It was with great reluctance we left Monterosso al Mare this morning. Breakfast was wonderful, and our hosts were there to say goodbye as we filed out of the hotel. It was grey and threatening rain, but still…what a wonderful little town to spend a few days.
Our bags were carried to the train station for us. We climbed the stairs and waited for our train back to Levanto. Very muggy this morning. Sara had our tickets and we all hopped on the train for the 5 minute ride to Levanto. We walked to the parking lot to wait for Sauro and the bus. He was there in about 10 minutes from wherever he’d been. The bus was nice and cool. We all climbed aboard and settled in.
Sara waited about 10 minutes before starting to talk. Something about that bus makes you want to take a nap! I can’t watch out the front as there are way too many near misses. I’ve realized I’m better off not knowing what’s going on out there while Sauro is driving. Sara started to prep us for today’s activities. She also spent some time telling us about the Rick Steves organization. based out of Edmunds Washington, there are about 100 employees located there. Then there are about 170 European tour guides.
We arrived at San Gimignano around 11:30 and the sun was shining brightly. Very humid, but there was a nice breeze. San Gimignano is a medieval walled town. Originally it was just a small village in the 3rd century BC. In the 1st century AD, two brothers who fled from Rome built a castle here. As time went on, a walled village grew up around the castle and the church (somewhere in 6th or 7th century AD). It’s not as hilly as most towns, but there was still some climbing to do. We went to the Rocco overlook and took some photos of the hills below.
Then Mom and I did a little shopping before lunch. We found a table in the shade and ordered lunch. Mom had a breaded chicken fillet with fries. I had Crescione Terra (flat loaf filled with smoked ham and Brie cheese). Mom tried the local wine (only produced in San Gimignano).
After lunch we had gelato from the “World Famous Gelateria”. And it’s really world famous. The owner has won several contests around the world. There was a line out the door but it went very quickly. I had a small cup with Chocolate Gran Mariner and Tiramisu. Mom ordered the same thing. It was delicious.
We finished our gelato and started walking toward the gate we had entered earlier. It was all down hill, and there were numerous shops and places to eat. The restaurant next to the gate had half a wild boar (cooked) in the front window. Wild boar very popular in this region. The souvenir shops had little stuffed boars for sale; some of the shops had carved ones above their shop doors.
We waited about 15 minutes for Sauro to come pick us up. As per usual in Italy, there is a routine for the buses. He had dropped us off, and then had to go park the bus away from the town. Once we had gathered, Sara could call him after she got approval from the parking lot officer. Everything is a much slower pace here. We’ve learned to go with the flow. Some of the group are struggling with that, but for the most part we are traveling well together.
Our next stop is Siena. Another old city (originally settled by Romans in early AD. Those building are gone, but there is still plenty of old buildings here. Most are 800 years old and newer. The town piazza is more of a bowl shape, sloped down to one side. There is a fountain where the pigeons were drinking water from the spouts.
Here’s our room key. Most likely the biggest one we’ve had so far on the tour. I think this room is the first room that doesn’t lock automatically when you close the door.
At 5PM we met for beverages on the hotel patio. They served wine, water and some really great cookies that are called Ricciarelli. Already found the recipe and will be making them for Christmas!
At 5:30, our guide Annalisa arrived for a walking tour of Siena. We saw the first bank in Italy, built in the 1400’s. Siena is known for banking. It seems like there is a bank on every corner. Tomorrow I’ll be visiting one of those banks to find some more euros.
We continued our stroll thru Siena. Annalisa explained the tradition of the horse races here in Siena. To put it simply, there are 17 different “neighborhoods” in Siena. Each one has it’s own church, their own mascot and their own flag. The horse racing has been happening for hundreds of year. Each neighborhood hires a jockey for their horse and the horses race around the piazza. The winner gets a painted silk that is hung in the church until the next one is won. It sounds like quite the production and the race only lasts for about 1.5 minutes. But the city celebrates for months afterward.
We had dinner in the neighborhood who’s horse won this year…without a rider. This is considered even a greater win as there was no jockey to guide the horse. Dinner was 4 courses.
Course number one: Antipasto. Thinly sliced meats, cheese, and bread dipped in olive oil.
Course number two: Pasta with red sauce. The pasta was called picchi. Thicker then spaghetti. Very good!
Course number three: beef cubes and potatoes in a tomato sauce. Very good but heavy.
Course number four: ice cream dipped in dark chocolate.
We paced ourselves much better this evening. We weren’t miserable on the walk back to the hotel. Mom and I got back to the room and rested for a few minutes. Then I started working on the blog while she watched some TV.
Our eyes are heavy so it’s time for bed. Nice firm mattresses but flat pillows. No worries…the hotel provides extra pillows!
Ciao!
