…Ingrid and I have just returned from a two week inter-continental vacation, the first week of which was spent in Italy with our friend Michael. He is teaching an Italian course in Siena and had an extra bedroom available, so we gladly took him up on his offer. We mostly spent our time in Siena, with day trips to Florence and San Gimignano…over 1100 pictures and many fantastic meals later- here is a summary of what we did and what we ate:
First stop- gelato!
Michael’s apartment was right next to the Duomo in Siena- a one minute walk around the corner brought us right to the front door of the building.
The Duomo’s bell tower.
Inside of the Duomo- it was Palio week in Siena; the flags each represent one of Siena’s contradas (neighborhoods).
I (Josh) was rooting for Istrice (Porcupine)…
Ingrid was rooting for Drago (Dragon)…
The ceiling of the Duomo’s library.
Adornment on a building in Siena.
The view of Siena from the unfinished wall of the Duomo.
Sunlight filtering down on the Duomo.
Pizza and beer- Italian style!
One of the contradas heading to the Duomo for flag-tossing practice.
A marker in the Duomo’s outside wall across from our bedroom window.
Inside the Duomo’s Baptistry.
The Baptistry ceiling.
For lunch on Sunday we ate at Osteria La Chiacchera.
The antipasto plate.
…pasta.
Ribollita.
…a poster promoting the Palio.
Istrice emblem on the Istrice headquarters.
Cured meats for dinner…
The view of the Duomo from Michael’s window.
Fresh fruit from one of the neighborhood markets.
On Moday, we took the bus to San Gimignano- another Tuscan medieval hilltown. The town is fortified by an encompassing wall and at one time had over 70 towers rising from the town’s center. Fourteen of the towers remain.
The view from within the fortress at the edge of the town.
Some provisions for lunch.
The view from the tallest tower.
…the view in the other direction.
…an aerial view of the fortress.
…the view from our bedroom window looking down the street in Siena on Monday night.
We capped off our first couple if days in Siena with an exquisite meal at Il Canto located in a hotel that was once a monastery built in the 1300′s. We arrived early and we were treated to a short tour of the grounds and we had some drinks on the back terrace overlooking the sun setting on Siena. Unfortunately, we didn’t bring our camera but even with pictures, the setting wouldn’t translate. After relaxing on the terrace, we were brought to our table under the stars on the patio of the hotel. We chose to do the tasting menu- what then ensued was an absolutely transcendent meal which mixed the modern with some of the traditional Tuscan favorites. The meal included salad (which we ate by hand and brought back to mind an early Thursday night meal when Michael impersonated a koala bear), snails in a pesto-type sauce, rock fish which was incredible (everything really was), clams with a white tea infusion, risotto with “slices” of browned butter and olive oil and a bowlful of desserts. Michael, speaking flawless Italian guided us through the menu and somehow got us into the kitchen to meet the chef who presented us with autographed menus of our meal!
-Josh
