Sunshine in Sienna

 


 


We woke up to a beautiful, sunny day!  Today our whole group wore the blue “David” socks that I had bought for everyone.  We had lots of fun posing for pictures with our matching socks. We left the hotel at 9:30 and travelled a short distance to the Castle of Monteriggioni. It is, of course, situated high up on a hill, with amazing views all around.  We took some time to explore the little shops and cafes within the castle wall before setting off on our hike.

Our hike was 4.25 km along the via Francigena.  This trail was used in the medieval times by Pilgrims that were making their way across Europe towards the Holy Land.  At one point in the hike we stood in a shady, treed area and listened to Laura explain to us the significance of these paths for the Pilgrims.

The walk was absolutely amazing!  We walked through some forested areas and also alongside fields where we could see the farmers at work.  All around the hills of Tuscany stood in the distance.  It was so peaceful and breathtaking! So far this was the best of the hikes with beautiful weather and not too difficult!

We hiked to the little village of Abbadia Isola, where our bus picked us up and transported us back to Siena.  We got back around 1:00 pm and had until 4:00 to eat, shop and relax.  

At 4:00 we regrouped for our guided city tour with our local guide, Brenda.  She walked us through the streets of Sienna, explaining the various sections of Siena, which are given the names of animals.  She explained the history of Siena and showed us the highlights.  

Then we visited the Cathedral, which is one of the most stunning cathedrals around.  Our guide toured us through the cathedral and she talked about the different areas of the church.  We wrapped up our guided tour in the Piazza del Campo, the city square.  The outer edges of the square contain shops and restaurants.  It is a place for people to meet and hang out and a wonderful place to “people watch”.  Our tour concluded at 6:00 and we all dispersed into small groups to enjoy the area and to have dinner.  It was a beautiful evening.  Most restaurants don’t serve dinner until 7:30 pm, which feels late for us!

Ciao!















 







































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