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October 25, 2022
Assisi, Italy
Assisi, Italy
When I came to Assisi, Italy 33 years ago it was during a medieval festival complete with torches lighting the streets and people in costume. This time there was no festival but also no crowds. We stayed at a super reasonably priced camere run by Mamma Rosignoli who does not speak a word of English. But this does not stop her from making you feel like a long lost relatives. Mamma is not on any online booking service so you can only book by phone. So with some basic Italian we called and managed to convey that we wanted a room for three nights. When we arrived Mamma greeted us enthusiastically “Buongiorno! Buongiorno! ” Followed by a whole conversation presumably saying welcome, maybe asking how the journey was? But either way she seemed happy we were there and directed us to a stairway and sent us on our way to find our room. Without any English somehow she managed to convey that the girl was still cleaning the room and had the key but we could leave our luggage in the room. So we did and than set off to explore the mountain top town of Assisi made famous by Saint Francis of Assisi.
Assisi, Italy.movOctober 27, 2022
Siena, Italy
Siena, Italy
Siena, Italy - what an amazing city! We took a walking tour with just three of us and our well informed guide, Marcella. She explained about Siena's 17 boroughs that date back to the middle ages and how the tension and competition between them has transcended time and still exists today. It culminates in two horse races a year that are as much a theatrical production as they are a race. The Palio horse races have very few rules and are the only horse race where the horse can win even if the rider doesn’t make it.
SIENA, Italy.movOne of the more interesting things we learned about Siena is that it is home to the worlds oldest surviving bank, Monte dei Paschi di Siena. The bank was founded in 1472 but in the 2008 banking chrisis it had to be bailed out by the government. Then in 2013 while still trying to recover there was a hudge scandel over loss-making derivative contracts, allegations of fraud, and rumurred involvement of the Vatican and mafia. The resulting investigation led to convictions of former CEO's and locals in Siena fear that the impact from the losses will continue to have a negative impact on the area for decades.
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