Tartuca (turtle) wins the palio today!

Today was all about the Palio, the famous horse race in Siena, so no paintings today. Siena is divided into 17 contrada. Each year, there is a horse race among the contrada and great honor goes to the winner of the race. The Sienese take it extremely seriously. The pageant preceding the palio was glorious, each contrada parades through the campo (central square, the most beautiful in all of Europe, secondo me) dressed in milirary clothing as it would have been in about the 17th century. I've never seen so many aquiline noses in my life, nor such proud and serious faces. A portrait series would be a lot of fun to do someday. But the pageant, which lasted at least a couple of hours, was magnificent. Just absolutely beautiful with each contrada decked out in its unique, brightly colored clothing and bearing flags of the contrada's insignia.

In the morning, I worked with Pepi, the owner of the villa at which I am staying, on new wine labels for two different wines he produces locally. He may use a couple of the paintings or pictures I've taken as images for the labels. In exchange, I insist on example bottles of his wine with the label. I lunched with the Pepi family, we had wines and food specific to the Orvieto region. In Italian, la Signora asked "Do you have friends in Siena?" I said, "No." She replied, "Com'e no! Tu hai noi! Siamo tuoi amici!" Allora, I have friends in Siena.

In the afternoon, Pepi's grandkid and her friend escorted me to witness a horse being blessed in the Onda contrada's church, prior to the race. (Onda means wave,and its mascot is a dolphin.) But I repeat, the horse was brought into the church where it was blessed it. Too cool. After the horse was led out, the contrada lustily sang the contrada's song, at least twice, before I left for the main campo.

Here's today's image, a lonely sunflower, the first to bloom. Somehow I empathized with it. I am alone here in this strange and beautiful culture and country, as is the lone flower in its field. Yet with established friends here now, I am connected, a part of the field around me.