Tour of Soriano with Floriana - Morning of June 13, 2010

Floriana's Soriano - This morning we meet in the living room of the Palazzo to prepare for a tour with resident expert, Floriana, who grew up here. She has charming snippets to tell us, not the least of which is the town siren which we have definitely noticed and wondered about. It brings Kay many memories of the air raid sirens that were tested with regularity (every Tuesday?) about 10 a.m. all through grade school years growing up in Olympia,WA. Floriana says that the siren goes off at 8 a.m., noon, and 5 p.m. However, whether it goes off at all depends as to which political party is in power. The left party runs the siren three and sometimes four times a day. Back in the old days, farmers managed their day by the siren. If the right is elected, the siren is typically stopped, although there will often be many complaints by those whose schedule depends on it.

Another snippet is about all the men who stand around in the square. More than one person has noted this in the past, which is why Floriana addresses it. Most of them are retired, of course, and have little else to do. They come down in the morning for coffee with their cronies. Home for lunch with the wife. Back downtown in the evening before dinner (about 8 pm) and sometimes even go back down after dinner for passeggiata (social strolling). They just seem to hang around in groups, yakking away, and many of them wear travel vests - the khaki-colored kind with multiple pockets. They are so many of them that it is quite noticeable. Apparently, the women are typically home - working, of course.

Walkabout the Town - We leave the Palazzo at 11 a.m. and visit the local Catholic church. It is not nearly as glorious as many we have seen, although the dominant color scheme is a lovely blue. It has enough gilt to classify it as Catholic. The next stop is the city hall courtyard, which used to be a monastery. We follow Floriana through town as she gives us tidbits of information. Shops open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and close from 1 to 5 p.m. for lunch and siesta. Shops open again from 5 to 8 p.m. Restaurants and/or bars (which more likely serve coffee but will also serve wine and sandwiches close at 3 p.m. (definitely problem for us as we tend to eat a late lunch). Restaurants often reopen at 7 p.m. but more likely 8 p.m. No one has a dryer as there is a 100 percent tax on electricity; that's why there are so many clothes hung outside to dry. The buildings are often so old and the walls so thick that electric wires and pipes cannot be run through the walls. The only place to run them is on the exterior of buildings.

Castle Orsini - We wind our way up the crooked, narrow cobblestoned streets for a tour of the Orsini Castle. Frankly, I don't remember what the history of the castle was other than pope Nicolò Orsini the third built it - not the same Orsini who made the Monster Park a couple of centuries later. What was more interesting was the walk up the street and learning that pigeons are a terrible problem and that plastic bottles filled with water seem to deter them from landing or pooping on your doorstep. The castle could use a good renovation although it is used for retreats and small events. The views are fantastic and we get some good ones of the Palazzo. The castle is lighted at night and is quite a spectacle to view from the Palazzo. In fact, on the first night when we were tired and trying to find our way to Soriano in the dark, the lighted castle became our beacon in the night to drive toward.