Eurotrip Part IV: Beautiful Tuscany

 Sienna

     Although it was 2 hours from Tarquinia, we had heard so much about Sienna (including Rick Steves!), an Etruscan hill city in the Tuscan region of Italy, that we buckled up to check it out.  What a great city, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a historical city center dating back to 900 BC, although most buildings are from the 1100-1300s.

     After finding parking just inside the city walls, we walked many, many narrow streets, and of course, Jon and I grew hungry—hey, it was lunch time!—so we ended up at a tiny, grotto-style restaurant. Great choice, since Dave and I were able to get our beloved walnut raviolis and they were molto bene.  

Walnut raviolis rule.

 

   Bellies full, we then headed to the Duomo plaza where an accordion player sat beside the cathedral playing music from Phantom of the Opera, so you know I was happy. (Sadly, though, no Gerard Butler in sight.)

Really, Jon?

  The large, glittering Duomo is a striking combination of Romanesque and Gothic  architecture. Most extraordinary is its use of dark and light stone to create stripes, and its intricate inlaid tile floors. All three of us loved this cathedral, perhaps even more than the Vatican structures.

This photo reminds me of the movie Alien. This church is the most intriguing I have ever seen.

    We also checked out the adjacent Museo del’Opera, which has a famous 14^th century piece called Maestra, by Duccio. Very enjoyable since it is in a lovely, old building and is not so large that you become overwhelmed. 

    We headed to the other side of the city and the famous, shell-shaped Piazza del Campo plaza, home to a large fountain and a ton of tourists. Naturally, we had gelatos in hand as we sat in the warm Tuscan sun and imagined how exciting it must be every summer when the Palio bareback horse races are run along the outside of the plaza. Apparently, they are extremely crowded, drunken affairs. Sign us up.

Couple o' Beers on the Campo. Doesn't get much better.

Yes, this is the plaza where they have horse races twice each summer. Everyone congregates in the middle and on the balconies of the buildings. The bareback riders race in a circle on the perimeter.

Fountain on the Campo.

 We loved Sienna so much that we made reservations at the restaurant said to be the best in the Campo for the next day. As it turned out, we returned to Sienna on a different route, through the beautiful, rolling Tuscan countryside rather than the highways we originally took. With a crappy GPS guide, and dusk upon us (Dave’s eyes are lousy in the dark), we  could not figure out how to make our way through the gates of the old city. So, just as in Bern, we drove in circles--although with far fewer stalls, since Dave had become an old hand with the clutch.  Yet, as often happens, we ended up with an enjoyable alternative, a small local restaurant just outside Sienna, with effusive, English-speaking hosts and a very friendly German couple who kept us entertained through much of the meal. I had the famous Florentine steak –so, so good and properly cooked rare-- and we cheered Italy on in a televised soccer game along with a packed house of locals. Life was good.

The rolling hills of Tuscany are often dotted with these tall, thin "Tuscan Cypress" trees.

 

 Next: Roma