Siena

day 15 – giorno quindici

This morning we met up at 9 and went to visit a workshop where stained glass windows were made. Two brothers do most of the work with the glass and hire painters to do the details. It was very impressive to see the images of the finished works and then to see the steps, one by one. His English was very good and he was quite funny. The painter we got to see at work was quite a looker… 👀

We had a little free time to browse his shop and use a public toilet and then with a few more spare minutes, Tara and I did a stroll around Il Campo. We were seriously thinking about climbing the city tower, so we we checked that out too.

Then we gathered up again and went to the duomo for a local guided tour. We’ve seen a lot of duomos by now but this one definitely stands out because it’s so stripy. The interior is heavily decorated of course, from detailed marble mosaics on the floor to intricate paintings on the ceiling. Our guide told us that until fairly recently, much of the cathedral floor was covered with carpets to keep it protected. There are still small areas that have carpet taped on them, but the majority can be viewed.

These huge arches on the right side of the church show just how big they really wanted to build this church. Unfortunately, that is as far as they got.

After we finished our tour of the duomo, we were free for the rest of the day to do whatever we liked. Tara, Mom, and I sat on the steps trying to decide what we felt like doing and eventually we all agreed we just wanted a chill afternoon. We tried to find a little bar on Il Campo to grab a spritz but it was packed and expensive so we wandered a few streets off the main drag until we found a little place to eat.

Seating was in the road, so I had cars passing within a few feet of my back. We all ordered a spritz, because that’s THE afternoon drink in Italy. I don’t know much about it other than it’s made with Aperol and it’s not my drink of choice, but I’m glad I know that now instead of wondering forever. I also got a pizza, Tara got a calzone and bruschetta, and Mom got a caprese salad. It was hilarious when they came out with the calzone… It was so huge compared to what we all would expect!

We went back to the hotel with full bellies and weary bodies. This pace definitely takes a toll. Tara and I were still considering climbing the city tower but we decided to chill for a while and reassess at 5 pm. I was blogging, trying to get caught up, and 5 came and went. We scrapped the tower idea because we were both enjoying relaxing.

A while later, Mom wanted to get some postcards mailed up the street, so we did that and did a short circuit around the hotel. Mom had to get back to the hotel to meet part of the group and go to an opera, so we dropped her back and headed back out to find this cool wall that Norm and Mariellyn had run on. Eventually we found it and had a very enjoyable walk all the way around this fort. It was obviously a great go-to for people to exercise at night. There was a small amphitheater in the middle and looked like there were food vendors and stages active during the day.

We wandered around the oddly shaped fort, getting great views of Siena by night. Then I noticed the moon. It was a small sliver and just over the horizon but it was so red! We made a full circuit of the fort and then started back towards the hotel. A few blocks later we hear “Tara!” behind us and see Sarah coming towards us. She was on her way back from dropping the opera-goers off so we decided to go grab a drink before we tucked in for the night. It was very pleasant being out that late, much quieter and more authentic.

It’s been so great getting to know our whole group, it’s going to be hard to say goodbye and very strange to go back home after this whirlwind.