We explored a bit outside of Siena, returned the car, took a taxi back, and
explored Siena further on foot. We enjoyed a nice hike to San Domenico Church
and the Sanctuary of St. Catherine, the patron saint of Siena.. In the 1300’s,
St. Catherine helped convince Pope Gregory XI to return from France to Rome,
and the church has been a pilgrimage site since the 1400’s, as we witnessed
with the many visitors.
We walked and walked and walked, drinking in the architecture, the shops,
the sounds of the language, the people.
We had dinner down the street from our room at Ghiberti’s, a small family
run place. For dessert I had a torta della casa—-sort of an almond paste
torte, mmmm, and Bill had pannecotta, the Tuscan fruitcake that would make
any doubter become a fruitcake fan. He also had Riciarollas, chewy Tuscan macaroons…..and
then he had tiramisu and ricotta gelato!
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Bill did a great job driving the Tuscan countryside and finding our way to
San Gimignano and Volterra. San Gimignano was quite charming and we had many
pleasant hours walking up and down the streets, pausing to capture photos of
buildings, windows, cats, people, and views. We thought that this would probably
be a pleasant hill town to stay in. We enjoyed the views out over the Tuscan
countryside of the vineyards, hills, Italian spruce, and villas. The town’s
narrow main street had unique little stores to explore and we found a red leather
purse for my mother and some other gifts.
Volterra was a mini San Gimignano, which means it was really small but absolutely
refreshing and charming as well. The sun was shining and all the residents
were sitting outside visiting. We were glad to be part of that ambience.
Driving around allowed us to stop frequently for photo ops of the vistas. The
vineyards displayed their autumn colors and were quite striking against the
blue sky. When you’re from the northwest, anything is striking against
the blue sky, but the color dance was truly lovely.
We returned to Siena for dinner and ate at a restaurant which had been recommended
to us the previous night by the couple from San Diego. It was also in our guide
book: Il Verrochio Restaurant at Logge del Papa. It was cozy with wood-beamed
ceilings. I had a great salad and Tuscan vegetable soup. Bill had homemade
spaghetti noodles with tomato garlic sauce and mussels. He raved about the
noodles! Next to us were some people from Portland (!) and we enjoyed visiting
with them.
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