Siena

We're all excited to go to Siena.  Other than Pisa, it will be the biggest town we've visited.  Parking is extremely difficult.  It's a challenge to find a lot that's not for residents, so we do a few laps around town.   We pull a George Castanza and land a dream spot just outside the old town wall - Yipeeee!

I was in Siena over 20 years ago, so it's exciting to see if my memory of it is accurate.   We wander the streets.  Other than Pisa, it's the first time we are hearing a lot of other Americans around.

We stroll and do some shopping… Mostly, our favorite kind of shopping, food shopping :)

We make our way to the Piazza del Campo and my memory of it's grandeur was accurate.


The last few days have had short bursts of rain, followed by beautiful sunshine & comfortable temps.
We dodge a rain shower right after we get into town and take cover for 10 minutes in the Pinacoteca - a very nice place to wait it out.
                                  

Then we have a lovely lunch at a great table on the Campo

After a looong, leisurely lunch with a lot of people watching, we head to the Cathedral, constructed from the Mid-1100's - 1300's.  We all can't believe what they were capable of building so long ago.

We rent the audio tour gear and learn a ton.  There's so much 4-star art in here, including these 4 sculptures by Michelangelo 

After the Cathedral, the Campo pulls us back.  It's such a special place, we have a hard time staying away from it for long!   When we get there, another burst of rain lets loose so we duck into a cafe and join some fans for a game of the World Cup (it's really fun watching it here) and a pizza.

       (You can spot Reese, Avery & Dad at the table right up front and right of the tv)

We want to hang around to watch the sun set on the Campo.  The girls pass time feeding the pigeons.

 We made a bunch of friends today!  Ok, so they were all pigeons, but we still had a great time hanging out!!