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• PALIO NEWS | SienaNews.it.
• Il Palio di Siena.
• Siena’s Palio.

WITH its Renaissance treasures and centuries-old stately palazzi, Florence is sometimes treated like a living museum rather than a vibrant city with contemporary culture. That myth is harder to sustain these days, thanks in part to Matteo Renzi, the city’s 35-year-old mayor, who was elected last year with promises to stir up the Tuscan capital. Evidence of a more youthful and revitalized Florence is everywhere. Dilapidated piazzas have been refreshed, contemporary art galleries have sprung up, and old-school palazzi have been turned into trendy restaurants. Traffic has also improved, making the city even more pleasant to navigate.

via 36 Hours – Florence – NYTimes.com.

In a Sacred Italian Race, Some Bristle at the Prize: SIENA, Italy — No horse race is more sacred in Italy than the Palio, which traces its lineage back 700 years. This year, however, the hotly contested chase has taken an unexpectedly ecumenical — and disputed — twist… (via NYTimes.com.)

The article mentions members of the victorious contrada going out onto the track – but doesn’t tell you which one it was. It was Selva (Forest).

Palio Siena: vince contrada della Selva – Cronaca – ANSA.it.

It’s actually a pretty faithful depiction of the Palio – well, until Daniel Craig runs out onto the track with a gun – capturing the freneticism, the crowds and the chaos, the perilous speed and tightness of the track – the glory and excitement.

But I have to say that some of what follows doesn’t look to like it was filmed in Siena – though almost certainly elsewhere in Tuscany. But a quick bit of Googling reveals that some and perhaps all of it was indeed filmed there. (By the way, did anyone catch which contrada won in the movie?)

‘Quantum of Solace’ Production Heading Back To Siena · CommanderBond.net.

That Googling also revealed that the race footage in the movie is actually from the August 2007 race, which was won by Leocorno, and which you can see here:

Like all Bond movies, the action quickly moves elsewhere – London, then Haiti, then Austria, etc.  I love the Donna Leon “Commissario Guido Brunetti” mysteries, but I also have a stronger connection to Siena and Florence than to Venice. I wonder if we could get Commissario Brunetti transferred? He’d be less wear and tear on the buildings than Bond.

2BeInSiena.com: “Info about Palio Tickets for 2010 Palio della Madonna di Provenzano. Prices starting from Euro 250,00 each”

You could also contact the Municipality of Siena directly:

Comune di Siena, Piazza del Campo 1
Ph.:+390577 292230 – 292340
Email: urp@comune.siena.it
Web site: www.comune.siena.it – http://palio.comune.siena.it

The scenes in the movie were originally to be shot in Volterra – which is also in Tuscany, of course, but Montepulciano is so much closer to the house. So now I have a new destination to add to my “movie tour” of the area – though that means I will have to watch the movies.

Montepulciano Site for Film Shooting of New Moon, Sequel to Twilight: “While it hasn’t been made official yet, the word is out that New Moon, the second Twilight sequel, will not be shot in Volterra as we had reported earlier. Twilight fans and locals are very disappointed, but it seems the production is being “realistic” and saying a town the size of Volterra cannot accommodate all of the filming crew…” (via Discover Tuscany’s Blog.)

Beautiful Sights of Montepulciano, Italy: Volterra Redefined: “As far as we know, the New Moon movie will be shooting in Montepulciano, Italy instead of the Italian town mentioned in the book, Volterra. With that in mind, let’s take a tour of the sights of Montepulciano and see if it’s up to the task…” (via New Moon Movie.)

To see Montepulciano in the movie, you can buy the movie on Amazon.com, here: The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Two-Disc Special Edition)