Siena, Italy - Medieval Life and Horse Racing
Italy has many well-known travel destinations such as Rome. Less publicized destinations such as Siena are even better. Sienna Located roughly an hour outside of Florence, Siena is one of my favorite places in Italy. When you think gothic architecture and medieval town, you think of Siena. Built as a fortified city behind large, thick walls on a small mountain, Siena oozes history. Cars are barred from much of the city, so you can meander down ancient brick alleyways below towering wall-to-wall residences. In Siena, you’ll find a relaxed way of life, two music schools and just a general feel of what Italy must have been like in the past. Head to the Piazza del Campo in the heart of the city and grab a seat in a café. As you gaze across the city, you can view the Duomo Cathedral that towers over the city. Unlike other cities, the cathedral does not contrast with the buildings around it. All of Siena retains the gothic medieval architectural style and you’ll be hard pressed to find a better gothic example in Europe. The best way to experience Siena is to simply stay there. Like wine, Siena improves the longer you stay. Daily explorations lead to surprising little shops, incredibly friendly people and a general feeling of peace. Il Palio If you prefer a little action on your trip, Siena has an event that rivals any in Europe. The Il Palio bareback horse race around the Piazza del Campo is a sight to be seen. The fun starts well before the race when various neighborhoods challenge each other. The challenge comes in the form of bands walking through “enemy” neighborhoods in the middle of the night and making an unholy racket. Eventually, each neighborhood produces a horse and rider for the day of the race. Bareback, the riders race for neighborhood pride among an absolutely screaming crowd of people. The running of the bulls has nothing on this event. If you visit Florence while in Italy, take the time to spend a couple days in Siena. In fact, blow past Florence and go immediately to Siena.
Other Horse Racing Articles
Las Vegas Odds & Ends The Las Vegas Hilton, home of the prestigious SuperContest football handicapping competition, will give away $10,000 in weekly drawings throughout the upcoming season as the resort turns its legenday theater into "Football Central" on NFL Sundays.Food and drink specials, including $1 hot dogs and draft beer, .will be served beginning with ...Horse Racing Betting, A Beginners Guide (Part 2) In part one we went over how to pick contending horses by looking at the jockey, trainer and then finished off by looking at the form of the horse. By looking at the factors we went over last time you should now have been able to select some winners.In this article I’m going to give you a few more tips on how to select winners and give yo ...Alabama Casinos Alabama is a southern state located in “the Heart of Dixie”, with a rich history dating back to the Civil War. It is known for its Magnolia trees, lush gardens, grand old historic homes, and southern hospitality. Alabama, with a population of over 4,500,000, is adjacent to Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida. The capital of Alabama is Montgomery, ...Gambler Loses Twice - Thanks To Tax Court Jimmie Clemons, retired, received a Form W-2G reporting $44,800.00 in winnings from a casino. As his gambling losses for the year were more than $44,800.00, he did not report any winnings or losses on his 1040.The Tax Court, in Jimmie L Clemons T.C. Summary Opinion 2005-109, upheld the IRS position that gross gambling winnings must be re ...Drag Racing This is a popular form of motor sport racing in the United States, which first began as illegal street racing. The idea is to cover a short distance, usually one quarter of a mile in the shortest amount of time. The course or strip is straight, resembling the streets of most American cities. Two cars stand next to each other as if waiting at a t ...Best Snorkeling Destinations Snorkeling is a universal sport and is enjoyed wherever there is clear still water abundant in marine flora and fauna. Some maritime tourist spots have become fan favorites, such as the beaches of the Hawaii Islands, the Caribbean, Florida and California.The entire Great Barrier Reef in Australia is a snorkeler’s heaven. Even the coasts o ...Run, Pony, Run - Pony Express “Away across the endless prairie a black speck appears against the sky. It is plain that it moves. Well, I should think so! ” wrote Mark Twain in 1860 as a stagecoach traveler.“In a second or two it becomes a horse and rider, rising and falling, rising and falling – sweeping toward us nearer and nearer. The flutter of hoofs comes faintly ...Betfair System for Beginners Betfair is the world's biggest betting exchange - and some would say it has single-handedly revamped the entire horse racing industry.In the World Cup, tens of millions of pounds traded hands on the site's markets, and there has never been a better time to join the fray and attempt to "skim" some money from the other punters.Betfai ...The Calgary Stampede and Exhibition The Calgary Stampede and Exhibition is rich in tradition and it is also known for the cowboy atmosphere that takes over the city, everybody gets out the cowboy boots and Stetsons for the 10-11 days of good fun. This year (2006) it starts with the Calgary Stampede Parade on July 7th. Calgary's dedicated volunteers and community supporters prese ...The Best of Walt Disney World So you’re headed to Walt Disney World ... but where to start? Disney offers such a wealth of fantastic resorts, restaurants, and top-drawer entertainment experiences it can be difficult to choose which fantasy you wish to indulge. How best can you plan a visit in which each day comes with the finest Disney has to offer? Here are a few tips that ...Bicycle Rims Review The first bicycle wheels were from a horse drawn cart, made of wood with a metal band round the bicycle rim, very hard and very uncomfortable to ride. Then a man called Dunlop (Scottish) invented the pneumatic tire, this along with Macadam (another Scot) inventing the tar road surface made cycling a lot more comfortable.The bicycle rim, l ...Horses - Sir Barton There have been many great triple crown winners in horse racing history. But none faded farther into obscurity than the triple crown winner Sir Barton.He wasn't the last but he was the first. This was an amazing achievement for this horse when you consider the following facts. As a two year old he lost his first six races. This horse ...Four Things You Absolutely Must Do When Tragedy Strikes Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are reminders that you never know when or where tragedy is going to strike. They remind us that we do not choose tragedy – it chooses us – randomly and suddenly. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. You may be trying to weather the storms in your own personal life right now, ...Finding the Right Las Vegas Casino Many people are planning a trip to Las Vegas this year. They plan on staying at a Las Vegas casino but have no idea which one to pick. There are an awful lot of Las Vas Vegas casinos to choose from. It is hard to decide what the perfect Las Vegas casino is. With careful thought, you should be able to decide which one is right for you. ...New Mexico Travel A journey to New Mexico can be a very enthralling and enchanting experience. The state, with its diversity, can be a unique travel experience, offering culturally and traditionally rich places as well as breathtaking natural beauty and charm. Travel can include cycling through the beautiful locales of the Kit Carson National Forest or the Rio Gr ...Binge Eating Impacting Kids Adults Athletes "Looking good" and "being how you look" are two of the more dangerous ideas that modern culture serves up. Face it. Not every one can look either super model reed thin or flex that muscled "cut" look of the super athlete. Getting there sometimes drives people to resort to life threatening binge eating and purging ...Handicapping 3 And 4 Year-Old Horses The Following Procedure can give you a handle on playing younger horses, competing against their older rivals:1. Do not Play 3-year-olds running against older horses;2. After April 30th, only play 4-year-olds running against older horses if they have earned Qualifying Wins against their older rivals and with similar--or lower--weig ...Terrorists Again - 14 Prayers to Protect Your Family In the last 2 weeks or so, I have been posting some prayers to deal with specific issues that my readers have mentioned to me.You find prayers to help you attract whatever it is you want more of in your life.Maybe it's:* More money - to meet your needs and more* A new car - go where you want to go, safely and in the ...Children Killing At School - "Is it our fault?" Are the recent amazing number of school campus shootings, by both children and young adults, our fault? I mean, "our" as in our Society's fault? Why is this happening in this country, and what can we do about it?I hate to define, then describe, a problem within our borders, without also giving my "spin" as to a solution! That is just the ...Romantic Hideaways - Great Wall to the Alhambra Still looking for that once in a lifetime romantic hideaway spot? Maybe one of these will strike your fancy and fire off some sparks of romance!Near Beijing - Luxury at The Great Wall. For a truly unusual experience and if money is no object, then run away together to China... The Commune by the Wall is an exclusive resort about 25 mil ...Kentucky Real Estate - The Bluegrass State From lush bluegrass to the music of the same name, Kentucky is undeniably the bluegrass state. Fortunately, Kentucky real estate prices won’t leave you blue.KentuckyWhen it comes to assumptions, leave yours at the door when considering Kentucky. This state is a hidden gem. From the Appalachian Mountains to the rolling hills covered ...Preview of February's UK Horse Racing Sandown opens the month on February 4 with an excellent card and another set of possible Cheltenham clues. In recent seasons the Agfa Diamond Chase has suffered through small and uncompetitive fields but that worrying trend has started to change of late and this year’s renewal is sure to be a competitive one.Alan King’s tough stayer Fork ...Getting Started: Online Gambling For people new to the world of online gambling, the web sites can be overwhelming at first. There are many gambling sites to choose from and many games to play. From Texas Hold-em to betting on horses, these sites are packed with lots to try. When gambling online for the first time, try some of the easier sites. Sites that offer poker for fun, n ...Market Availability Of Lawn Tractors Market Availability Of Lawn TractorsThere are many manufacturers of lawn tractors . If you go to market for purchasing a lawn tractor you will be flooded with offers for sale and then there will be more offers from the markets like eBay and Amezon.com. It is really a difficult choice to make. However if you have your pri ...How To Run Your Own Professional Horse Racing Tipster Service For those of you who have ever joined a horse racing tipster service and been disappointed with the results, you’ve probably thought, “I could do better myself”. Well you may be right!If you have continued that thought process, you may have considered starting your own horse racing tipster service, but have been held back by not kn ...The History of Steeplechase Horse Racing The sport of Steeplechase racing dates back to 1752 in Ireland when two, half-crocked, friends settled the argument over who owned the best horse by racing to the nearest Church steeple after returning from Fox hunting. The winner actually rode right through the church where the vicar was holding a solemn funeral. Soon steeplechase racing sprea ...Great British Sporting Events In this article I write about some of the most famous British sporting events which take place on a yearly basis. My name is Steve Hill from Birmingham and I love to watch most sports especially football, tennis, snooker, horse racing and cricket.I am currently looking forward to the Fifa World Cup and the winter cricket Ashes tour to Aus ...West Virginia State Fair Held in Lewisburg The State Fair of West Virginia is held each year during mid-August in the town of Lewisburg. Here visitors can enjoy fun in its many varied forms, music from all around the local area and of course midway food!Favored carnival food comes in the forms of classics such as corn dogs, kettle corn, spiral fries, nachos, and roast corn and tu ...The Power of Love “There must be a higher love/Without it life is wasted time.” Those are the opening words to one of my favorite Steve Winwood songs. What could a higher love mean in your life – in the life of your clients?Often, during a speaking engagement, I include a potent and important word that has people flinch — “Love.” They try to manage their f ...Travel to Ireland Ireland is an island in the northwest of Europe with an area of 32,595 sq miles. About 370 km (230 miles) long by 225 km (140 miles) wide, Ireland comprises the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The population of the island of Ireland is approximately 5.8 million people, 4.1 million in the Republic of Ireland and 1.7 million in Northern ...Horse Racing's Premature Obituary Ok folks, it's time to break out the shovels to bury horse racing, again!We came across an article on ESPN.com written by Bill Finley entitled "2005 was a lousy year for horse racing." In his article Mr. Finley cites 9 reasons why 2005 was such a bad year for horse racing in America. Although we agree with several of his observations, n ...A New Causation If you're currently in a difficult or upsetting situation, change your focus: declare a new causation. Simple but not always easy.In the beginning was the word. And here is where your really word counts. What will you declare? What new ideas will you set in motion?Your mind may drift back to the perceived pain, to the past. You wa ...Rocks at the Poker Table This article will focus on how to spot and defeat any rock at the poker table. First, I will define a “rock” as a poker player who plays very few starting hands, yet plays aggressive when he/she decides to play a pot. I was recently playing in a NL 5 – 10 poker game at a local club. After about an hour, I had a pretty decent read on everybody at ...Mazzilli Unfairly the Fall Guy for Angelos Well, hopefully Peter Angelos is happy now that he can rid himself of Manager Lee Mazzilli with a clear conscience, since the Orioles have been on such a horrible slide. It's no secret inside the organization that Angelos has been itching to fire Maz. But, facts are, Maz did a good job even having this team in contention for so long. This is an ...How Many Bottles of Beer on the Wall - A Tale of One Man's Yeast Affection Back in the early to mid 1980's a few of my friends and I entered the Beer Tasting Club (which would account for my haziness of specific dates in time) at the Parting Glass Pub on Lake Avenue in Saratoga Springs. One only had to "sample" in the neighborhood of 200 beers in an approximate 10 month period and grade it on a scorecard. If you could ...
|
