My Journey to Italia

Things I’m finding I really like about Siena:

Sunday October 1, 2006

- That you can always find friends in the Campo. No matter what time of day you’re there, 3 in the afternoon or 11 at night, someone you know is going to be there.
- That there’s a white swan named Romeo in the small pond in La Lizza.
- That in the far end of La Lizza there is a little carousal and one small building that has carnival toys for sale. And that on late Sunday afternoon’s parents take their kids there, sit in plastic chairs and watch them go laughing around the carousal.
- That between 1 and 4 in the afternoon almost all the stores in town close to take a siesta. The same thing on Sundays, for the entire day. (Except for the one farmicia that must be open at all times.)
- That when there’s a soccer game in town the entire town walks to the stadium to support their team, which is ranked worst in the top division in the country. You can see white and black (Siena colors) scarves and police (riot control) around all afternoon. There seems to be no in the center of town when one of these games is going on but when its over, everyone is out shopping and eating.
- That at the grocery store you can buy milk chocolate candy bars from Germany for only .66 euro. When they’re on sale for only .6 euro.
- That there are Churches around every corner.
- That the bus station is underground always has a line and always has grumpy women working at it. Today when I asked for three bus schedules I actually made the woman laugh.
- That vespas and cars have the right away. If you hear them coming, move to the side. But at the same time, if you want to cross a busy street, you’d better go for it and stare the car down until it stops.
- That it seems on Sunday afternoons all the old men and women of Siena dress up in their finest clothes and go sit and walk on the park like walls of the Fortress.
- That people sit in the Campo at all times. And that open bottles of wine and hard liquor are always around and permitted.
- That Friday night while sitting in the Campo with friends I saw a guy playing a bagpipe, and a girl and a boy doing Scottish dancing Riverdance style. We dubbed it “only in Italy.”
- That they actually have a kabob place. “Ethnic food.”
- That when you stick with speaking Italian, even when you know the workers speak English, you feel like you accomplished something and that you seem maybe a little less tourist like.
- That Sunday afternoon you are sure to find friends in the Internet train.
- That Siena is located in Tuscany and has gorgeous landscapes surrounding it.
- That nutella exists and I have discovered it. (This applies to something I like about Italy in general.)
- That even though lunch is not included in the deal, when I’m home on Sunday’s my host family expects that I’ll eat with them for lunch and always include me.
- That last Sunday I met their son, his wife and their little daughter while we ate le lasagne (we Americans say lasagna but that is wrong) and then I learned in class the next week that le lasagne is a very typical mean for a Sunday lunch.
- That Friday’s our Italian class combines with the other Italian class and we go out into La Lizza and play games for the last half hour of class.
- That we listen to music in class and sing along. I’m obsessed with “Stop! Dimentica” and “Le Sere Nere” by Tiziano Ferro.
- That you can walk everyone and people do. And that people are always around and sit talking with friends at bars. (Bars are like cafes, not like the American connotation of bar.)
- That you can get a pastry filled with crème for .8 euro at Bar Costa.
- That I get a two course meal, plus bread, plus cheese, plus dessert, plus fruit every night.
- That every Wednesday starting at 9am and ending at 1pm there is a market in the old fortress. It’s HUGE and only lasts a day. Impressive.
- That Mario, my host dad, likes to joke with me. He always asks if I’ve had a gelato for the day and if he doesn’t I tell him.
- That he pinches his mom’s nose during dinner sometimes.
- That every night when I go to bed and every morning when I wake up Laura (my host mom) is there to say “ciao” to and to kiss on each cheek.

I’ve already been here a month!

posted by Madeline Faye @ 4:12 PM