Italy (Siena)

Duomo in Orvieto

Siena is a small, medieval town north of Rome in Tuscany.  On our trip to Siena we made a two hour stop in the small hilltop town of Orvieto.  Orvieto is home to a beautiful duomo in the center of town.  We were able to enjoy views from our elevated vantage.  After walking around the narrow streets and enjoying some gelato we boarded our bus for our final journey with Busabout.

Marilyn on the Orvieto town wall The Siena Duomo, similar to Orvieto wouldn't you say? We arrived in Siena, excited to be staying in such a picturesque town that was everything you'd picture an Italian town to be.  There are a few main sights in this small town, Piazza del Campo and a duomo.  Piazza del Campo is the main square in town with a large bell tower offering views of the town.  This square is actually a semicircle that slants down resembling a shallow stadium.  It is famous for the annual horse race, Palio de Siena, which takes place in mid-August.  Unfortunately we just missed it.  The race is between the neighborhoods of Siena and is taken very seriously, giving the winner much in the way of bragging rights.  The duomo has black and white patterned stone work on the outside that gives it a beautiful appearance.  It is most known for the marble work on the floor inside the church, depicting pictures along the main aisle. Piazza del Campo at night Drummers and flag bearers who were parading around the streets for hours.  This had something to do with the recent horse race, but we couldn't quite figure out what exactly. Much of the appeal of Siena is in walking down the pedestrian streets, catching glimpses of serene alleyways and views of far off mountains. There are numerous places in town that offer amazing vantage points.  We actually lucked out, having a wonderful view from our room in our bed and breakfast.  It looked down a street onto San Domenico Basilica and to the mountains off in the distance. Veiw of Siena from below San Domenico at dusk San Domenico is known for housing relics of Saint Catherine.  They boast of having her head and thumb.  We did not see her thumb; however her head was on full display. At first glance it seems that it is just a picture or model of her, however on closer examination we were able to see that it was indeed her skull wearing a habit.  We were both quite shocked by this and pondered the various ways they may have acquired this.  There was a sign informing us that this was not just an ordinary 'head', but this had been officially verified as her head.  We were quite relieved to know that we were not looking at some unimportant person’s skull. Saint Catherine's head!! We often look to Tripadvisor for advice on things to do, as you may know. The top item in Siena was the Tuscany Wine School where you could take a 2 hour course, sampling half a dozen wines, enjoying snacks, and learning about wine native to Italy, more specifically the Tuscan region.  We decided it was something we both really wanted to do and ended up being one of our highlights from this trip. We had a great time learning everything from how to properly taste wine to the government regulations on Italian wine.  More importantly, we realized that we had only scratched the surface of what there is to know.  The variety of offered wines was delicious, by far the best that we have had on our trip. Our wine classroom Since Siena was our last stop in Italy we decided to take full advantage of all the delicious food.  We enjoyed two delicious dinners that had been recommended in our guide book.  Our last meal was incredible.  Matt got handmade pasta stuffed with meat in a gorgonzola sauce and Marilyn got a dish of pici with mushrooms and a delicious sauce.  We then split a dish of tender veal with white beans covered in a delicious sauce.  It is hard to describe the wonderful meal; however it could not go unmentioned! The two of us walking around before dinner The scooter Our final day in Siena could possibly be our favorite day from the entire trip.  We rented a Vespa scooter early in the morning and spent the day scooting around the Tuscan countryside.  It was truly breathtaking.  Matt handled the Vespa like a pro (after almost hitting a pedestrian) while Marilyn held on for dear life, risking it all to document the trip.  We traveled through small towns, taking frequent stops to capture the scenery. We luckily chose a path that wound beautifully through farm fields, vineyards and olive groves.  We made our final stop in Montalcino, a spectacular town perched high on a hill, known for its high quality Brunello wine.  We ate sandwiches from the local deli on the edge of a vineyard, overlooking miles of uninterrupted rolling hills.  Our ride back was just as beautiful, however we were disappointed to exchange the freedom the Vespa gave us for our heavy backpacks and a tedious 19 hour journey back to Rome and finally to Athens.  There are a lot of pictures coming up, it was too hard to just pick one or two! View from Montalcino Our picnic site One of the many vineyards