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.

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