Florence Day 7, actually Siena and San Gimignano!

Today was an unbelievable day. We got to go from the cradle of the Renaissance city, Florence, to the cradle of the Middle Ages, Siena, and finished off by visiting a Meideval city with it's boundary wall still intact, San Gimignano. It started at 9:00 am as we made our way on the tour bus with perhaps the most annoying tour guide ever, Tiziana. (Imagine a bleached-blonde, very tan and leathery lady, not very tall, with a very irritating voice) She would not shut up! She thought that it was necessary to explain everything. She literally talked for an hour and a half straight, not kidding! What made it worse was the fact that she was speaking very quickly in English, Spanish and French, so quickly that it became like a background noise instead of information.

Tiziana aside, the Chianti region was a spectaluar sight. It is really what you imagine it to be, rows of vineyards and olive trees and rolling hills. Beautiful! Once arriving in Siena, we were greated by our city guide, Elisabetta. She was very informative and very nice. We got to understand about the 17 different "contrade" or districts in Siena, each represented by a different animal. Also, the Palio, the famous horserace that takes place in Siena's Piazza del Campo, became a lot clearer, as she explained that the first record of the race goes back to the 13th century. Elisabetta, lead us through Siena's streets to it's Cathedral which rivals that of Milan, according to her, and is better that Florence's. (FYI: Siena and Florence are long-time rival cities, they're always competing) After leaving us for some free time, we decided to have our lunch on the famous shell-shaped square of Siena, in the shadow of it's enormous watchtower nicknamed, Mangia. Very fun! We had some of the best gelato we have had so far, and we've had a lot. Pox was excited and wants to go back to see the Palio (not going to happen, seats go for about 250 euro and the free section is very dangerous, you have to give up your will to live in order to do it), and also for the Museo della Tortura, creepy, but very interesting, very similar to Ripley's Believe it or Not or a Wax Museum, showcasing Meideval torture devices.

After meeting back with Tiziana, unfortunately, we headed out to San Gimignano. From the tour bus, we saw fields of sunflowers and wine vineyards. As we drove on, we got a glimpse of San Gimignano, sitting on top of a hill boasting its remaining 14 towers (at one point there were 100s, every family built their own to boast their wealth). Once there, we entered through the one and only entrance through it's Meideval wall. All of its original architecture remains intact, but it is very easy to navigate, easier than Siena and Florence, as every monument is clearly marked. The panoramic views are amazing. We were able to score some good bargains on knick-knacks and other little trinckets. We would have loved to stay longer, but we were only alloted one hour and forty minutes of free time there.

On our way back, we tried to catch a few zzz's but were unable to because why? Tiziana wouldn't shut up! Once in Florence again, we stopped at the local grocer and picked up some ingredients to make pesto pasta. It turned out great. We're very tired from all the walking, but are glad that we got so many great photos and memories of two incredible cities. Soon, we're taking off to Venice and we can't wait.

Special Announcements:

Happy Birthday Gracie-Lou Freebush in El Monte, CA! (Sweet 16!)