Spring Break Stop #5 - Siena

On our final full day in Italy, we took a day trip from Florence to Siena.  Turned out that the best way to get between the two cities is by bus.  So, we experience the Italian bus system and were very pleased with it.  It could not have been easier.  However, the pot-hole filled Italian roads gave us a greater appreciation for the smooth-riding German autobahn!

Arrival in Siena.  Stopped under one of many "She Wolf" statues in Italy to get our barrings.

Just walking around this adorable city was 80% of the charm!

 

Il Campo - Siena's main square.  Twice a year, Siena holds a world famous horse race in this square called the Palio di Siena.  Ten of Siena's seventeen neighborhoods (chosen by rotation) compete in this horse race.

Hanging out in the Il Campo.  It's the only square I've ever seen where people stretch out as if they were at the beach!

Having some fun at the "horse parking"!

Monkey see, monkey do!

Lunch in a really cool restaurant located under the Il Campo.

Gelato!  I think this picture speaks for itself!

And this picture also speaks for itself!  Happy girls (and mommy too)!

Greg enjoys his gelato in the Il Campo.

The back of the Duomo.

Front of the Duomo.  Wow!

Inside the Duomo.

Pisano's Pulpit built in 1268.

Piccolomini Library (located inside the Duomo).

Music books in Piccolomini Library - from the days when they had to be big so that many singers could read the music at the same time from a distance.   They were created by Benedictine monks.

Another shot inside the library.  You can see the music books lining the wall in the bottom of the picture.

Hmmm, where to next?

Heading back to the bus stop.

Siena is split into seventeen neighborhoods and each one has it's own mascot and colors.  They are very proud and display their flags everywhere.  Here is a flag in the "Duck" neighborhood.

On the bus back to Florence.  This has been a long week!

Leena works on her journal for school.

The following day, we had a few hours to kill before catching our plane.  So we spent the morning in the Florence leather market.  I got two purses!!  It was a great day!

Grabbing a quick snack and a great view of the Duomo before we leave Florence.