Day 4 – Siena & Off to Rome

The Principal & the boys headed out a little before 7am this morning to get a short video of the bells.  San Gimignano is known as “The City of the Bells” because they apparently ring them for most any reason, but the official start of the day is a 7am chiming of at least 3 city bells… all a little out of sync with the others.  You’d think with 900+ years they’d’ve synchronized their watches by now. It's actually a lovely alternative to an alarm clock.

Checking out of 2 apartments is a little tricky, especially when it’s 8 people and you’re not parked anywhere close to where you’re living.  The Principal and Buddy headed for a short walk around part of the city to find the car in the same parking lot we’d parked it in the night before.  He’d had to pay E13.50 which we’d all agreed was REALLY too much, but since we got there late and were getting the bus out before 8am, it should only be E5.  They arrive, and the meter is broken.  Some variation of “out of order” is blinking at them… so they go over to the other machine.  Same message.  There isn’t anybody on duty yet and one says to the other, “How’re we going to get OUT?”  That was when they noticed the gate was up.  We all agreed that an average price of $9 was more than fair… so they left.  Now to clean out the apartments and load up 8 suitcases, 2 carry-ons, 2 backpacks, 8 jackets, plus 3 bags of “kitchen leftovers” more than filled “the bus”.  Off to Sienna.

Sienna is a lovely hilltop town, for which Monteriggioni was an ‘outpost’ to warn of invaders.  Sienna is much larger, but don’t let that lead you to believe that the streets are any wider than before.  Nosirreebob. I find it incredible that people live this way, day in and day out, with the traffic.  MIL pointed out that it was only March and the tourist season makes it MUCH more crowded.  Sienna is known for a horse race around the town square that happens twice a year.  Each of the “states” inside Sienna trains horses, riders, and even “Flag Furlers” for the honor of representing their “state” in the race.  The square (really some sort of weird oval that slants towards the center) is filled on the perimeter with some kind of clay… and it’s a real Derby-like experience.

No horses today, but we were thankful to find a parking space large enough for the bus and make the hike into the center of the city, not getting run over (though there were several opportunities for it).  Making it to the center I happened to twist my knee and so I decided to “people watch” after we explored the Town Center for a bit.  Most of the rest of the group journeyed over to the beautifully marbled/striated cathedral & baptistery that was just off the main area (though hidden from site because of the tight streets)

I have to say that people are funny creatures.  Everybody taking group photos, selfies in front of the fountain, one woman chasing a 3 y.o. up and down the arena.  Even a group of Japanese tourists listening to a tour guide in Italian (translated by the woman with the other microphone into Japanese) leading them on with a multi-colored half opened umbrella.  We also enjoyed taking a picture of the local Mail Truck.  Not exactly USPS delivery, eh?

MIL purchased some orange flavored frittata while were essentially fried doughnut holes that were gooey in the middle with cinnamon sugar on the outside.  She bought 30… they didn’t last. By the time everyone returned my knee had unkinked itself and we made our way (somewhat precariously) through the streets back to the bus which was again, thankfully, still waiting for us where we left it.  2 hours later we were in Rome journeying up and down the area near the Vatican looking for a parking place near our new apartment.  A busy place, noticeably far from where we were last time meant we then were looking for all new bakeries, gelaterias, lavandarias, etc.  Doodlebug was a little concerned we wouldn’t get to see the same pasticcherias (pastry shop/bakery) as last time, but MIL assured her that Rome has quite a few and we’d find plenty.  She was right.  Doodlebug and the Principal went for a stroll late in the evening and came back from her new favorite with a platter of deliciousness to sample.

Within 2 blocks we have all the shopping we could want, even a merchant that understood the American phrase of “take out” and we may do dinner that way once.  It’ll save on the grocery buying later.