Skip to main content

August 20, Still Under the Not as Strong, Tuscan Sun

And onto Siena, the burnt color of art

Siena was a must see on our list and so today, back in the car, with only simple maps, a patient driver and a new navigator in the front, Meryl. We actually made it, with time to spare for a coffee at the Piazza to await our walking tour guide. 

The adorable Alice (pronounced Ah-lee-she-a in Italian) walked us through the city and the history, winding us to Il Campo, the not so square square of Siena. Having no preconceived notions, we were all totally wowed by the size and uniqueness of the space, divided into nine pie slices representing the nine ruling families of lords hundreds of years ago. 

There were medieval palaces, gothic churches, and a bit of renaissance architecture. But of course, as always, the unusual customs and rites of a town are what make it so interesting. We had all heard of the Palio, we had purposely planned our trip to NOT visit during this crazy time. But Siena just days after the Palio gave us a real treat, the Siena dirt still packed hard on part of the racetrack around the square, 

the winning Cantade, where our guide lived, decked with the Contade's Dolphin flags and the streets lined with long tables and chairs at the ready for the celebration dinners held every night for a month- free for all who live in the Contade's, cooked and served by only volunteers. The rivalry and passion of this race is incredible, with ten Contade of the 17 vying each year for the winning horse and rider, a purse of about 1million Euro to the winning jockey! They really take this seriously. 


We strolled the streets, saw the Duomo, ate pasta of, of course. 

A bit of shopping, a bit of strolling and back to the fancy camping cabin to enjoy the last of the first magnificently cool refreshing day, the first in maybe 45 days, only 80F.  Tonight we will head for San Gimignano for our first look at this charming walled city. Yes they all are the same, but in the next week, we can't wait to keep discovering the differences.

And yes, I brought home a bit of that Burnt Siena dirt in my bag.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

June 24

From Vivaldi  to  Vincent (Van Gogh) THE VIVALDI PART Rewind  a bit back to Saturday, June 22nd. We had dinner at home and then   at 8:00  took a walk down the Seine to Saint Chapelle. Last time we were there in 2000, it was Christmas week and we froze waiting in line for two hours to see the chapel. This time, we simply stood in line to buy tickets to be treated to a six piece string classical concert in this magnificent setting.  The concert was Vivaldi...not just Vivaldi but theFour Seasons.....not just the Four Seasons but played spectacularly....not just played well but in a stirring setting.  The last time the music and its venue engendered  such magic was in 1977 seeing the Vienna Boys Choir sing in the 12th century Cathedral in Durham, England. The lead violin played with the speed and finesse of the finest rendition of the Flight of the Bumblebee. The light was still subtle through the stained glass though the chapel was dark.  The e...
Post a Comment
Read more

#8 - Two whirlwind days ( and the WTF Answer )

We've literally got about 30 hours to see as much of Sydney as we can before we meet up with our friends on Wednesday at 6PM. And we vow to make the most of it. I've got a list of about six musts that I let Steve vet and although he doesn't tick anything off, I know he's thinking that I am making a killer schedule.  We start off the day with a coffee and the first Opera House tour at 9AM. The structure is surely impressive, the tour not as much, but since there is no Opera or symphony while we are right at the Rocks, the tour is the best we can do to peek inside. The architect was Danish, and the design shows it - from the two-woods paneled concert hall that the Kimmel Center is surely a total knock-off of, to the incredibly comfortable sleek seating that has stood the test of time, like all Danish design.                                             ...
1 comment
Read more

#105 - Aix, Paris’s 21sr Arrondisement

After a good night sleep we awoke to another sunny, blue sky day, which here also means almost no humidity and no frizzy hair (this might qualify for reason #4 to live here). So far we have stayed at hotels where breakfast is not included, which we actually prefer. It leaves more room for lunch and vin.  In Valbonne we had an electric kettle and some Nescafe, still wildly popular in Europe, which could hold me over for an hour or so until we had a proper cafe stop. But here in Aix, a kettle, mugs and nothing else. So we were up and out a bit quicker this morning for our cafes and a shared pan chocolate (a rectangular croissant-like pastry filled with chocolate, but you knew that).      We headed to the main tourist drag, Cours Mirabeau, to La Rotunda fountain, and to the TI to get the requisite walking maps and info. It was still too early for the upscale shops or musee so we did a bit of shopping to find the right adapter to charge our devices, an...
Post a Comment
Read more