I have already published a post on Palio in Ferrara but this time I have something special for you. One of the participants agreed to share her experiences with us! Maria Elena Peverati who was a chief of costume department for couple of years and she is also an author (painter) of three Palio- the main prize in a horse race competition. Here is her story. Palio From Within If I think about Palio my mind instantly creates pictures: the city of Ferrara becomes lively, colorful and loud. Picture of noblemen, picture of color flags, picture of coat of arms of the particular contrada: it’s ALL there! Every year in May history and traditions come to life. Ferrara reminds the glorious time of the Este domination when it was one of the most admired renaissance court in Italy. The palio is not just a horse race but a year of work to perform the best drum & flag exercise, to act the best characters or just to wear a perfect renaissance dress and, last but not least, to win one of the four races. This is a huge challenge to all participants: performance of a good, safe and emotional show. One of the most emotional memories referred to Palio is the sound of drums and trumpets. It’s not unusual the hear the drums from a considerable distance even in cold and foggy evening. That’s the sure sign that the tryouts have started. In the winter season the sbandieratori (men responsible for the flags’ throwing competition) practice at the Piazza Municipale in order to prepare a perfect performance. Only passion gives these boys the strenght to go out in the winter to freeze while practicing instead of laying on the sofa in front of the TV. When you see them all dressed in contrada uniformes, playing together and moving to the same pulse like soldiers, you feel their energy, their happiness and their pride and you know their efforts are well paid back. When you witness their hard working, their careful preparations and their engagement you can feel the growing excitement. ‘Electricity in the air’ turns to madness in a competition day. These people are really IN this event with all their hearts and minds. Noble Woman- My Story As a citizen of Ferrara I had an opportunity to act as a noble woman of the Este Court. I remember this experience mostly through the colors: variety of the flags’ colors when they are thrown up in the air, colors of the precious fabrics we use to sew our dresses, the magic color of fire and the architecture of our renaissance town mixing perfectly with the characters of the evening parade. Wearing a reinassance dress was an exceptional experience and I think that all women should try it at least once in their lifetime! When a dress is well tied on you it’s like magic and you feel you’re living in the old times. The sound made by velvet, the long skirt swishing back and forth following my steps, and the way I walked: all made me feel like a noble woman. Playing a noble woman of the este Court is the real spirit of the performe during the evening parade. Acting like a real noble is tricky! You need to walk along the street not just to be seen but also admired. The spectators are watching your every step! A noble women should smile to please but she should never waive her hand …. nobles don’t do that!!! The night of the parade (two separate events: Iscrizione delle Contrade and Omaggio al Duca) is like getting ready to your own wedding: dress, jewels, makeup, shoes, and hairstyle must be perfect. Sometimes at the end of May, when the events are taking place, it’s already warm, therefore, wearing a velvet dress is a real torture but the emotion of being part of Palio is priceless so you easily forget the heat. Being a noble woman once in a lifetime is very exciting and I’ll never forget it. Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!    

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Pompeii is an archaeological site of world fame. I am pretty sure that in many countries it is  an important element of the school curriculum. Despite its high historical value I appreciate it of somehow different reasons. The buried city is a unique site where you can admire social life with all its complexities. I have always had an impression that history taught in school is fragmented: particular areas of human activity are discussed separately making it difficult to imagine what the every day life of ancient people looked like. Pompeii is different: you may see and touch the city as is was centuries ago. …a complex city of ancient times, transfixed during the eruption that buried it in single night, on August 24th 79 AD. Walking the ancient squares, entering the theater, moving along streets, walking into houses and shops creates exceptional opportunity to imagine life of this city buried under ashes of Vesuvius  Moreover, from the majority of places in Pompeii you see the volcano that is still there which makes on some visitors creepy impression. The site is really HUGE. To visit all wonders you would need to spend there weeks. It is clever to know in advance which objects and buildings are most interesting for you and to focus on them. Because of its size the crowd of tourists is usually well distributed among the most interesting spots. Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata became UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Another UNESCO World Heritage Site is Ferrara. Much less known than Pompeii it is a perfect example of renaissance architecture and urban planning. You can join me and stay in Ferrara to get familiar with this stunning piece of architecture. Click here for more details and book today!  Best things to see in Pompeii: Amfiteatro– it is the oldest known amphitheater dating from 70 BC. Its excellent condition allows to imagine the splendor of the city, the noise made by the crowd and the fights. The size of this building is overwhelming. House of the Faun- it is the biggest villa in Pompeii with internal gardens, luxury atrium, gorgeous reception room, and the  famous mosaic showing the battle of Alexander the Great. It is worthy to see as the gardens are still shadowed by the trees that allows you to relax in warm weather. Via dell’Abbondanza – the main street running east to west. Along the street you may see the small shops and restaurants with equipped kitchen. You can enter to many of them and even feel as the ancient citizen. Forum Baths- people of ancient cultures were very fond of personal hygiene and every large city had at least one public bath. Using water supplies the inhabitants of Pompeii could enjoy the luxury of cold and warm baths. Bakery – places like bakeries, shops and small manufactures are excellent example of good organization of life in the city. All 33 bakeries were dispersed across the city so each dweller had an easy access to buy a fresh bread. Thermopolium of vetutius placidus (places for hot meals) – this might surprise you but ancient people used to eat out their midday meal (we would probably call it lunch today). Inside the building you will find the stonework counter were equipped with a set of the urns containing the hot meal. Garden of the fugitives – this is the most dramatic scene in Pompeii showing the bodies of people who desperately tried to flee the inexorable eruption. Watching these petrified figures you actually realize that the whole city is a giant graveyard and that one night turned this vibrant city into buried city. Good advise: if possible use alternative entrance (i.e. Porta Nocera) and leave then main Porta Marina to the organized groups. Be prepared that due to the continuous conservation works on site some of the buildings might be unavailable to the visitors. Highly recommended: take a ride with Circumvesuviana train. Unforgettable! The feature photo was downloaded from flickr.com, licensed on Creative Commons. Author: ‘ho visto nina volare’. Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

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The theme of souvenirs and artifacts bought in remote places, their originality or falsity is often discussed. It sometimes stirs emotions of a traveler who went to the end of the world and brought it home where a receiver of this precious goody discovers ‘made in China’ written on a hidden part of the object. Although I rarely buy so called souvenirs I remember that before my first trip to Norway I wanted to buy a red wooden horse. Desperately. It might be odd for you why looking for a wooden horse in Norway while this is a popular artifact in Sweden so let me tell you a short story. When I was studying in Milan I often visited a foreign students’ office. A very nice young lady worked there and her office was full of lovely stuff brought by students from all over the world. Once, I saw a cute red wooden horse with traditional floral patterns. I asked the lady where did she get it from and she told me that this was a gift from one of the Norwegian students. We talked a while about Norway and how bloody cold and dark it must be at this time of the year but I knew that one day when I’m in Norway I will buy a red wooden horse. I even saw in my imagination how beautiful it looks in my future office. No surprise, my first day spent in Norway was dedicated to the research of this wooden horse. I was astonished because nobody asked for this kind of a souvenir knew where I could buy it! People in Norway are not very direct so I was not told that I was a total ignorant. Instead, I was told in a shop to visit a workshop around the corner. In a workshop I was informed that I should visit a local museum. And so on, and so forth. I got totally confused and thought that perhaps people in Norway are not familiar with their own traditional artifacts. Eventually, after hours of fruitless search I gave up. I felt sorry that I was getting back from Norway without this bloody horse! Fortunately, on my way home I stayed one day in Stockholm in Sweden. Needless to say that the whole city center and every little store is FULL of red wooden horses! You may even find horses made of plastic and wool, they are red and white, you can have it on your T-shirt or on your textile bag. All in all, it was obviously a Swedish souvenir rather than Norwegian one. After this trip I was pretty sure that I should have never trusted the young Italian ladies and their ‘expertise’ in foreign countries. Once for all I remember not to trust any Italians giving advice on red wooden Swedish horses!  

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