Return to Siena

Buon Giorno

Today is my last full day in Italy, and I decided to return to Siena, a place I greatly enjoyed on a previous trip.  If you are ever in Tuscany you Must Not Miss It.  Siena is another beautiful hilltop town and the historic center is I think another UNESCO World Heritage Site.  But it's more of a working city than a mere tourist attraction.  For example yesterday I wondered what it would be like to live in San Gimignano.  I concluded it would be delightful in spring and summer and dismal in fall and winter when the weather was foul and there was nothing but stark walls of stone.  Siena would be more livable all year long.

Siena makes an easy day trip from Florence.  I took the bus, but one can also take a train and then walk to the historic center.  By taking the train, however, you miss the ride through the countryside.  I arrived in good time at the bus station and got my return ticket.  I make a point of being on the spot so I can get a good window seat.

The bus filled up and among the last to get on was an American couple.  They insisted on having a seat together and asked me to move.  I declined.  "I’m a tourist.  I want a window seat."  So the woman began to rearrange passengers.  She found another window seat for me, so I agreed to move.

Almost immediately I was sorry.  These idiots had loud penetrating voices and right away got into an nasty argument. 

Thank you, morons, for contributing to the stereotype of Ugly Americans that I and many other travelers are working so hard to dispel.

Apart from having to listen to them the whole time, it was a gorgeous ride across the Tuscan countryside with the vineyards, blossoming trees and all.

We arrived late because traffic was jammed.  Siena was having its market day!  The market is huge and I saw only a small portion of it.  The thing to do once one tears oneself a way from the market is to stroll to the bowl-like Il Campo, Siena's central piazza ringed by souvenir stands, shops, and restaurants.  In the middle you'll find tour groups or smaller gatherings just hanging out in the sunshine.  If you want a spot to sit down and enjoy your gelato, this is a good one.

You can also buy tickets for Siena's museums, which are worth seeing for Duccio's Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints, and some notable fresco cycles.  Those with strong legs can climb a tower to get wonderful views over the city and countryside.

But my first task was to find a toilet!  I did just off Il Campo but I had to pay eighty euro cents for my relief.  Then I set off in search of gelato.  As it was my last go, I had my favorites hazelnut and amarena plus some chocolate.

I kept climbing until I reached the top of the city crowned by the ornately decorated Duomo.  The marble facing of both the exterior and interior is amazing and very beautiful.

After touristing the opportunities to lick windows and even buy things are abundant.  In addition to the kinds of tourist offerings one finds in Florence, Siena also has symbols of the contrade, the districts of the city that compete in the yearly horse race called the Palio.  Naturally I gravitate toward the Nicchio, the scallop shell that is also the sign of pilgrimage.  I already had my Niccho scarf but could not find anything else bearing the symbol, so I bought a slightly mismatched pair of small candlesticks.

Siena is steep with narrow winding streets and passages.  It was easy to get in but on my way back to the bus station I got lost.  The Italians I approached for directions although they could not speak English were kind and helpful.  The bus back was a double decker and packed to the rafters.  Fortunately I was there early enough to snag my window seat.

For dinner, I polished off the Vernaccia and had pumpkin stuffed pasta for dinner—It's a Lombardian specialty that I learned to like in Milan—shush, don’t tell!

Ciao