I was afraid that the mentally challenged young adults in our hotel would keep me awake last night. So I put in my double ear plugs, set my alarm for 7:00 and went to sleep. I forgot that I couldn’t hear my alarm when using ear plugs so I got up late, but not too late to miss a decent breakfast buffet. A bus had left with the other guests and we had the breakfast room to ourselves.
Today was an official off-the-bike day. At 9:30 we walked a short distance from our hotel and caught the local bus to go to Siena. We got off at the end of the line at Piazza Gramsci and walked over to the Church of San Domenico where we met our guide, Stella. We went into the church where Stella pointed out some things of religious significance as well as some secular things like the flags of all of Siena’s clans which were hanging on the walls.
Leaving the church, Stella led us downhill pausing at special spots such as old palaces, churches. etc. Then it was onto il Campo where we stood in front of the Fonte Gaia and talked about the history of the piazza, its surrounding buildings and the Palio horse race between the clans.
Next we walked into Stella’s clan area (elephant) and its museum. We have been to Siena several times, but this is the first time I have seen anything about the local culture. It was fun seeing the clothes that they wear during celebrations, the paintings that they have made after winning each horse race and the administrative room where they hold clan meetings.
After our museum we walked up to the Duomo, first passing through the local Sunday flea market. Stella showed us several lunch possibilities along the way. We reach the Duomo after noon. The sun was high and the temperature was very warm. Being Sunday, the Duomo was not open yet. So we stood in the shade in front of its ornate facade ooing and aaing.
Stella said goodbye and we were suddenly on our own. I walked back the way we came and had a pininno made for me in a special shop. It was salami and cheese with pesto sauce on fresh Italian bread. I sat next to the Fonte Gaia and ate most of it saving the rest for an afternoon snack.
I wandered around for a while and optimistically tried to go into the Duomo at its 1:30 opening. The line was not moving, so I made the hike back to the bus stop and caught the 2:30 bus back to Costello and our hotel.
At 5:30 we had a cooking demonstration in the hotel’s kitchen. We watched the chef make bolognaise sauce, pana cotta and a balsamic vinegar sauce for the pana cotta. Happy Hour was after that. Then dinner was at 7:30. I had a soup made out of white beans with carrots, garlic, celery, etc. I also had pasta with bolognaise sauce. All of us had pana cotta. I really enjoyed my dinner conversation with Alan and Stacie, Neal and Claudia and Berry.
It’s now 9:40. I’m going to publish this blog and go to bed. We are going into new territory tomorrow.
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