La mia vita a Firenze: September 10, 2011

September 10, 2011

This morning we woke up bright and early at 6:30 a.m., caught the bus to the station at 7:30 and left with our group on a private coach for Siena at 8:00. On our way to Siena, we stopped at Monteriggioni (I don’t really know how it’s spelled), which is a teeny tiny little walled town in the middle of the Tuscan countryside. In the town there are about three little restaurants, a few shops, a hotel, a church, and a few apartments. It really is the quaintest town. In fact, I started to sing the opening song from Beauty and the Beast as we walked through the entrance into the city through the walls. We didn’t stay there long but it was so nice to be away from everything and out in the countryside. It was lovely to breath in the fresh air after being in the city.

After a bit, we got back on the bus and headed to Siena. We started at a church on the bottom of the hill called San Domenica, which holds the relics of St. Catherine. From there, we walked up the steep steep STEEP road to the cathedral at the top of the hill, in the heart of Siena. We began by seeing the frescos in the crypts that were only recently opened to the public. It was incredible how ornate a place completely closed in and never seen could be. From there, we went up to the cathedral itself, which was so intricate and absolutely breathtaking. I just don’t understand how something that ornate and intricate could be made without any of the tools and technology we have today. From there, we went across to the museum of the Cathedral, which displays some of the artwork that has been taken out of the cathedral and replaced with other things. It was especially cool to see the huge stained glass window above the altar up close. It had to be replaced so the original is on display in the museum.

After our time in the Cathedral and such, we had an hour of free time to find lunch and explore a bit. Ellie, Willi and I found a really cute little pizzeria on the Piazza del Campo (the main piazza with the tall tower) and had a nice, relaxing lunch there. By the time we met back with our group on the piazza in the sun, it had gotten incredibly hot so we were starting to fade. As a group we went into the Palazzo Pubblico, which was the center of government in Siena. Its walls are decorated with beautiful frescos and I even recognized one of them! After the Palazzo, we headed back to the bus and started for Greve in Chianti. Greve is a very cute little town, nestled amongst the vineyards of Tuscany. We went because this weekend is Greve’s annual and very famous wine festival. All of the wine-makers for around the area come to Greve’s local piazza and set up stands featuring their wines. For ten euro, you get a wine class and a punch card that allows you to taste ten different wines from any of maybe 75 stands. It was a really fun atmosphere and there were so many people from all over the world. I did not buy the ten euro pass but I did try a few sips of Franzi’s favorites as well as Jodie’s favorite white wine and, let me tell you, Italian wine is incredible. Maybe it’s just being in Italy that makes it better but, still, I actually liked it, Dad ;) On our way out, a few girls got red wine with peach slices, which is apparently another specialty, which they let me taste and was very good as well. From there, we got back on the bus to head home. Before we got on the bus, though, Jodie gave us each an almond cookie/pastry from her favorite sweet shop in Siena and they melted in your mouth; they were incredible. Alex and I were talking about making a trip back to Siena just to get more of them :)

The trip back to Florence was very curvy and made a lot of people carsick, especially the people who had had wine. But, thankfully, we’re home now. No more carsickness, no more heat, no more sun, no more walking-we’re glad tomorrow is Sunday so we can sleep in and lay low for the day. Dinner is in just a few minutes and it smells delicious. Can’t wait to see what it is! It’s always a fun little surprise, seeing what’s for dinner each night :)

For dinner, we started out with a dish with rice and vegetables that was very lovely. For our main course, we had zucchini and an artichoke quiche along with bread and goat cheese. Then, for dessert, we had watermelon that was just to die for. So sweet, juicy and fresh- I could have eaten the entire watermelon right then and there! I was incredibly tired at dinner after our long day in the sun so I really had to work hard to keep up with the Italian and not fall asleep in my food! I made it though and now, once I get this posted and my food is better digested, I am definitely off to bed. AND I can sleep in tomorrow morning, which will be fantastic. So, for tonight, I’d best say goodnight.

Buona Notte,

Kari