1095 – Sienna and st Gimmignano

From the port of Livorno, we could have headed for Florence & Pisa, but we have done both of these before, a few years ago, I had the typical picture of me trying to hold up the leaning tower. I must admit I fancied the idea of try to get one pushing it over. Instead, we went off in an entirely different direction, starting with an almost two hour drive to Sienna.

Tuscany, how many of us who haven’t visited the area have seen pictures of its beauty? Well I have to tell you that when the scenery is right, those pictures are very accurate. I expect that the effect is even more dramatic in the early morning or evening light.

We drove through the gently rolling landscape with those narrow, sharp Cyprus trees coming to a point that’s slightly blown over to reflect the prevailing wind. A delightful looking house on a low hilltop, with half a dozen trees around it surrounded by a gently rolling landscape. The towns are no worse, dominated by a church tower it inspired a feeling of intense community and family spirit.

I have never read the Canterbury tales, but I believe they involve at least part of a pilgrimage. Sienna lays on the path to Rome, eleven days walk we were told. Churches abound, centred upon a really quite spectacular cathedral. The religious paintings are protected in an area that is naturally temperature controlled. Pictures that are as rich and colourful as the day they were painted, easily compare with pictures not as well protected which as a result are dark and faded.

The centre of Sienna is a huge square, almost angled and shaped like an amphitheater where every year they hold a horse race. The square specially prepared; a sand track is laid, padding located at strategic points to protect horses and riders (mostly the horses I suspect, I dare say they don’t understand the risks) falls happen, injuries, sometimes fatal to both rider and horse occur.

The square at this time of year and even more so for the summer event (the race happens twice a year) Is baking hot. But ten thousand people can be crammed into the centre, from which there is no escape, and for which they pay hundreds of euros. Even our Italian tour guide thought those who did it were made, but she is as devoted to the race as any Italian.

We departed Sienna, hot, tired and informed.

Lunch was at a winery, a wine tasting with a meal. Three samples of wine(only a small amount of each, with an opportunity (of course) to buy the wine if we so wished. The first course, antipasto followed by Pasta in a tomato & mushroom sauce, and three more samples of wine. The third course was an almond based biscuit that I knew I didn’t like, so gave it a miss. That was also served with a special desert wine.

We set off for St Gimmignano. The italians have a particular way of saying it, particularly a rolling around the “Migna’ part, with which I am having great difficulty pronouncing.

Up a little bit of a hill, a few steps (seriously, not being sarcastic here) a slightly less than gentle sweep of the narrow Main Street of the village,populated with cafes. All of which sell gelato in some form or another but we are waiting for the shop on the square, which we are reliably informed by our guide is some of the best in the area if not Italy. This anecdotal assertion of fact would appear to be borne out by the fact that the queue for this one shop is huge, I mean really big. But our guide continues to tell us that it will move quickly as they have eight people serving in the shop.

Elayne is determined to partake and so joins the queue with the guide. Seeing my sceptical face especially at the prospect of queuing in bright sunshine, she sends me off to have a look around. I head off up around the back of the church, from where there is a view out over the fairly typical rooftops of a Tuscan village. I loiter a bit, and slowly start to head off back at the square, arriving, much to Elaynes disgust just as she is about to step in to the shop to be served. I have to say that the three scoops of Lemon, Banana and Coconut tasted superb!

I think we were all pleased to head back to our air conditioned coach.