Italy 45 - Siena

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Another very hot and stuffy night. We woke early having bought our bus tickets to Siena for the princely sum of 2 euros 40 return. We were advised that the bus stop was just outside the camp shop and that the bus would come into the campsite at 8.47 and pick up passengers. Being used to buses at home we did not expect the bus to come at that time however to our surprise at exactly 8.47 , not a minute sooner nor a minute later the bus turned up. It was full and we had to stand throughout the 30 minute journey into Siena. After much careering round corners we arrived at Siena bus station and what excellent value the bus fare turned out to be.

Siena never fails to impress. We have both been before but still love the shops, the medieval houses and the palazzos. All impress and lead to the Campo which is the most beautiful space in all of Italy.

We sat in one of the small cafes which line the campo and drank coffees admiring the buildings all round us. The square at this time of the morning was relatively empty but did fill up when the American tourists came into town. It also filled with students. We sat in the shadow of the belltower the Torre Mangia. We moved ourselves as the sun moved. The beauty of the tower is that it acts as a sunshade and if you move with the sun you can remain in the shade for most parts of the day. Had our first gelato of the day as usual vanilla and limone. And bought another fridge magnet to remind us of our stay.

We did not want to go up the campanile as we had been before nor did we want to queue for tickets for the duomo but it was lovely to stand outside both and admire them. We decided to to go instead around the set of walls which protected the city for so long. The walls are punctuated by gates and we walked to three of them. In the heat it was hard going mainly uphill.

After our walk around the walls we stopped for dinner at La Birreria where we had stopped for a coffee earlier in the morning. Lunch comprised of a refreshing Lemon Soda, Maiali Farcito which was pork sliced thinly and filled with a thin line of spinach and egg and gnocci in olive oil with tomatoes and pesto. With coperto (the service charge ) of 3 euros we were paying for the view. It is a bit like having a meal on St Marks in Venice or in the main campo in Florence you pay for the privilege.

After lunch we searched out the back streets for a new bag . I had bought one in Venice some years ago and wanted to buy a new one in a different colour. We struggled and found only designer shops with very expensive handbags or stalls selling fake Gucci bags. In the end we found a little shop full of inexpensive leather pouch style bags and I was now the proud owner of a little blue bag. Of course like buses when you wait for one none come along but then later they all turn up together and so it was with the bag shops. When we found one we walked a little down the street and found half a dozen more.

By this time it was mid afternoon and we had to wait for our return bus which didn’t leave until 3.55. We had two hours to spare and the legs were beginning to ache and the ankles swell in the heat . More cold drinks in cafes followed and we people watched for a while. We walked to St Catherines Sanctuary and hole in the wall. No we were not looking for an ATM St Catherine was both the patron saint of Siena and also the whole of Italy and this was her chapel and sanctuary. The chapel wasn’t much and the sanctuary a hole covered with a grill beneath the main altar.

After this we headed for the park where we could sit in the shade and watch the world go by. Choosing a bench beneath a tree we watched some Italian workers trying to put up a stage. They started out with 10 men and this swelled to 15 as the staging arrived and they proceeded to take the scaffolding poles off their van. All the parts seemed to be there but they lacked the wherewithal to put them together at home. There was no sign of hard work nor enthusiasm, some stood with hands in pockets, others smoking, one on his mobile phone and another juggling stones or bottles as if he were a bartender. A touch of scratching the anatomy also took place until another van arrived. From this descended an older man nearing retirement age. He seemed to take charge and the situation improved rapidly as he ordered the young lads about, stopped them messing and told them what to do and how to do it. The staging went up bit by bit. It was rather unfortunate at this point that we had to leave as our bus had arrived.

We got a seat on the way home which meant a much more pleasant return to our campsite. In the evening guitar man strummed again but this time quieter than last night so we never worked out if he had mastered a couple more chords. Another visit to the shop which had less in it than last night and we guess that we are reaching the end of the Italian camping season and things are beginning to run down. What a shame as the weather is good and campsites could stay open a lot longer judging by the amount of campers out and about.

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Photos

Siena
One of the gateways to the city

Siena
one of the contrada banners used in the Palio

Siena
My lunch in the campo