Disneyland By Day....Magic By Night

---

I nearly had a nervous breakdown upon arrival in Siena. Hordes of tourists all marching lock step down the main drag towards Il Campo, the center square. Siena is completely worthless as a day trip. You might as well watch The Rick do a special on it instead.

Then the sun goes down..........

Siena is absolute magic at night. It has the single best urban spot to drink a glass/bottle of wine that I have ever been to in the world. Il Campo, according to The Rick, is the single finest piazza in all of Italy. Rick, I have to say, I like your style. At night, travelers and locals come and buy a bottle of Morretti or a bottle of Chianti Classico and sit and chat in Il Campo. Unlike Florence, it is easy to find a place to buy a bottle of wine and a relaxing place without all the tour groups.

The food in Siena was equal to our other stops. Our favorite restaurant, Il Carroccio, is endorsed by what's called The Slow Food Movement . This movement is meant to combate the erosion of traditional customs by the modern world. Traditionally, lunch is the big meal in Italy where families meet and take 2-3 hours to eat. obviously, businesses are becoming less and less likely to give employees 3 hour lunch breaks, so the big meal of the day has become dinner. The Slow Food Movement recommends restaurants that still take the time to make dishes that take all day to cook. They also look for restaurnats that encourage customers to take their time with dinner, sometimes 2 to 3 hours. It's a multi-course affair where the food and the conversation are equal. My 1st course was a white lasagna that was the best I've had in Italy(I've had it at least 5 different times). It had fresh Pasta with simple fresh flavors and a light sauce that bore little resemblance the heavy alfredo sauce Americans have become so familar. The second course was even more memorable- a stew of roasted pork with a strong taste of fennel seed I believe. It was certaintly the kind of a dish I could easily picture an Italian Grandma hovering over the stove for hours meticoulously stiring clockwise with her wooden spoon. I remember getting really irritated when we asked for our bill and it took a good 25 minutes before it arrived. In fact, I even wrote in my notebook during the wait Apparently, The Slow Food movement means you have to wait 30 minutes for your check . In hindsight, I realize how silly it was to become so irritated. I had the mindsight of an American diner at an American restaurant. It wasn't until a week or so later that I realize i had no reason to be in a hurry. After all, I am homeless and jobless there isn't a whole lot for which I can claim to be late. Europeans will never bring your bill unless you ask; to them, it is rude to bring someone the bill. The last thing they want you to feel like is that you should be in a hurry.
Amen

---

Photos

Dummers
We were lucky enough to be in Siena on the Summer Solstice when the town is up all night listening to various local musical acts. There were about 23 acts in all spread out throught the town. We loved the drummers who marched all around town with a huge crowd following.

Bidet
This is what happens when an American tries to joke around with the bidet!