Back up a few days….

I am writing this with no real hope of posting for at least two days.   No internet connection here in Montalcino (Mont al chino).  I have a fantastic view out my little window, but no elevators, no internet and, the true test, tonight we will start at dinner time with tasting the local wines. 

I need to back track a bit – 5 days or so actually – and tell you more about Arezzo and the Joust – Giostra del Saracino – This years was the 120th festival - 2 a year for 60 years – restarted in 1930 these are re-enactment of joust from the 12 – to 1500s.  There were three days of functions – activities like the qualification of horse and Knight, and the prayer at the Duomo to ask for their protection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I want to say that this was  Fun, fun, FUN.  Arezzo is beautiful, has some nice restaurants (Ristorantes) and the pageantry, costumes, seriousness of the fans - helped to make us feel that we were truly in medieval times.  The city is divided into 4 quadrants.  Each has its own colors, flags, banners, two horses, two Knights, a marching band (drums and trumpets), and friends and family that come out in full dress to support their knight.  One full day was taken up with meetings within the quadrants of all fans for the knights and the colors.  Regular tourists - like us - choose a color to cheer and wore shirts

 

and /or scarves with the colors or banners clearly shown.  Leneira chose the green and white and I the red and blue – because I liked the horses of the red and blue and as luck would have it My TEAM Won!!!! lah, li, LA, lah, la, LA!!!

 

Sunday afternoon, just as the sun was setting behind us the main piazza filled with cheering crowds and the games began.  hope you enjoy the photos -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I tried to select special photos – but there were so many – I think I took 600+ photos of this pageant and do not have my computer to look closely at them, so  I hope these look okay when you see them on your computer. 

 

***It didn’t take two days – I am stealing internet connection  - probably from the expensive hotel just to the west of us and our ‘normal’ peoples B&B.

Door knobs of Arezzo

we are no longer in Lucca – the internet just wouldn’t download the blog post – so here it is from Siena – an additional note – the doors and windows AND knobs should be titled – doors.. etc of Tuscany.  I have been seeing these motifs repeated in every city we have been walking.
we have had intermittent hard rain for two days.  tonight we will stay in Siena and hope that the hordes of tourist go home and leave the city to us.  ….  I have lots of food to talk about – hope you come back to read more.
From two days ago ……. Hello From Lucca!  Today is cloudy and and has a look of rain to come.  No problem – it is our first day to not have perfect weather – we will give nature her due.
While looking at all the wonderful doors and windows in Arezzo - I also was noticing the door knobs.  It took two days for me to start seeing repeats – The motifs kept to the historical look of the city, brass and bronze and wrought iron.  Like the doors they are beautiful.  Here are a few.

3rd day in Arezzo :

  DOORS AND WINDOWS OF AREZZO

We traveled from Verona to Arezzo on Thursday, one day early.  I haven’t told you the whole story yet, but we had pretty much walked the ‘centro storico’ from end to end and had taken a day to drive around a portion of Lake Garda.  Moving on felt like the right thing to do.

Thursday afternoon we had found our B & B and settled in.  The B&B is about 5 km outside of Arezzo.  At first we were all hesitant about the distance and the driving but by the time we’d seen the parties and other crowds playing in the streets in the evenings, we were glad for the silence of the surrounding village at night.  One problem for me though is that we can only get an internet connection outside in the back yard were there isn’t any electricity for the computer and even then the wireless connection is only two bars…… and SLOW!

I know I am on vacation and I don’t have to post every day – and I haven’t – but my mother, sister, daughter and granddaughter and a couple friends in Friburgo are following the trip and I like to share as much as possible with them. 

Boy did I get off track….. or in the very least the track went the long way around.  after walking Verona in Arezzo I noticed immediately the variety of interesting doorways, and windows.  I will not attempt to describe these doors I am just going to post a selection (big selection) and let you see for yourself.  It seems that on every street, around each corner there is a church or an ancient abbey, each with its individual style of door.   Here are a few :