Siena before the Palio

Siena is a lovely Medieval city south of Florence. In the middle of the city is the fan-shaped Piazza Del Campo where a horse race is held every July. The edges of the piazza are turned into a large sand-filled track for the horses and spectators watch from the middle of the piazza and the balconies above. This race is next week, so preparations were being made...track groomed, flags hung, etc. Each district in the city competes against each other in the race and each district has its own flag. I had been to Siena before, so I had been to the lovely cathedral there. I spent most of the day wandering with a couple kids....we went and saw the thumb, whip, and head of Saint Catherine of Siena at one of the churches and to the university there that is perched on a hill with amazing views of the city. We finished out the day with a trip to the Enoteca Nazionale (national wine cellar basically) where most of the wines of the country are available for purchase and consumption. We consumed only 2 bottles of about 1500 types available. Can't do it all in one day I guess. The bus ride home was interesting...although an air-conditioned bus in theory, in practice the bus driver refused to turn on the AC for reasons unknown.