So today we went on a day trip from Florence through Tuscany. We hit Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa. It was easily my favorite day thus far...even with another mishap.
The day started at 645 (when I woke up late, finally used to the time!) and we got on the bus at 8. First stop, Siena! The bus ride there was very pretty, getting into wine country, but the road is lined with a lot of trees so pictures are hard to come by. We got some later though.
When we arrived in Siena, we walked 30 feet, I snapped a picture of the sign and when in turn my camera off, the lens didnt go back in. Well, I didnt freak out...okay a little... I kept trying and trying but it just got worse. So before our tour we had 15 minutes and we had just passed a camera store. I walk in and get a "ohhh...big problem...you need to send this in" .... This camera is brand new, barely used, never dropped let alone scratched. Buttttt sometimes weird stuff happens (as I feel it has the entire time we've been here, more on that later).
But, I was proud of myself and my new years resolution definitely helped. I stayed calm, bought a disposable in case Courtney's died (again, I'll discuss all our problems later) and kept on....cause I've been excited about this tour since the day we booked it! A year ago I would have cried, and yelled...but today I was as calm as a cucumber (minus the Ecoli)
So, SIENA! They say here that everyone has a favorite, Florence or Siena, because they are arch rivals....but I love them both! Siena is a small town that "goes up and down and up and down" aka it's hilly. Its the 3rd largest city in Italy though behind Rome at 5 million and Florence at a half million. Its divided into 20 regions, and you region is always a part of you. You can never change, and they are very loyal and competitive within the regions (it kind of reminded me of pharmacy school and hargreaves day). Anyways, our tour guide was from the turtle region. Twice a year in July and August they have a huge horse race around the main square, Plazza Del Campo (which is not very big, it's a 3 lap race they finish in about a minute and ten seconds). Each region has a horse (the important part) risen bare back by a jockey...the winner is the the horse, not the jockey. the feel of the architecture was rather gothic in the town center, it is a mid evil town with no industry or factories at all, they simply live a very simple and easy quality of life, mostly off tourism. A fountain in the main plaza has the Virgin Mary with child, and she is represented everywhere in Siena.
Then we walked over to the main cathedral and got a brief history before entering (this is what I love about guides...I learn more in 4 days than I've learned in 20 years about this stuff. It helps that I'm a very visual learner). Anyways, apparently this church, which is already huge, was undergoing an expansion that would leave it in the shape of a cross and larger than St. Peters Basilica. However, when the black plague hit in 1348 it didn't get finished, and never was. From the front the lower half before the top was expanded is Romanesque and then the higher part was put in and is gothic. It also shows and houses baroque and renaissance style. Making it one of the only locations with all 4 major styles. But wait....there's MORE. This church is like an art gallery. Inside it houses a location with 4 Michelangelo statues, a bronze statue in one chapel of St. John The Baptist by Donatello, a chapel on the opposite side with The Virgin Mary done by the same guy who did a lot with St. James.....hang on let me breath before I get to the good stuff. The library us a giant painting of the life of the first Pope that has NEVER been touched, restored, anything...it's literally straight out of 1507! Mostly because the library wasn't used so no smoke or candles were in there. Thennnn comes the big piece. The most important work of art in Siena. It's hard to explain but it's a giant piece by Michelangelo. I got pictures. The top is a perspective (3D) which wasn't done much here at this time of the life of Jesus.
The only other major note was on the way out we an into the other church only to get a glimpse of St. Catherine. Literally, her head is in there....like not a statue here, her REAL head. I also found out it takes at least 200 years to become a saint because it has to go through The Vatican. Oh, and I attempted planking. It's a big thing Aussies do, you lay flat and try to get a cool picture. Needless to say I'm the worst planked around.
Then we were off to San Gimignano (the heart of Tuscany) for lunch, wine tasting and a quick walk around. It's a tiny little walled in town on the top of a huge hill. From a distance it looks like manhattan in Italy. It has 14 towers, the towers of Tuscany, because they are the only few (Pisa did also) left standing after world war 2. Lunch at Fuoro Porta was decent (italian cheeses, meats and spreads on bread, then pasta) wine was good....and inside we at gelato at the Pluripremiato Gelateria that has won the best ice cream in the world competition twice...it was amazing. In had tiramisu, a raspberry kind and passion fruit. We met a few neat people and one woman from San Fran (originally Russia) with her Russian best friend was like a history book. She gave us tips for Paris and told us random facts about things (like how David lost his arm when there were rebellions going on and people throwing furniture out the window and something hit him and that the Pantheon in Rome had a small piece of it's dome cut out by the artist of the big church in Florence (we will see tomorrow) so he could use it to learn how to make his last as well). only other fun part was seeing 3 Ferraris parked side by side and getting my souvenirs from Italy (a Chianti wine stopper and my Christmas ornament a Pinocchio guy with an italian flag, because Pinocchio originated in a small city in Tuscany.
Then we were off to Pisa! We drove by a location of The Gladiator movie shooting, took a nap, and got to Pisa. There isn't much there...so we took fun pictures, looked around, and then were headed back to Florence. On the way we passed a wall Napoleon built to separate Pisa and Florence......
And that's all I got! Pictures don't do the scenery justice again. Its everything you would imagine. Green, rows of grapes, beautiful houses on top of the hills stuccoed with yellows and burnt oranges with red roofing. It was a dream come true just to take it all in.
So that's that, just a few notes on our weird mishaps thus far (the trip is so amazing all this doesn't even matter).
-Courtney's thumb slice has left the front ignite thumb numb, we are pretty sure she nicked a nerve, hopefully it will heal
-my never opened converter never worked....not even kidding. Court has then same one and it works fine. So we are sharing currently
-my camera incident. I had a great plan for my mom to send my old one (which my dumb self should have brought just in case). I called our next hostel had it all set up, mom ran to fed ex....then they told her it would be $192.... So I'm gonna probably get a cheapo here tomorrow
And a few more fun stories but it's time do stop typing now. I'll blog about Florence before we leave Monday
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