Siena - Overview and Details

The first thing that impresses in Siena is the colours.  Everything has a warm glow of the bricks and coloured stones, so different from buildings in other medieval towns that tend to be mostly grey.  The flat Stanleys were along for the ride today, and they joined us in viewing many unique sights, some of them up close to get the intricate details of the amazing buildings.  (The Flat Stanleys are characters that were done by our two oldest grandsons, Graham and Everett, so they could go where we are going.  Thanks to Miriam Silvert, who used to do this with her class.  There is a web site all about it where the characters can be downloaded)

                                                       The ceiling above the well

We walked up and down the winding streets, glancing through all kinds of archways and alleys, each one with another intriguing view.  Heather had read about a highly recommended restaurant in a 700 year old building, which we actually found.  Lunch was fabulous, and the washroom was one of the nicest and cleanest we have encountered in Italy (Yes, this is worth noting).  John felt right at home in the wine storage room, which was right beside where we were seated.

After lunch, Heather decided she would climb the tower known as the Torre del Mangia which is in the Plaza Pubblico.  This is a lovely spot that also has a nice gelato bar, which was much more appealing to John and Gail.  Heather was able to get some beautiful overview pictures from the tower, and someone took a picture of her too.

The view from the top was a spectacular overview of this city, which is a working and living place with shops, services and lots of good places to eat,  as well as an historic site.

There are fascinating details everywhere on the magnificant buildings, such as the Duomo (Cathedral)

                                            Gail ogling the beautiful leather purses

The bus ride back through the tranquil Tuscan countryside was once again most relaxing and enjoyable.  Back in the apartment we went through the hundreds of pictures to determine which ones to share today.  It was not easy to decide.