Siena is its best at night. The night air is cool compared to the often humid and hot temperatures of the day; the tourists have gathered up their shopping bags and are in route to a larger city to sleep the night away; and the locals are heading out for dinner or for an evening “passeggiata” (stroll).
The ambiance of the city in one word is happy. The narrow streets are aglow with the light of delicate street lamps and the night air is filled with the distinct “clink” of forks and knives, laughter, and even babies crying. As you look around you see people of all ages, grandmas and grandpas (nonne e nonni), families with small children, groups of boys, groups of girls, and young couples clearly in love. There is a certain allure to Siena at night; there is something about it that draws even the most exhausted person out of their home.
We have spent many of our evenings amongst the Sienese people and have enjoyed our exchanges of conversations with the locals. I am often excited to try speaking my broken Italian to the Sienese and I have found they are just as excited to practice their broken English. These conversations often lead to much laughter as we search for the correct words or for the correct understanding.
Upon our arrival in Siena we were fortunate to be invited to attend the banquet dinner of the Elefante’s contrada. Excitedly, I accepted, putting aside our complete exhaustion from our overseas travels. Each of the 17 contrade hold banquet dinners in preparation and celebration of the upcoming Palio as a way to raise money and support. As we strolled down the narrow twists and turns of Elefante’s streets we could smell the banquet before we could actually see it. The smells of garlic, pizza, grilled meats, pasta and the sweetness of sugary treats filled the air; rounding the bend we found the party already in full swing. Women with aprons tied around their waists taking food to and from tables; families and friends toasting, tasting and talking; a small band on a platform entertaining the contrada; and small children pulling at their mothers shirts whining “Voglio ballare, Mamma” (I want to dance, Mom).
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| Melinda's Mom |
We started our dinner with white wine and crostini, pretty safe treats for American girls, but our dinner had many surprises in store for us! As the first dish was presented to mom and me our eyes met and locked for a moment. I knew what she was thinking and she knew what I was thinking. What is this?!?! I had to fight my little kid urge to smell and poke at the blob of pink “stuff” that lay before me. Around this pinkness, slices of lemon were placed in an artistic fashion, in my mind a thought passed as to what this unknown antipasti was, but I told myself, “No, it couldn’t be…”. So, I politely picked up my fork, sank it into the glob, and brought the reward to my lips… Panicked thoughts raced through my mind, “Oh my goodness, it is raw ground beef”. Knowing how Italians take pride in their food, I forced a smile and a polite comment of, “This is nice.” With great effort we both managed a few (tiny) bites before having to push the plate aside.
Luckily, we found sweet relief in our next course, Burrata e Asparagi. My dear friends, I don’t believe I have ever, until this moment, eaten something in which I didn’t want to swallow because the taste was simply heaven. I can’t adequately describe Burrata e Asparagi and the complete satisfaction it created, but I promise you this, if I find a recipe and I can recreate this masterpiece in my kitchen, all of you are invited for dinner! The meal continued with three additional courses and soon we found “Tartara agli Aromi” (AKA raw beef) a distant memory.
After 2 hours of eating, people watching, laughing, and talking, we pushed ourselves away from the table to make our way home. It was a wonderful way to begin our summer in Siena; it was a night in which we felt, if even for only a moment, what it would feel like to be Italian.
To read more about Melinda's adventures in Siena last summer:
