Travel Weekend 1 (Part Uno): The Journey Begins

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Travel weekend numero uno. Where do I even begin? It was fast and furious. In just three and a half days, my dad and I covered hundreds of kilometers… and no small number of them was on foot! As I write this, we are sittingon a high-speed EuroStar train heading back north from Rome. Thank goodness!

I packed my bag on Wednesday night. My dad had Thursday morning to pack his bag (and learn how to use the little stove-top coffeepot in my apartment). After class I made a hasty reservation for a hotel, gathered my teaching stuff I needed to bring with me (e.g., students’ papers I still have to grade), and then swung by the apartment to pick up my dad and the luggage. From there, we stopped at Tabacchi Two for sandwiches, fresh fruit, and bottled water to take along on the train. Then we were off on our adventure! The first stop was Castelfranco Train Station to catch a train to Siena by way of Padova.

We began our marathon-plus-length walking weekend the moment we stepped off the train in Siena. Our hotel room was probably only several hundred meters away as the crow flies. However, as the Lucases walk, it was a kilometer or more of a steady uphill climb, dodging cars. We checked in (the room was lovely), dropped off our bags, and headed into the heart of Siena.

Siena is absolutely fantastic. It is a quaint walled city with a large campo in the center. We walked up and down the main corridor of the city, taking in the architectural sights. By nightfall, we found an outdoor restaurant with tables overlooking the campo. There we sipped some Chianti—we were in the Chianti Region of Italy, after all—and had a good meal. With our bellies full, we returned to the hotel for a decent night’s sleep.

The next morning, we were up and at ‘em early. In fact, we were up almost a couple hours before breakfast was going to be served. So we got dressed and headed back into Siena. We were nearly alone on the roads, save the street sweeps and a few locals. This trip, we found St. Catherine’s Sanctuary. As we were leaving, the bells started ringing. We meandered our way through the nearly silent streets and returned just in time for the start of the 7:30 breakfast.

Seeing as how there was still plenty of time before our train left at 12:16, we went back out for another walk around Siena to see some of the different streets we missed the first two times and others we hadn’t missed. We walked right up until 11 a.m. when we had to check out of the hotel. From there, it was off to the train station for the next leg of the journey.

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Photos

Leaving on a Big Train
Here we are waiting at the Castelfranco Veneto train station to start the first leg of the journey. My dad and I won't look quite so chipper by the end of the weekend.

The Outer Wall of Siena
Siena is an ancient walled city. To get into the heart of town you have to pass through this large arch. From there, it is a maze of shops and crisscrossing streets.

Our First "Real" Italian Meal
We ate outside on the edge of the Piazza del Campo. I had a very yummy traditional Tuscan bean soup. And we washed it down with some locally-produced Chianti.

Every Face Was Different
The top of this building was lined with busts. But the crazy thing about it is that each one was unique.

Piazzo del Campo
The Piazzo del Campo is the site of annual horse races. People fill the center campo (field) and horses race on the makeshift track around them. On this night, it was just diners.