Tuscany Adventures

I saw these photos and thought, "Palio!" -- haven't been to Sienna, but feel that I know it (& its famed horse race) from years spent in the race's namesake Manhattan bar / restaurant.
The horse race occurs 2x/year, including a date in August . . . any chance that you can see it?
 
I saw these photos and thought, "Palio!" -- haven't been to Sienna, but feel that I know it (& its famed horse race) from years spent in the race's namesake Manhattan bar / restaurant.
The horse race occurs 2x/year, including a date in August . . . any chance that you can see it?
I think the horses were running the morning we got there but we were not able to see a race.
 
I saw these photos and thought, "Palio!" -- haven't been to Sienna, but feel that I know it (& its famed horse race) from years spent in the race's namesake Manhattan bar / restaurant.
The horse race occurs 2x/year, including a date in August . . . any chance that you can see it?


We were there just before the July 2nd race and the "track" was set up then as well.

There is a cool documentary on it. We watched it a few years ago on Netflix. Not sure where you can see it now but I'm sure it's easy to find. It's all about how important it is and the various neighborhoods and of course the cheating and corruption!!!

the trailer:
 
We were there just before the July 2nd race and the "track" was set up then as well.

There is a cool documentary on it. We watched it a few years ago on Netflix. Not sure where you can see it now but I'm sure it's easy to find. It's all about how important it is and the various neighborhoods and of course the cheating and corruption!!!

the trailer:
I haven’t seen the documentary yet, but as one of the titles says, “Only One Thing Matters.” As it was explained to me when I used to spend time at New York’s “Palio,” the thing that most mattered was the horse. — i.e., the race’s winner could be a riderless horse, as part of the race involves riders — intentionally or accidentally — knocking one another off their mounts during the race. A pretty dangerous “sport!”
 
OMG, these photos and travelogue are amazing! I'm feeling so much "amore" for your fabulous trip and all the work it took to put it together! Some of your places are familiar to us but others are not; I'd really like to see the Palio in Siena!! You both look fantastic and very "Italiano". Thank you for sharing this wonderful trip🥂:love:
 
I’ve traveled in Tuscany Italy as well through https://gowithguide.com/Italy and absolutely loved it Siena and the Val d’Orcia were some of my favorite spots, and we travel also in Tuscany countryside with its wonderful view and climbing the medieval towers in San Gimignano for those breathtaking views was unforgettable.

After Tuscany, I spent time in Florence and had an incredible experience visiting Santa Maria Novella Church with its stunning frescoes, admiring the Neptune Fountain in Piazza della Signoria, and even making a stop at the iconic Leaning Tower. Every corner of Florence is packed with history and beauty!

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Gorgeous!
Dan and I are in Tuscany, Italy for a couple of weeks. The last time Dan and I were in Pisa about 30 years ago the Leaning Tower was closed to tourists. Since that time the foundation has been reinforced and the angle of tilt slightly lessened. It is now open again and Jim climbed the almost 300 steps to the top of the world famous campanile. Not bad for a 75 year old with an aging artificial aortic heart valve and two replacement knees!View attachment 69145View attachment 69146View attachment 69147View attachment 69148View attachment 69149View attachment 69150
 
Tuscany came to me last week in the form of a well packed & protected 10 bottles of wine & 2 of olio from a winery I visited in October 2023 as part of a group of 12 wine adventurers to many wonderful towns & wineries for just shy of 2 weeks...this new box came from Poggio Stenti.
 
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