Siena

We took a day trip from Florence to nearby Siena, by bus. Siena is a medieval city centered by a clam-shaped square at the base of its sloping cobbled streets.

Every summer, this square is home to a horse race called the Palio, pitting the different contradas (groups within the city) against each other. The winner is the horse who crosses the finish line first, even if it has no rider! It’s a huge event here.

At the top of the slope, there is a huge church dedicated to St. Catherine, an influencer in the 14th century. Her head is enshrined here, since stealing and preserving body parts was the thing to do with popular religious leaders.

The duomo or cathedral of Siena is its highlight, unusual and beautiful inside and out. There is a library in the interior, with an amazing ceiling. I actually wasn’t going to go in but our tour leader told me that a person on another tour was brought to tears by the beauty of the library. I had a tear too after seeing it might have been from that story.

The city center of Siena is filled with gorgeous small shops, so the rest of my time was spent checking them out. A parfumerie based on chianti grapes was interesting. Locals spoke to me in Italian more than once, and told me that it was because I looked so Italian. (blush)

Back in Florence for the evening, I went with a new friend to the San Lorenzo food market, close to the leather markets, a huge indoor space with lots of cool eateries and wine bars to choose from.