The reunion will take place on the 27th and 28th of June 2014.   At this point a sure schedule has not been decided.  However for sure there will be a dinner on the evening of the 28th, which everyone is invited too, including host families and friends.  Click Here to see the schedule of events.

Palio

The dates of the reunion have been selected purposely close to the Palio.  In fact the Palio events start on the 29th and the race is on the 2nd of July.  Attendees are welcome to stay on after the reunion to attend the Palio, however we will have Summer 2014 students, and it will not be possible for the school to organize some activities. (Specifically dinners in Contradas will be for Summer 2014 students.)  We will be able to provide first-time Palio-goers with a schedule of events and insider tips.  We recommend that if you choose to stay, plan on staying in Siena until, the 3rd.

Lodging

As far as lodging is concerned we ask you not to ask your former host families as it is extremely unlikely they will be able to host you.  Amazingly enough many of our families have hosted students for 10 years and we would hate to put them in a position of having to “choose favorites”.  Stay tuned as we will provide accommodation info soon.

Cost

Registration fee will be $35 for everyone wishing to participate. Payment can be maid by check or paypal to the following info:

Please make out check to Nove Culturae Ventures for $35
Please send the check to
Roni Kennison
2223 Forest Oaks Dr
Dallas, TX 75228

If you cannot send a check or do not have a checkbook you can send a paypal to Roni at roni.kennison@gmail.com.  Please send as: “I’m sending money to family or friends” and NOT the goods or services one.
Checks are preferable to paypal.

Sign Up

To sign up follow the link, Registration Form.  Deadline for sign up is April 22nd.  In the coming months, you will receive an email from us, with more information, such as schedule of events.

Other Info

If you have any other questions feel free to email, sisreunion2014@gmail.com Or post on the Facebook event page.  Also stay up to date by following us on Twitter or Facebook

Service

At SIS, we are required to do service in the Siena community. I have done service at “Il Laboratorio,” the soup kitchen, the highschool, and Misericordia (the ambulance place). I love doing service, mostly just to be able to interact with other Italians. At the Misericordia, it is usually slow in the afternoons and most of us are usually stuck inside playing card games. At first I would get kind of annoyed about not being able to go out on the ambulance, but now I am realizing that hanging out with the Italians and teaching each other card games is also a great aspect to service. It is pretty difficult to learn how to play a card game when it is taught to you in Italian… it is also very hard to teach a card game and attempt to explain it in Italian. These pictures are from our normal afternoon card game. Sometimes it gets intense and Daniel always has the best gestures and expressions so most of the pictures are of him. I am definitely grateful for the opportunities and experiences that service has brought to me, it really helps to be a part of the culture.

Getting ready…

Explanations

Making the first move!

Starting another game….

Finally understanding and really making the game intense.

In October, we traveled to two different farms, where one produced pecorino cheese, the other “Cinta senese”. While visiting the pecorino farm, the group learned about the process of making cheese, from the birth of animals to the shipping and packing of the product. The group toured the family-operated factory and learned that the factory has certification to call their product organic. The farm gains their organic label because they have control over every aspect of the process. They produce the grain, which they feed to the animals; the animals are raised on the farm and the farm receives their milk from the animals. The farm has different types of pecorino cheeses, such as pecorino rosso, pecorino di fossa, and pecorino vegetariano. The different cheeses had different tastes, which we were able to try. One cheese aged for 3 months, another for 6 months, and the last has aged for 1 year. The best part of the experience was being able to go out in the field and play with the sheep. Chris, John, and other students chased the sheep, causing the sheep to panic and run around in circles. Watching the sheep run nervously was very funny and their reaction was priceless. After the visit to the pecorino cheese farm, we visited a farm where pigs are produced to make “cinta senese”. We learned about the raising of the pigs and the regulations the farm must follow in regards in finding and raising the pigs. We saw many generations of cinta senese, from the newborns to the parents that birthed them. After learning and seeing how the farm operated, we tasted different parts of the pigs. The shoulder, the cheek, the spine of the pig…we even tasted the fat, which melted in the mouth! The trip had a little something for everyone, from great tastes, facts, memories, and laughs; this trip is definitely something we’ll remember for awhile.

Sarah Pascuzzi

Contrada Fountains

Siena is known for many things, the Piazza del Campo, the Duomo, the beautiful landscapes and the ancient architecture but most importantly the Palio. The Palio is a horse race that comes around two times a year and the local people all dress up to represent their horse/contrada in the race. The citizens of Siena are divided into contradas depending on where the live or what contrada their parents are in. Every contrada has a specific horse and horseman that participates in the race. Each contrada also has a fountain in their district that either has their symbol or something relating to it, so all my pictures are various contrada fountains. The fountains are spread of all over the city so it took my friend and I two hours to find them all. These aren’t all of the contrada fountains, these are just the fountains I liked the best!