Nancy and I processed into another beautiful room with frescoed ceilings and down the aisle. At the end of the aisle was a long table, behind which stood Ben and the mayor. In front of the table were four chairs, two together in the middle for us, one off to the left and one off to the right for each of the witnesses. In the corner to the right sat the harpist behind her harp. We reached the front and both sat.
The mayor spoke, we listened, then Ben translated. The mayor of Siena apologized for his late arrival, which we graciously accepted, of course. He was dressed - I am not making this up - in blue jeans, garden clogs, and one of those khaki shirts one wears out into the jungle. He really was gardening before his arrival. On top of it all, he wore a sash across his chest, with the colors and symbols of Siena along its length, offsetting the casualness and making him look very official on top of it all. Frankly, I think not enough people in the world wear sashes. Certainly, it would have made for a simpler day if we'd just donned our jeans and t-shirts and tossed on sashes that said "bride" and "groom" on them. Everyone would have known who we were and could have still wished us well. Then, after the wedding, we would have had these great sashes to take home with us.
Well, we continued with the wedding, sashless. The mayor asked of our intentions to marry and we both responded "Si. Lo voglio." The music was beautiful, and included some Bach for an interlude. Nancy loved the way Ben read our text, especially the part following the distinction of "falling in love" where he said "any fool can do that!" with particular emphasis. Unbeknowst to us, a crowd of tourists, touring the torre had gathered outside the door during the service and applauded when I put the ring on Nancy's finger and kissed her. We took the time to sign all the official documents, and the mayor presented us with two of the first coins ever minted in Siena, minted from the original centuries-old molds. These coins are now only given to couples getting married in Siena. The wedding concluded with everyone congratulating or thanking everyone else. We stood and listened to the harpist play her next piece and proceeded into the next three rooms for pictures, before descending the stairs and stepping out into Piazza del Campo for more pictures, well-wishes from locals, a drink with Ben, and a wonderful, special dinner ......
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