Wednesday, 14 November 2012

LOTS of photos in this one folks.

We actually set an alarm so we could get an early start and travel the 50 miles or so, northwest to the city of Siena.  The drive was through a magical part of Tuscany that shone in the low morning sunlight.  Valley bottoms were often filled with mist and long shadows ran across the freshly plowed or germinating fields.  I promised myself I would be out early the next day to take advantage of the magic of this terrain.

Wednesday is market day in Sienna and we dutifully took advantage of the sights, sounds, deals, and food that can be found there.  The food area is my favorite venue and the business was brisk and steady.  Laura cruised the clothing stalls and did a little Christmas shopping and picked up a sweater to “ward off the cool wind.”  Yeah right!  We spent a couple hours, and I scored some delicious grilled chicken wings which I have had a few time since we arrived in Lake Como.  Then it was on to discover and explore the heart of the city.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siena

This was actually our second visit to Siena but it has been 10 years since we had spent an abbreviated and rainy day here.  This time the weather, as you can tell, was spectacular.  Our major objective was a visit back to the Duomo or main cathedral.  This is a magnificent church that rivals many in Italy.  It was constructed between 1136 and 1382 and before it was even completed there was a plan, and the beginning of construction, to transform it into the largest church in Christendom.  The plan fell through when the black plague ravaged the population and was further setback after being conquered by their arch rivals from Florence.  Nevertheless it is a masterpiece and we enjoyed coming back to see it.  We also visited the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo which is set in the partially constructed and expanded nave to the right of the original church.  Here you can find much of the original carved statuary which has been removed from the Duomo exterior and preserved from the ravages of deterioration.  We climbed up the dizzying spiral staircase inside the wall and up to the top for an unprecedented look out over the city.  Warning!  If you don’t like narrow confined space do not go here!!  And then there is the 250 foot overview of the city on a ten foot wide walkway with only a waist high rail in front of you!

Climbing backdown to to good old terra firma we wound our way to the heart of the city, Piazza del Campo.  This is the setting of the Palio horse race which takes place twice a year.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palio_di_Siena  November is a much quieter time in the piazza and we chose to have a glass of wine indoors our first gelato in over a week(!!!!)  Then a bit of wandering before finally heading home in the early evening.  The city is large enough that there is quite an evening buzz on the streets with lots of locals out and about.   This is different compared to the smaller towns which get real quiet once the sun sets.  Enjoy.