows the ins and outs of a Venezia that tourists don't typically see.

And so we left at like 5:45 Saturday morning, sleeping a bit on the five-or-six-hour bus ride. Upon arriving in Venice, we realized that it was about the hottest temperature we've experienced yet in Italy. Saturday was, in no uncertain terms, miserable. I was sweating through my clothes within ten minutes of getting off of the bus (attractive, I know), and unfortunately, we were distracted most of the day by needs for water, shade, and gelato. I can't say I enjoyed Venice all that much on Saturday, and that's not the only reason. But first, a very brief history of Venice.

Venice was built on a group of 117 small islands in the Veneto Lagoon a long freaking time ago by many concurrent groups of people fleeing invaders from the north. It was isolated enough to grow, and because it sits right on the Adriatic Sea (the part of the Mediterranean east of Italy), it became a huge center for trade across the Mediterranean. Then some explorer (clearly, I'm not getting distracted by minor details) discovered a way to sail around Africa and reach the Indies without passing through the Mediterranean, and Venice began to decrease in prominence. Venice has several big problems now: 1) it is literally sinking as a natural result of erosion; 2) mud that flows from rivers in Italy into the lagoon threatens to clog the canals and take over the city; 3) tourism is Venice's main industry. Tourism has, in fact, driven the cost of living in Venice so high that most Venetians cannot afford to live there and have moved, which is tragic.

And so, I hated the swarms and herds of tourists crowding the walkways, bridges, and boats in the canals. I would have liked to see what it was actually like to live in such a unique city, but instead, I felt like I was in an amusement park. And so Saturday, I realized that despite the excellent architecture and all, I didn't really care to go back to Venice.

Sunday, instead of going into the city, we hopped onto a boat tour around Venice and the Veneto Lagoon. We visited a small island called Murano, which specializes in world-famous blown glass (souvenir alert, some of you), and then spent part of the afternoon on Burano, another small island. Burano was absolutely beautiful, and is probably my favorite place in Italy so far (at least even with Siena). It's not overtaken by tourists, and it's just gorgeous. Every building is painted a different bright color, supposedly so that fishermen could identify their houses when they stumbled home drunk late at night. I wandered alone for an hour or two through back streets and alleys, taking tons of pictures (I killed the battery on my camera that day; the pictures below are all from Burano). We spent a little time in less touristy parts of Venice later that afternoon, and that was a lot more enjoyable than the day before. And so overall, my trip to Venice and Burano was absolutely worth it.

These colors are just insane.

Kathleen and I being adorable.

Just an alley.

Note: the pictures haven't been uploading right, which is why they won't actually open so you can see them at a decent size. I'm going to try again later, when I have time.

graffiti

While I find Perugia pretty well kept, I've stumbled across some excellent writings. I thought them worth taking pictures of at the time, and looking back at them, I want to go take a few more to see if I can really get a gem of a shot. Unfortunately, this first one was in Naples. If I hadn't been with a large group on the way to catch our bus, I probably could have gotten a really cool shot. As it is, I like the graffiti itself. It's not art, but it's a great representation of the international political and economic environment within Italy.

In English: "Burn the banks. Even you can do it." This next one was found in Perugia, on a late, late, late night walk with Chelsea. We came back the next day.

And finally, I love this one most. It's the same handwriting as "Empress, I love you so!!!," and it was found nearby. I can only assume some woman sees them both walking home every evening.

In English: "Without you, nothing makes sense. I love you." Which, in very romantic terms, might sum up my life in Italy right now.

un raffreddore

I have a cold in Italy, where the temperature hasn't dropped below 90 degrees in like two weeks. What the hell?

Some of the pictures I promised:

We walked by a castle in Napoli. I think it is so weird to be standing next to a freaking castle.

My favorite picture from Capri. I like how colorful everything is.

I think this sign is soooooo funny. "Friendly Pompei?" There are a loooooot of people who definitely don't think Pompei is friendly at all.

I see this little dude in town all the time! We talked to his owners. He's the most adorable thing ever. I miss Gizmo so much.

Napoli, Pompei, Capri, e la vita a Perugia

Ciao ciao!

A few thoughts about this trip: In generale, I love the food here, which is to be expected. But I must emphasize that the Italian concept of pizza is amazing. Pizza in America will never satisfy me again. First of all, (unless it's just us stupid foreigners, stranieri stupidi), it's not uncommon here to order an entire pizza for yourself. They don't really always have different sizes of pizza. You just choose what kind you want. And there are so many different kinds here! You won't find pepperoni anywhere. Pepperoni pizza is an American invention. And so every time we go to una pizzeria, I try to order something that sounds completely strange to me, something that I know I probably couldn't find negli Stati Uniti. At one, I had una pizza al salmone--salmon pizza. It sounds strange, but it was amazing. I loved it. At a pizzeria in Napoli, I ordered a pizza (I forget the name! I'll ask Riccardo ASAP) with ham, peas, and topped in the middle with a fried egg. It was so wet after I cut it and broke the yolk that I had to eat most of it with a fork, but it was so good. All the others think I have a talent for picking out amazing pizzas. And I do.

Above: My egg pizza in Napoli! Buonissima!

We went to Napoli, Pompei, e Capri this past weekend. It was exhausting, but so much fun. In general, I didn't like Napoli all that much. There were some beautiful things in the city, but it was dirty and not well-taken-care-of. As Riccardo told us, "the only problem with Napoli is the napoletani (people from Naples)." They don't have the same spirit of preservation that much of Italy does, but I think in bigger cities even in the U.S. that's generally true. But we walked around Napoli for a half a day before leaving for Pompei.

To me, Pompei was the kind of thing that's hard to wrap my mind around. I know what happened (Vesuvio erupted in 79 A.D.), and it's incredible that so much of the city is still intact. It fascinated me, but I have a hard time really feeling the tragedy of the place. I can't relate. It was a beautiful place to see, and it was sobering to see a few of the people who were essentially mummified in volcanic ash and lava: someone sitting in a fetal position with their hands over their face, for example. But worst of all was the mummified dog.

To the left: One of the mummies in Pompei.

We went to Capri on Sunday. We took a boat tour around the entire island, and we went into la grotta azzurra (the blue grotto), which was so pretty! The island itself is gorgeous. The cliffs were magnificent; there was so much greenery. And the water was an incredible, shocking blue. But I didn't care much for the beach. Although I spent most of the day there after the tour, and it was a lot of fun, it was also very small and crowded. I thought Capri was famous for its beaches, but I didn't even see any other beaches on our boat around the island, so I'm a little confused. I lost track of time and didn't get to see the city uptown, which was disappointing, but perhaps I'll go back someday and get to some of the less touristy areas.

I'm back in Perugia now. I like my classes some days, but I haven't been sleeping enough and some days they irritate me. Unfortunately, I'm only here for a month, and being a little short on sleep doesn't bother me. The Umbria Jazz festival has started! I've been out two or three nights to listen to music in la piazza, and I just walked around downtown for a while last night with a few of the guys and this girl named Breck from their class. Breck made us dinner, and it was amazing. We decided to take wine for dinner, and so we finally checked out this vineria nearby. It's so interesting. You take empty wine bottles, and they have several kinds of wine in enormous casks, and they fill and cork your bottles. And though it's incredibly cheap, the two we tried yesterday are probably the best wines we've had so far. I'm no wine connoisseur, but it's still a really smart and interesting way to do things, and many of their wines are from the Umbria region of Italy, so they're local.

I'm going to go study a bit. In class we're learning il congiuntivo, the subjunctive mood, which I've always ignored before, and so I need to practice conjugations. Tonight should be fun. Breck is coming over for dinner, so Kathleen is probably making something badass, and a bit later is guy's night out, with the four of us and Riccardo! Excited!

Later, because the internet is incredibly slow right now, I'll post a few more pictures that I wanted to put in this entry. And maybe a few extras, too.

Ci vediamo!

one week

I just realized that I arrived in Perugia only a week ago. It feels like it's been so long. I feel like I've known these people for years, and I feel like I'm already establishing some sorts of routines. For example, I really like un bar (which in Italy is more of a coffeehouse, although some bars here have drinks, too) down our street a bit, Bar Monteluce. The owners already recognize us, and I love talking with everyone who works there. Of course, our conversations are very basic, but the fact that they talk to me at all gives me hope; while I'm clearly a foreigner and while it's evident that I don't speak fluently, it feels like they're recognizing that I actually can understand and reply to questions and little comments. I'm sure the first two or three times I went there, they were nice, but they didn't try to make conversation at all. This morning, una barista and I greeted each other before I ordered a coffee, commenting that I was tired. She asked if I was late, and I said no, but I didn't sleep last night. She laughed and said that giovani (young people) don't need sleep, and I laughed and agreed with a simple "esattamente," or "exactly!" I know this brief chat doesn't make me some kind of hot shit, but it makes me a little more comfortable. It's a small measure of acceptance, or at least approval that I'm trying.

Classes started Monday. My first day of classes, I decided that I liked my first class and didn't care for my second. The second day of classes, I decided that I disliked my third class. And yesterday, I realized that I actually really like the second class, and this morning I realized that I actually like my third class, too! Maybe it just takes some time to get used to something so strange. Because I'm studying at a university full of foreigners from all over the world, this is the first time I've ever studied a language completely without another language to fall back on. A great deal of the class wouldn't understand me if I reverted to English at all, and so I'm making an effort to learn and augment my Italian using the Italian that I already know. I'm taking notes almost exclusively in italiano, looking for ways to define words using synonyms I already know, and trying to write grammatical rules and instructions in simple Italian, so I don't have to revert to English to study.

My classmates. Oh, man. What I was warned has pretty much been true. The Americans are absolutely the worst speakers here. Other people in my classes whip out complex sentences without even pausing to think, and on the first day, la professoressa asked us how much of her lecture we understood. About 80% of the class claimed to understand 100%. I guessed about 7o. I've realized since then that perhaps they've had opportunities to practice conversationally, but that they don't all have a good grasp on grammar, and so I guess that's why they're not in a higher level. But my original thought, which I try not to let bother me, is, "if you understood 100% of our three-hour lecture on philosophy and metaphors in Italian art and film, why the hell are you in an intermediate class?" And indeed, our teacher moved several people to a higher level, although whether they had a choice or not, I don't know. I try to keep my confidence up by acknowledging to myself that we Americans speak more slowly than others, and we don't speak as well, but we're sure as hell pushing ourselves a lot harder. If I wanted to, I could have signed up for a beginner level class in which I would probably understand 100% of what the teachers say, but I don't feel that I'd take nearly as much out of that. So I'm trying not to care that I'm not on the same level.

Despite all that, as I'm getting more comfortable, I'm finding myself understanding almost all of what some of my teachers say. I can't produce the same sorts of ideas, but my comprehension is probably higher than I expected. A few of our classmates have already become good friends to us. We've been hanging out outside of class with one American girl named Gabby and another named Adrian, and they're a lot of fun. Gabby speaks better than we do, but she's also very supportive and helpful, and we try to talk in Italian instead of going the easier route and using English all the time. We do what we can, but I'm sure we'll do a better job of sticking to l'italiano outside of class within another week or so, as we're studying and reviewing notes and stuff.

I probably haven't been sleeping enough, but I just never want to stay in. I love la piazza and il centro, where we end up most nights. We ended up dancing at clubs Monday and Wednesday this week, and Ada visited me for three nights! It was so wild to meet up with a friend from home on an entirely different side of an ocean. She left this morning for Paris and Milan.

I'm so excited to go to Napoli, Pompei, e Capri this weekend! I want to swim in la grotta azzurra and hit the beaches of Capri! We're going to be so busy, but it's going to be so much fun. If it's even a fraction as incredible as our excursion to Siena, consider me the luckiest person alive right now, because I do.

i primi due giorni, Siena, e il Palio

I don't know where to begin, and I honestly have too much to write. There's no way I can include everything I've done, and if I could, I couldn't include the emotions, the actual experience, the complete and total happiness. But here goes:

Il primo giorno

I didn't have any troubles with my flights. Both landed earlier than expected, and although my baggage took forever in Rome-Fiumicino, I managed (barely) to catch the bus on time. At the bus, I stumbled across Mariano and two of our housemates, Kathleen and Nicole. It was comforting to see familiar faces, although I hadn't been distressed at the thought of traveling alone.

Cinzia picked us up at the bus stop with her friend, Riccardo, who lives next to us and is an exceptional asset, a very funny and sweet guy, and a good friend. Riccardo and Cinzia first took us to our house, which is incredible. I won't describe it in much detail, because you won't be able to imagine it anyway. That's for pictures, later, if they can even do it justice. But one thing must be said, and that is: most incredible balcony view ever.

And so seven of us lived in la casa gialla: the yellow house. In addition to the four of us, we soon met Chelsea, Eddie, and Nathaniel. We went to the grocery store, where (perhaps it's an illusion, but I don't think so) everything is very cheap, and everything we've bought so far is delicious. When it comes to food and drink, the Italians best us in every way. Even their juices and sodas are better. Even their cheap, 39-cent beers are better.

That evening we visited la piazza, where la Fontana Maggiore can be found, and walked a bit downtown. We sat on the steps of the cathedral, a local hangout, and spoke with several Italians. Mariano and I spoke with a woman, Valentina, who was so sweet, even when she had to repeat things several times for us to figure them out. In general, the Italians seem to love to hear us try and love to help us understand. They're very patient.

That night we made some food at the house and sat on the porch, overlooking the hills of Perugia and having wine and conversation. Within hours of having met these people, we talked and joked and laughed like old friends. It is truly a blessing how easily we fell together. After the rest went to bed, Eddie and I had a few more beers, and we ended up going to sleep possibly two hours before our wake-up call in the morning. But it was so worth it.

Il secondo giorno: Siena e il Palio

Having lived in Italy for less than 24 hours, we set out already for our first trip, a day in Siena. We left the house at 6:40, and since I slept for an hour of my overnight travels and two hours the night before, I was running on almost no sleep at all. After I got some food and water in me, though, I felt marvelous.

Siena. Siena, Siena, Siena. La citta' piu' bella che ho mai visto. Oh, Siena. I love Perugia, but Siena was such a perfect place to go on my first full day in Italy. And what's more, we went during one of the most famous and important local events held in Italy: il Palio. Il Palio is a famous horse race between le contrade, best described as perhaps different "districts" or "wards" of the city with ancient rivalries and traditions. The Palio is so important to the people of Siena. The things we saw are stunning, and while I can describe them, you can't understand how shocking and moving they were.

Each contrada has a church, and before the Palio, the horses that represent each contrada are actually brought into the churches and blessed. The horse is the true winner or loser of the race. For example, if the jockey falls off, the horse is trained to finish the race without him, and only the horse need cross the line to win. Through Riccardo's knowledge and experience, we were able to get into la chiesa dell'onda, the church of the contrada called "the Wave." L'onda is a rival to la torre, the tower. There were very strict rules in the church. Riccardo advised us not to speak, so that we weren't viewed as outsiders, and due to the dangers of bringing an incredibly high-strung race horse into a small church, everyone was silent. Honestly, it's a dangerous thing to do, and we were told many times no talking whatsoever, no flash photography, and don't do anything else likely to spook a horse. However, some complete stronzo (not a member of our group, of course) began taking pictures with his flash on. And not just one, as if he didn't know how to turn his flash off and forgot, but several. In a row. I saw the camera in the air flashing, but I couldn't see who was holding it. The horse began to freak out. It was tragic. The crowd broke their calm and those who were near the exits backed out. Riccardo pushed several of us back through a doorway into some hall. It was honestly terrifying. Someone finally got the spooked horse outside, and so it wasn't blessed in the church. This was a sign of incredible sfortuna: bad luck. If I ever had a chance in my life to confront the idiot (presumably a tourist, which embarrassed all of us) who spooked the horse, I don't know what I might do to him. The people of l'onda were heartbroken. The horse was blessed outside while most of the crowd was still inside, reeling. Nathaniel got a small bit of video of the horse spooking. I can't really explain the experience. It was dangerous and scary, but it was worth seeing. And after the blessing, the people in the church broke into the anthem of their contrada. I didn't expect it, but their anthem was incredible. I didn't understand the words, but they all changed dynamics as one, shouting and chanting, and different vocal parts came in and out at different times. Their were harmonies in their spontaneous chant. It was so impressive and so amazing. I had goosebumps the entire time from how unexpected and beautiful it was. I felt heat rising as if I were going to cry. My eyes probably welled up. I cannot describe how important the tradition of il Palio is to the people of Siena. After that experience, we were ashamed to be tourists, but unanimously supported l'onda.

After a lunch, we went to find seats to watch the race. There's basically a track in the middle of the city, and the crowds of spectators sit in the middle of the track, hoping to have a spot on the higher ground. We had a good location to see everything, including an exceptionally dangerous turn where wipeouts aren't uncommon. And so we sat, holding our places, in the sun for two or three hours. It was brutal, but we kept hydrated. Riccardo advised us as the crowd grew not to wear the flag of l'onda, which many of us bought as a souvenir. The Italians wore the flags of their contrade around their necks, around their heads, and in many other creative ways. But the area in which we were sitting is traditionally occupied by many supporters of la torre, and rivalries are known to erupt in violence. If l'onda beat la torre, Riccardo told us, it would be dangerous for us to display support for l'onda. This is a small indication of how important, I cannot stress enough, the Palio is in Siena.

The race itself was an interesting display of both sport and politics. For example, la torre, ending up in an inopportune starting place, had the ability to hold out, refusing to line up. The race would begin as soon as all of the horses lined up, see, and so a jockey in a bad starting position has to wait until a moment when, for example, they see their rival momentarily unprepared, and when they begin to run, the race begins. Riccardo told us that you never knew how long it would take. Sometimes they would line up and start immediately. Sometimes jockeys would refuse to line up for thirty minutes. The tension was so thick. As the announcer read the line-up, this crowd of thousands and thousands of people was virtually silent. Another goosebump moment, honestly. And so la torre, after perhaps ten or fifteen minutes, in which the other jockeys were forced to leave the gates and try again several times, suddenly broke into a run, and the race began. The race itself takes maybe two minutes. Three times around the track. The crowd turns in circles. On the first lap, l'onda pulled ahead. Everyone was screaming and cheering and jeering; it was insane. The second lap, l'onda increased its lead to two or three horselengths! Riccardo was ecstatic. The third lap, l'onda slowed drastically and was passed by two other horses. During the race, two horses fell, and in all the chaos, I was only sure that one of them continued to run. (Edit: I didn't realize this when I originally blogged, but one of the jockey-less horses won second!) I'm not sure what happened to the other jockey-less horse. The instant the race ended, crowds surged toward the track. We all grabbed each other, staying still as a group, fighting not to be swept along. A fight broke out near us. Riccardo and us guys pushed the girls back. The tension at this place was incredible, frightening, and exhilarating. Our group all ended up safe, of course, but it was clear watching Riccardo how much pressure he felt to make sure we weren't hurt, and his expressions gave me a good understanding of exactly how serious the Palio can be. Riccardo told us in the moments of calm that we finally reached that it was clear that l'onda pulled back, and la contrada was likely paid off. Il Palio is political, above all other things, but that sort of thing is just part of the race, the tradition, and the history. We were all disappointed that our chosen contrada didn't win, especially because it could have, but that's not what's ultimately important about the Palio. La selva (roughly translated, the Woods) won il Palio (the prize).

I loved the Palio, simply put. It was a completely unique experience, and I would wait in the hot sun for hours every day for it. It was 100% worth it. We left shortly after. I slept on the bus ride home, and back in Perugia, some of us returned to la piazza, spoke with Italians, and hung out for several more hours, going to bed, once again, around four or five in the morning. Though I needed sleep, it was fun and I don't regret it.

Having written for an hour, I'm afraid I don't have time to write about Saturday or Sunday right now. Nothing big happened, but I have a few small things to share during that time, and so hopefully, later today, I will find another twenty minutes or so to get online. Until then!

Arrivederci, e grazie!