Siena is one of the more popular tourist attractions in the Tuscan region of Italy. Luckily, many of its medieval buildings are still intact, mainly due to the fact that Siena was always a rather poor area and didn’t have the funds to tear down its old buildings and put up modern new ones.
Only about an hour and a half drive from our villa in Lucca, we arrived a little bit before lunch and were lucky to find some free street parking just outside the city center. Walking through a maze of tiny streets and steep hills led us into the city center and Piazza del Campo, one of the most famous (and beautiful) piazzas in Italy.
As we walked along the many streets lined with a variety of shops and restaurants, you realize how many tourists are here from all over the world. Of course, we see many Americans as well, but we truly enjoy meeting people from all over the globe.
We decide to eat our packed lunch on the steps of a church within the city. It is a lot of fun to just pick a place to sit and people watch. The girls enjoy eating outside as well, since there is plenty of space to run around and lots of pigeons to chase!
In the main square is the Torre del Mangia, a tower that can be seen from all over Siena. Only several people are allowed up at a time, so there is a bit of a line to get up to the top. Jo wanted to climb up to get some pictures, so the girls and I decided to stay in the square and hang out. It turns out that the line just took too long, so Jo will have to put it off until our next trip to Siena…
Throughout many cities in Italy, drinkable water is plumbed through the public fountains, and it’s perfectly ok to go up and fill up your water bottles. DS and PS thought this was a great idea and took every opportunity to keep our water bottles topped up!
We walked over to Brivido for some of their gelato and were not disappointed. We found a place to sit down near the steps by the piazza and did some more people watching while we enjoyed the gelato...
The girls and I decided to walk over and check out Siena’s Duomo (cathedral). A beautiful structure in black and white, we sat on the front steps and took a lot of pictures of the architecture, the view from the steps and of each other. Unfortunately, when we finally decided to get in line to go inside, we were told that the Duomo was now closed for visitors (they close at 4pm each day).
Dinner was at an outdoor café overlooking the piazza. We never get enough of eating outside and enjoying whatever view there happens to be. I guess it will be just another thing that we will always remember about Europe.
Of course, everyone was exhausted when we got back to the car and immediately fell asleep, leaving me alone again for the drive back.
But I don’t mind, knowing that they all had a good time during the day’s outing. Plus, it gives me time to listen to something other than the soundtrack from Disney's High School Musical…
No comments:
Post a Comment