The Hilled City Of Tuscany

Arched View Of Torre del Mangia

Us On Top Of A Section Of The Duomo

I Wasn't Stuck, I Promise

Entry To The Duomo

The Altar Of The Baptistry

As has seemed to be epidemic for us in Italy, the directions to our lodging in Siena were more of a hindrance than an aid. After finally figuring out where it was we were going, we had to make the climb up one of the three major hills in the city in blazing sun…whoa is us. As we had two nights, we did what we typically do on the first night and got the lay of the land and planned our sightseeing. The sightseeing included Il Campo, the enormous shell-shaped piazza that is highlighted by the Torre del Mangia, which is a towering brick bell tower that looms above a matching civic museum. The piazza is also converted into a horse track twice a year to house a bareback horseracing bonanza. We then made our way up to the Duomo, which contains works by Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo; Splinter was commissioned to do one of the frescoes, but had to decline because he wouldn’t accept Parmesan cheese as payment…zing! The Duomo is complimented by a recently discovered crypt, which houses the original layout of the cathedral as well as centuries old frescoes. There is also a baptistery built into the hill below the Duomo, which was based on designs by Bernini. Finally, there is a museum housing relics of the church, including original façade sculptures by Pisano and medieval works by Duccio. We also spent about 2 hours in a doctor’s office, waiting to be seen for various ailments. When he didn’t arrive, we posited that it must have been his day off, but more on medical excitement later (nothing bad, more in line with being hilarious). We ended our stay in Siena at a very cool restaurant, and one that had newspaper clippings near the front door, so it had to be good. We feasted on bruschetta, bunny rabbit with some awesome sauce, pasta with wild boar sauce, and chicken smothered in a mustard-chili sauce. We ended the meal with a glass of the national Italian spirit grappa, which due to its intense nature needed to be chased with bites of crème catalana, which is much like crème brulee with a hint of lemon. At this point in the trip we are down to two more cities, first we are off to Naples and then the closer in the city of romance.

Mark and Kaylin