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Friday 17th September
The Piazza del Campo
When I called Nicolette last night from my hotel room, she scolded me severely for staying in and having an early night, instead of going out on the town. “You should be out experiencing the Siena nightlife, I’m disappointed in you, you’re getting old,” she said in mock disgust.
“I’m tired,” I protested, realizing it was a lame excuse, but the truth all the same. Unknown to Niki there are no discotheques, bars or clubs in Siena, and only one pub.
Before leaving for Europe Ed had made me promise to visit the city of Siena, it is one of his favorite places in Italy, fortunately Angie was also very keen to experience the city, so we planned to have a quick look around before continuing on our journey.
Maneuvering the little Fiat through the busy streets searching for a parking space proved to be a real challenge, and we were just about ready to give up, when I unexpectedly demonstrated my ability to drive like an Italian, zipping out of the line of traffic, spinning the car around and sliding into a parking space on the opposite side of the road, just outside one of the main gates to the city. I had reacted so quickly I failed to notice another driver who had pulled out of the line of traffic into a side street ready to reverse into the now occupied space. The furious driver glared daggers at me while I simply shrugged and smiled… “I had simply done what any Italian would have done! How does the saying go? “When in Rome…”
Angie and I couldn’t believe our luck, finding a space so close to the gate. We were allowed to park there for one hour; plenty of time we both agreed for a quick look around, and we could be on our way again before lunch. How wrong could two people be?
We were both wholly unprepared for what greeted us inside the walled city of Siena; the city is truly magical, it preserves its medieval character with lovely old rose-colored buildings, flower strewn balcony’s, wonderfully ornate church’s, designer stores, antique shops, and narrow cobblestone streets and alleys that rise and fall, reminding you that the city was built on seven hills, scarcely any street in the city is level. The scent of new leather, delicate perfume from the flowers, and freshly baked croissants fill the air. Beautiful, elegantly dressed people roam the streets, and of course thousands of tourist’s (not so elegant). There is a law in Siena forbidding widows to wear black for more than six months, in order to keep the streets looking cheerful for visitors. Angie and I had remarked how quiet all the roads had been since we left Pisa, we now realized why, everyone was here!
Scooters and bicycles were everywhere, and everywhere leads to the central Piazza del Campo, which appeared to me to be occupied by probably all of the 20,000 students from the University. The Piazza is dominated by the Palazzo Pubblico, the magnificent Gothic town hall that boasts the second highest medieval tower in Italy, at 330feet.
We stopped to do some shopping at a local scarf store; everyone in Italy wears a scarf it seems, even the men, and we both thought they would make great presents for our daughters, I decided against buying one for Edi, somehow that male fashion trend hasn’t quite reached the good old USA just yet.
Angie in the scarf store.
Me, taken in the Duomo
A glance at my watch revealed that our hour had come and gone; we both raced back through the winding streets to the car. Being so enthralled by Siena we had both completely forgotten the time. Fortunately the monitoring of parked cars in the city did not appear to take great priority, as we arrived back at the car almost an hour late, and luckily had no parking fine, or worse clamped. As we were parked right outside a bar, we decided to stop for a drink before moving on. We talked about the Duomo, which is one of the most prestigious, illustrious and artistically important cathedrals in Europe. Angie was very keen to see it, and I agreed that it seemed silly to leave without first paying a visit. We moved the car and made our way back into the city. It took us a while to find the Duomo as the windy streets resemble a maze and are not easy to navigate. I thought of dropping breadcrumbs, as I was sure we would never find our way back. However, Angie had picked up a local city map and assured me we were fine.
The Duomo was absolutely spectacular. Intricately carved statues of prophets by Giovanni Pisano in the 1290s fill the Gothic niches of the ornate marble façade. The striking interior with its vibrant pictorial effect created by the black and white marble stripes that cover the walls and the massive columns that support the arches of the nave aroused wonder and admiration in me, I was speechless, as we walked quietly around inside admiring the incredible mosaic marble floors, that took the artist Domenico Beccafumi thirty years to complete. The fabulous works of art decorating the drum and ceilings, all the statues and stained-glass windows truly need to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. I was really happy we had taken the time to visit this amazing cathedral.
The Duomo, Siena
Getting back to the car proved to be something of a challenge, as I took us on a short cut, feeling very confident that I had remembered the streets well. Unfortunately I managed to get us completely lost, and we ended up on the wrong side of the city about a mile from where we needed to be. Asking complete strangers for directions in a language she didn’t speak never stopped Angie, and we eventually found our way back to the car, with no help whatsoever from me!
It was now four O’clock and we had about a three-hour drive ahead of us to reach our next destination of Pitigiliano. I really wanted to get there before dark, it was hard enough finding places we were unfamiliar with in daylight, in the dark it would be a lost cause.
It was fun to reread this tongiht (Sept. 2, 2012
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