Friday, September 27, 2013

Siena, part two

What could be better than a day off in a European city with history that dates back over two thousand years? Not much.

We headed into the center of town by cab. Wow, that could have been a blog of its own, " Cab rides in Siena . Blogsopt.com"  if you ever want to see tourists get out of your way, use a speeding cab. Our driver was incredible! I'm sure he took the long route, but it was worth it!

We were dropped off in the Piazza del Campo. The plaza was what Boston's City hall plaza was fashioned after. Other than being built on a slope and being made of brick, there wasn't much resemblance.




The first plan was to find the stamp for the pilgrim passports. That took 5 attempts. 



The city is overrun by tourists, so many of the locals working seemed grumpy. You need to pay for everything so tourists on a budget would have made them that way I'm sure, expecting things for free.

After we got the stamp we headed back to the Piazza to Il Palazzo del Comune, the civic/city museum, loaded with art from Siena's past. Cameras were not allowed, but before I found that out, I did managed to get a few shots.





Thousands of years of touch.



Our next stop was lunch. As seen in the last posting, this little spot was recommended by The New York Times "36 Hours" Thank You.  



Way off the beaten path but still in the center, this little gem of Siena was one of the nicest restaurants we have ever had the pleasure to enjoy!

Well lubed, but still walking in a straight line, we headed back to Il Duomo to go inside.
Thirteen euro each, it was worth every cent. Truly the most exquisite sights we have ever visited!

















Some of the pipe organ pipes were no larger then a bick pen!


And some of the pipes were 15" round!






Kind of looks like a bicycle.



After the Cathedral, we went our own ways to do what each of us wanted to do on our own.

I went around and shot photos.





Maybe Italy's greatest beauty, is her people, especially this one on her big day. 


Our evening ended early, still full from lunch, Barbara stayed in the room while I crossed the street for Pizza and Beer.

Siena is a must see. We have been to many famous Cathedral's but Il Duomo di Siena is truly the most spectacular we have seen to date!

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