Siena una bella citta

Siena is stunning. I try and try to describe it but it’s impossible to find the right words to capture the beauty I see. In the medieval center, cobblestone streets snake through clusters of tall apartments, churches, and other beautiful buildings. You feel encased within the fortress walls but then you climb up a steep hill and it unveils a gorgeous view of the Tuscan hills, beautiful garden valleys, and postcard snapshots of the city. At sunset the view has a wonderful, warm orange glow.

I think my textbook appropriately describes Siena as (and I’m translating here) “a small medieval city with an excellent quality of life… its monuments are magnificent, the works of art by the major artists, extraordinary. You must take time to go and take in the sun or drink a cappuccino in the Piazza del Campo, considered by many the most beautiful piazza in the world”. I most certainly agree.

The Piazza del Campo is like my Italian Kogan Plaza. It’s my campus quad but 100 times bigger. The city’s central square, the piazza is always bustling. Tourists congregate around the souvenir booths, artists sketch the tower, and groups of students read or chat with friends. People sit to eat their gelato. Parents stop to rest while their children chase pigeons. We even saw newlyweds emerge from the tower into a downpour of tossed rice. There is so much to take in. I’m going to spend a lot of time here.

Yet despite the tourist crowds Siena is very small, with only about 60,000 residents, and therefore almost has a small town feel. I run into my classmates on my way to the post office or I spot a few having cappuccino at a cafe. I’m even picking up on who are the local Sienese. An older woman and her huge black fuzzy dog can be spotted frequently in the Campo. At the supermarket, again I ran into a man who always sports a light blue “Universita di Firenze” sweatshirt. My Italian professor smiles as she passes. Some of the IES students don’t favor this intimacy, but I feel in a new and strange place it’s sometimes nice to hear someone call your name.

In the few months that I am here I hope to, and believe I will have, a rich cultural experience. I want to meet more Italians, improve my language skills, study the history, explore the surrounding countryside, and come to truly assimilate into daily life.