Stunning Siena

We began our days in Siena with a small group bus tour into the Tuscan countryside. Six years ago we visited the fabulous fort village of San Gimignano, and we couldn't wait to see it again. We stopped there for an hour or so and were met with the most amazing storm - heavy rain, thunder and lightning - which forced us to find refuge in the Café Boboli where we drank coffee and ate croissant alla crema.

We drove on to two different Chianti wineries where we had generous tastings of several wines and food; bread with locally produced olive and truffle oils, cheeses, biscuits, salamis, salad and even lasagne. We had fun with our Italian guide Marco and our fellow travellers, couples from Jakarta and London (he was a rugby fan so Jim was thrilled) and a gentleman from Idaho. The fort village of Montalcino was another quaint stop on the tour before returning to Siena.

The Piazza del Campo in the centre of Siena is well known for its twice yearly horse races where the riders are bareback and anything goes. Only ten riders compete and if a rider falls off (which happens frequently) the horse can still win the race on its own. At the piazza is the Palazzo Pubblico with its imposing tower and a museum displaying beautiful frescoes from the 14th Century.

But the most stunning art and architecture can be found in the Siena Duomo. We wandered through this wonderful cathedral with its museum, library, crypt and baptistry. It quite simply has to be seen to be believed.

We were fascinated by the Museo di Storia Naturale (Natural History Museum) which houses an ever growing collection of geological, zoological, anatomical and botanical specimens - all contained within antique glass showcases from the 19th Century. Many of the animals, birds and marine life specimens are either extinct or endangered, and we have never seen so many birds!

The narrow streets of up and down old Siena are a delight to walk, and we can feel history all around us. But tomorrow, we head to the bright lights of Rome!

 

Penny on the Piazza del Campo with the Palazzo Pubblico in the background. The entire piazza is crowded with people during the horse race and the paving around it is covered in sand for the running.

 

San Gimignano

 

Olive trees, second only to wine production in the region

 

 

The main entry to San Gimignano

 

One of the many cafes overlooking the Tuscan countryside

This is apparently a local wine-tasting custom... at a winery near San Gimignano. Partners dip their biscotti in dessert wine, feed it to the other partner, taste and then kiss!

The fort village of Montalcino

 

Our guide Marco at a second winery near Montalcino

 

 

Some of the more valuable wines at this winery are older than Penny!

 

Happy customers!
 



 

 

Siena Duomo

Inside the Duomo 'Library'; the walls and ceiling are covered in magnificent frescoes

Inside the Duomo Museum

 

Inside the Natural History Museum

 

Views of the old city of Siena

 

 

Inside the Civic Museum in the Palazzo Pubblico