Wednesday 26th in Siena

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Breakfast at the flat on this chilly morning. What a difference one day makes. We walked to the Opera dell Duomo museum which is known for the altar piece but for little else other than the panoramic views from the partially finished apse that was stopped being built by the 1348 plague when two thirds of the population died. The plan, as can be easily seen, was to build a church that would rival St Peter’s. We also took in the Baptistery which was build on the side of the hill below the duomo’s high altar. Quality of the sacred font was beautiful, including Ghiberti’s Baptism of Chirst and Donatello’s Feast of Herod.

Afterwards we met up with our dear friend Rosella who lives in Bastia and settled in for a long lunch at Archivio Del Gusto near the Duomo, enjoying catching up on all the people we know in common. Rosella has been a close friend for over a quarter of a century, with Peggy and John visiting her in Umbria and Rosella coming to California to stay with us. The ristorante was terrific with Rosella and Peggy ordering the linguini with lobster and John trying another chinghale dish. Everything, and the service, was terrific. We all continued our conversation and catching up at the flat for hours, enjoying the view as the light faded over the Campo. Glad to be together.

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