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| Leaving Campo Carlo Magno |
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| Len |
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| Rogelene |
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| Alpine tunnels |
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| Arriving in Siena |
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| Passagiatta |
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| Osteria La Mossa - Photo: Dan Beert |
It seemed that everyone in Siena was out for a passiagiatta wearing very expensive and tasteful clothes.
We ate in Osteria La Mossa in Il Campo. It was fairly inexpensive for the menu Turistico which was quite good - and it is still in operation in 2017!
The four of us had a very pleasant evening talking and exchanging information about what we had been doing for the past few years, now that we were sharing the same hotel instead of separate accommodation.
The next day, Sunday 17 January we had breakfast in the in BarNanini with a cashier that looked like he hadn't slept for days, or at least since a big party the previous night.
Below are some postcards from Siena including the Piazza del Campo where they conduct Il Palio di Siena, a traditional medieval horse race run around the Piazza in July and August in which tons of dirt is laid although there is now some controversy because of race incidents causing falls, which in some cases have led to horses' deaths. Here are three postcards from Siena.
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| Monteriggioni from a distance |
We drove north-west past Monteriggioni, located on a natural hillock and built by the Sienese in 1214–19 as a front line in their wars against Florence.
From there we drove on to San Gimigniano which was a real tourist town, but pretty nonetheless.
The photos below show Len, Rogelene and Michaela in San Gimigniano.
Our favourite trattoria was now closed so we went to another that seemed to be the place to go, Ristorante San Giovanni for a nice meal.We had to wait a while for table but it was quite cool and quite good and cheap. Things were going quite well and were all getting on and enjoying the experience of travelling together.
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| On the road to Buonconvento |
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| Michaela, at left, in Buonconvento |
I dropped four rolls of film in for processing then we headed out of Siena, this time heading south-east.
Firstly we drove to Buonconvento which is a walled town on the plain rather than on a hill.
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| Len, Roge and Michaela |
We stopped briefly at Montalcino Fortezza on the hill before going on to Montepulciano.
Montepulciano sits on a high limestone ridge and the walls of the city date to around the 14th century.
The locality is a major producer of food and drink. Renowned for its pork, cheese, pasta, lentils, and honey, it is also known worldwide for its wine.
It also had a charming old theatre which was being used for rehearsals so we were able to see inside.
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| Entrance to Montepulciano |
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| Theatre in Montepulciano |
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| Postcard: "Pienza, gem of the 15th Century born of a love of thought and dream of beauty" |
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| Micheala and ceramics |
Originally named Corsignano, in 1405 it was the birthplace of Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, a Renaissance humanist born into an exiled Sienese family, who later became Pope Pius II. Once he became Pope, Piccolomini had the entire village rebuilt as an ideal Renaissance town and renamed it after himself to Pienza.
Intended as a retreat from Rome, it represents the first application of humanist urban planning concepts, creating an impetus for planning that was adopted in other Italian towns and cities and eventually spread to other European centers.
It was a fascinating small town where I was very tempted to buy some pots. Here are three postcards from Pienza.
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| Palazzo Piccolomini |
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| Il Cotso, Via Dogali, Pienza |
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| Doorway with mosaic |
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| Michaela, Len & Roge in Tuscany |
We had dinner at a restaurant which was good, but virtually empty - we were the only ones there - maybe it was too early as most Italians don't think about having dinner until 8pm.
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| Lucignano |
We stopped at Monte San Savino and saw a couple of interesting potteries.
Arezzo wasn't that interesting except for a park (the first I've seen in a town since leaving Australia) and we had lunch in a trattoria/bar on the way.
On the way back to Siena we stopped at Lucignano, a remarkably conserved medieval walled hill-top village and visited the Museum. The weather was quite overcast and threatening rain, but here are some photos taken in the town.
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