Siena

Siena is Venice without water. Cobbled stone streets and tiny lanes all leading to the Il Campo, the main piazza. In the afternoon the golden rays of sun light up the walls of the old buildings and all eyes are on the central church tower which dominates the square. Of course this square has 9 sides and it is famous for a crazy horse race – the Pallio, a tradition which attracts thousands of people into the sloping clam-shaped piazza. It’s hard to imagine horses running around the sloped perimeter of the piazza and apparently often horses finish riderless. In fact it’s the first horse across the line that wins, with or without it’s jockey.

The piazza is a great place to just sit, whether you’ve paid a premium for a “café” on the terraces, or a “birra” on a tiny verandah above a bar, or just reclining on the ancient stones having a cheese “pannini”. We were lucky enough to taste the first cuts from a freshly roasted pig – “porchetta” from a deli. Delicious on fresh rolls. And we felt like locals because they were lining up to buy a giant carved slice as well. We watched the sun disappear behind the red-brown skyline and the thursday night shoppers flocked to the stores as the street lamps came on.

The images of the beautiful doorways with arches, carved wood and interesting knobs could make a coffee table book. The shop displays are also delightful and the delis entice you with arrangements of pasta, oils, vino, breads, cheeses, meats, etc.

The following day brought more sunshine and photo opportunities galore. A climb to the top of one of the churches through tiny spiral staircases took us to the top of an arched walkway with views all around the city and into the Tuscan countryside. The church was actually a museum with 13^th and 14^th century sculptures, religious paintings and heavy wooden books which probably have a better name. A great way to introduce children to history, art and religion is to have a great view at the end of a breath-taking adventure through narrow corridors and tiny ancient stairs. It was also a bit scary at the top.

After further aimless wandering we knew we were ready for the afternoon gelatos. We’ve all become more observant of details, and almost competitive to find hidden photo opportunities- usually a doorway, window, balcony, stuffed animal in a window display, etc. My personal preference has been for sunlight on cobblestones, washing on lines, dogs on leads walking everywhere with their owners and the cool pair of impossible designer footwear striding confidently across those sunlit cobblestones, underneath washing lines with dogs in tow.

We loved Siena. It has grown outwards and there are more suburbs around the perimeter but the centre has retained a lovely atmosphere. There were quite a few tourist groups but the feeling was generally warm not claustrophobic.

We continue to encounter school excursion groups from the Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy. Lucky kids. What a great way to experience history, art, culture etc. Plenty of ipods, laughing and the usual teen antics with hand-held camera shots ready for Facebook.

Oh and I watched Siena FC training for their weekend match in the beautifully set stadium surrounded by trees .

All roads lead to…