Siena: November 15th – 17th

Siena – the amazing hill town where Ben’s older brother, Nick, studied for a few months as a senior at the University of Washington. We arrived early afternoon and took the bus to the outskirts of the city where our hostel was located (the only hostel in Siena too!) After checking in, we headed back down to the city center.

Once we arrived in Centro, we walked to Il Campo, a large shell-shaped piazza. Each year, on the 2nd of July and the 16th of August, the Palio horse races take place in this famous square. What a great spectacle that would be! After taking several pictures at Il Campo, we walked to the Duomo di Siena. It dominates the square with its covering of white-black marble and its Romanesque-Gothic façade. The building is decorated with statues of kings and prophets. Even the inside is a masterpiece! The floors, walls and ceilings are covered with colorful marble and the top is lined with the faces of different Popes throughout history. We really enjoyed walking through this beautiful hill town. Liya loved all the colorful shutters on the windows, the narrow and steep roads, the flowers on the window sills, and the network of colorful clothes hanging to dry from building to building.

For dinner, we enjoyed a Happy Hour (drink and buffet) at Nannini, a popular bar and bakery in town. We had a large glass of Chianti – perfecto! From the buffet, we enjoyed traditional Italian and Sienese dishes. The following were offered: Seafood mixed in vinegar and olive oil; Sautéed zucchini and mushrooms and drenched in olive oil; Proschetto-stuffed croissant rolls; Salmon and salty-cod served with large mushrooms; Coleslaw Italian-style; Pork tenderloin; Omelet; roasted red and yellow peppers with mushrooms, also drenched in olive oil. We definitely got our money’s worth- we were stuffed silly by the end of the night! This amazing HH was only 5.50 euro each! To close our stomachs (dessert) we had a couple pieces of the traditional panforte at Nannini – imagine a supped-up version of fruit cake. The original one (candied fruits, honey, almonds) had very good flavor and a chewy consistency, while the chocolate and nuts version was lacking a bit. Either would be wonderful with a good cup of tea.

Our second day in Siena was dedicated to experiencing more of Il Centro. We began our day at Nannini with a sweet brioche and a cappuccino. From there we simply wandered the streets of Siena, getting lost, then found and repeating that process. One of our highlights of the day was at a wine shop near Il Campo. The older gentleman that owned and operated this good-sized shop was friendly and welcoming. He introduced us to three of the traditional wines of the local Tuscan region – Chianti, Montepulciano, and Brunello di Montelcino. Tastings included a great Chianti Reserva and a full bodied Montepulchiano. He must have been saving the Brunello (the primo of the three) for that night’s supper or the next holiday. We also had the opportunity to taste freshly pressed olive oil from this year’s harvest – Wow! Talk about knock one of your socks off. The flavor was intense and made the bottles used at home seem like child’s play. Then came the fancy basalmic vinegar, another Chianti, and to finish….drum roll please…lemoncello! Liya’s first taste of Italy’s infamous lemon liqueur went as follows: puckered lips, open mouth to let the heat out (60 proof), and then it was all smiles. This stuff will easily knock the other sock off!

We had a late lunch at a tiny place nearby that had hand-written menus on old pieces of paper. La Chaccherio served local dishes to the locals themselves. Some vini rossi opened up our stomachs for the fresh pici with mushroom sauce (Liya’s choice), and the fresh farfalle with a squash sauce (Ben’s choice). Both dishes were light and pretty good. We enjoyed using our Spanish again with the couple from Madrid that joined us at our round table of four. We walked off our lunch and saw more of the hill town and the surrounds views it had to offer.

While our supermarket dinner was nothing fancy, it was definitely very tasty. A fresh baguette provided the foundation for fresh ricotta cheese, two local pecorino cheese, fresh pesto, fresh vine ripened tomatoes, and prosciutto. We also ordered a small wood oven pizza to share from a local and very popular pizzeria down the street. Ben said he would be satisfied with this flavorful meal any day of the week – Liya added gelato to complete our menu.

A good night of rest prepared us for the exciting days to come. Our next destination was one of high importance to visit from the beginning of our European adventure.

Cross it off of the list – we made it to Cinque Terre!