Photos taken by Isla Cope (Brandeis University), Student Correspondent for CET Siena, Summer 2025
Homestay Mornings
This is a typical morning breakfast here at my homestay in Siena. It includes yogurt, cereal, little pieces of toast with various spreads, and generally a cup of espresso. My roommate and I are big fans of our Minecraft bowls, which are visible in the foreground.
The Duomo
The photo on the left is one of my favorite photos I took during a class trip to the Duomo area. We climbed up the unfinished portion of the church to see a view of the whole city. Pictured is the Palazzo Pubblico, the town hall that sits at the center of the city.
I also got to see the famous baptistry of the Siena Duomo. The baptismal font is decorated with some of the most famous bronze reliefs, including Donatello’s Feast of Herod, which was revolutionary in the development of linear perspective. For non-art history nerds this may not seem like a huge deal, but I was incredibly excited to get to see this with my class.
On the right, you’ll see the beginning of my attempt to capture the Siena Duomo. I’ve taken to sitting in the piazza during lunch before I head to class, and I decided to try my hand at drawing/painting the church. It will be quite the ordeal given the complexity of the building, and my skills are limited, but I hope by the end of the program I’ll have a good keepsake, if a little wonky.
Affogato Afternoons
An afternoon treat after finishing my courses. Affogatos are one of my favorite Italian sweets. This one was enjoyed in a café just down the street from my homestay. They are made from vanilla gelato and a shot of espresso. The perfect pick-me-up to keep you going in the hot afternoons.
Field Trip to San Gimignano
The view from San Gimignano, our Friday field trip destination in my art history class. San Gimignano is another medieval city, about a half hour drive away from Siena. This photo is taken from the highest part of the enclosed castle. It shows the surrounding countryside as well as the original walls.
Making Pici in a Pasta Class
All of us listened closely to instructions during our pasta-making class. In the span of a few hours we made pici (a typical Tuscan thick noodle), ravioli filled with spinach and ricotta, gnocchi, and tiramisu. The results of our labors: a large bin of ravioli. Each layer is separated by a layer of flour so that they don’t stick together. A few last minute entries can be seen being prepared in the background.
Palio Prep
Crowds gathered in Piazza del Campo at 9am on the Sunday before the palio to watch the last round of trials to determine which horses will be chosen to run the race. Later in the afternoon, the numbers of the horses were drawn and matched with the district they will run for. Myself and another CET student arrived an hour early and managed to nab a spot right up close! We got to see the horses as they came around the corner, which is quite a tight turn and often causes jockeys to fall during the race itself.
Race Day: The Palio
Here is a close up of one of the chosen horses during the horse trials leading up to the palio. I love how in this picture you can see the jockeys smiling to each other—something unheard of during the highly competitive atmosphere of the race itself.
The city of Siena is split into 17 districts, called contradas. These are the 17 groups that compete against each other in the biannual palio race. The contrada where my homestay is Valdimontone, or the Ram. They wear pink and yellow scarves during the time leading up to the palio as they march through the streets and sing their traditional songs.
The photo on the top right captures one of the diverse historical costumes involved in the palio parades. Each contrada marches with a decorated horse and handler (this is not the race horse, which is ridden bareback). Here you can see the horse of the istrice (porcupine) contrada, in colors of indigo and violet.
Piazza del Campo, full of people on the day of the palio. At this time the historic parade is marching around the square. Each contrada got its turn to show off its flags and drummers.
The entrance of the palio itself has a banner of cloth painted by a well known artist, chosen by the council each year. It is pulled in on a large cart drawn by four massive bulls, with trumpeters announcing its entry at intervals around the track.
Now we skip forward a little bit in time; I was unable to capture the victory itself due to my position in the square. But the winners of the July race were the Oca contrada (the goose). This is a photo walking up to the celebrations on the night of the palio, with free wine and many hugs in the street between celebrating contrada members.
The helmet of the Oca jockey, who is very well known in Siena (this was his 11th palio win), was placed on the altar of the designated contrada church. Contrada members entered intermittently to pay their respects.
Study Break with a View
With all this drama and exciting happenings, there is still work to be done. But with this view it’s hardly a chore. These pictures capture the outdoor area of the public University of Siena library. It is just around the corner from my homestay. It is one of me and my roommates’ favorite study spots.