"SIENA: NEVER IN MY WILDEST DREAMS " a Siena Travel Page by ForestqueenNYC

Never in my wildest dreams, did I think of living in Siena. But during the Gulf War, when I made my first trip to Europe, my friend took me there. What a fabulous place. I decided then and there that this would be the beginning of my dream. I moved there just before my 50th birthday. For three months, I studied Italian at Dante Alighieri. My contrada was Istrice, which means porcupine. I could never be a member, but I still like to call it "my" contrada.
For more information on contrade see this site: http://www.comune.siena.it/main.asp?id=933

For information on Contrada Istrice see this site:
http://www.comune.siena.it/contenuti/palio/inglese/contrade/istrice/istrice.html

One of my favorite things to do on Sunday afternoons was to take the evening "passaggiata" and to watch the parade of one of the contrade. The passaggiata is a tradition in most towns and cities in Italy. It takes place around five when almost everyone in the town walks the main street to see and be seen, usually stopping for a gelato and then going home to prepare for dinner. After the passeggiata is over, the streets are virtually empty and there is not much for the tourist to do.

To be a true Sienese, you must be born within the walls. To be a member of a contrada, you must be born within that contrada. I don't know what the complications are when a member of one contrada marries someone from another. Which contrada would the children be members of? I imagine it could also make for difficult times during the Palio.

You will see streets, such as this one, filled with tables set for dinner where members of the contrada will feast on wonderful traditional dishes during Palio.