Today we went to Siena; it was a great visit!
It was a lot of fun aimless wandering, although I do wonder about the accuracy of this Google Timeline, when I zoom in it seems a like way more backing and forthing than the reality. Yes, we did do A LOT of zig zagging and walking in circles.... who knows!
(light blue = on foot / dark blue = train)
We’ve already stayed in Siena for a few days back in 2010 so we didn’t have a lot of “must dos” for this visit. It was just nice to be back and enjoy the town. Frank raves about it, it's one of his favourite cities.
The biggest change I noticed in Siena is how easy it now is to reach the Historical Center from the train station. You used to have to take a bus because it’s a 2km uphill hike, but now, a modern set of 5 indoor escalators effortlessly lifts people up the hill and deposits them a very pleasant 15 minute walk away.
We started the day with a front row seat at a café in the Campo, relaxing with a drink, and for me: warming up in the sun! Normally, I hate the sun, I avoid it, I even wear 110 SPF sunscreen! But because of my cold, I was chilly and almost trembling in the shade so I needed a dose of sunshine to warm my bones. We didn't last long, but it was enough to make me feel a little healthier.
The Campo in Siena is just marvelous. It's a wonderful place to be!
The trek up there was fun... lots of stairs! and totally worth it for the beautiful views over the city.
The walk back was nice too!
Next: Lunch. Back in 2010, we vowed we would not eat in the main square (Il Campo) anymore because the restos are all so touristy that the quality of the food suffers. We found that it was all atmosphere and no substance. This time, we had such a hard time (surprisingly) finding a place to have lunch that we ended up in the Campo and it was delicious! We got another great front row seat to enjoy the views and even some entertainment in the form of a TV interview.
After lunch, we revisited the Cathedral, which was sensory overload for me! So much to absorb, you need hours to do it justice. We saw it in 2010, but I had forgotten how amazing and overwhelming it is.
Next we climbed the “Facciatone” which we didn't get around to doing in 2010.
The Facciatone is the unfinished façade of Duomo Nuovo. The current nave of the Duomo was going to be the transept of the Dumo Nuovo - Unbelievable! It was never finished, but thankfully the Facciatone was built because the wonderful panoramic views over Siena from up there were a highlight!
After this, it was back to the Campo for one last drink before starting the journey back to Florence around 4:30.
We got back to Florence by 7 and stopped for a wonderful meal on the way back to the hotel. It was the best gnocchi I've had in a long long time.
Now it’s time to finish packing up and move on to the next stop tomorrow.
Good night!
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