Blogs from Siena, Tuscany, Italy, Europe - page 11

Advertisement

Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena January 13th 2010

Before driving back to Milan, Dad and I spent our last day in Tuscany in the beautiful little hilltop town of Siena. It was truly charming. We had some of our very best pizza and gelatto of the trip there. Overall, it was crazy but great week. Tuscany especially is a magical place, and there is just so much to explore that I know I will need to make more trips back. Tuscany 2010 anyone??!?... read more
Siena!
Photo 3
Photo 4

Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena January 1st 2010

Now I know “Now I know why God spared me from all of the stupid things I’ve done in my life,” I wrote in my journal. “So that he could show me Tuscany.” Take your most idealistic image of natural beauty, and max it out. Then paint it all over the countryside for miles and miles. That’s Tuscany, in a nutshell. It even says everywhere, “The most beautiful region in Italy.” That it may well be. It was on this incredible drive that I began to notice my declining fuel efficiency and pay very close attention to the performance of my bike. I would investigate this further when I reached Rome. As my awareness of the mechanics of my Vespa increased, I wrote the following about my respect for that which I could rely on: I’ve ... read more
tuscan5
Cathedral
dude

Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena November 30th 2009

Hi everyone, It has been so busy over here that I have not had a moment to write about my adventures. Last I left you I was headed on my mid-semester break to Ireland. It was a great time! My friend Mary and I traveled throughout Ireland together. It was her first time there and my third…but I love it every time I go. We stayed with Uncle Phil and Aunt Rita while in Dublin. They were great we felt right at home. After we headed to Galway to see Mary’s friend; it was very rainy but a great time none the less…We cooked and dyed our hair and had some great “crack.” After Galway I headed down to Limerick to spend a few days with Kim and Erin!! It was so nice seeing friends from ... read more

Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena November 20th 2009

Our final week at Le Sorgenti was a relaxing one, we had some tasks to take care of which we mainly did in the mornings so that our afternoons could be spent exploring the countryside around the farm. Our main job that week was to continue clearing some thorny brush and we succeeded in making a huge pile for burning, it was roughly 4m wide and 3m tall. The last night before Costel left for Romania we made a gargantuan pot of vegetable stew. Costel gave us complements on the stew although we knew he would have liked it better with some Carne(meat). The stew was so massive that we ate some for either lunch or dinner for 5 days straight. James had to finish it off in the end with three bowls; Emily could ... read more
Pretty Picnic
Swiggin
Secluded casa

Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena November 2nd 2009

We took the Rama bus from Florence to Paganico, a small village half way between Siena and Grosseto in the region of Tuscany. We were picked up at the bus stop by Antonio, the owner of the farm and a carload of his friends. As we traveled towards the farm, we stopped at a pizzeria for an aperitivo, a pre-dinner drink, and picked up some pizzas to go. Arriving at the farm some minutes later, we were graciously welcomed and slightly overwhelmed by 20 or so of Antonio’s family and friends that had been in town that weekend to celebrate the beginning of the olive harvest. With very few people speaking English, we tried to keep up with all the conversations. We were helped out by some of the younger family members who learned English ... read more
Happiness
Color changes
Strike a pose

Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena October 12th 2009

Hi Everyone, I am so sorry it has been so long since I have last updated you, but things have been quite busy over here. It has been one month since I arrived in Italy and it has flown, yet I feel like I have done so much at the same time; not to mention that it feels like ages since I have seen everyone. I hope that my pictures made up for my not writing a lot here. It is easier to put pictures up sometimes than to sit and write about everything. I am still having the most amazing time. Everyday I look around and I am amazed that I am living in Italy. I am very grateful to have this experience and I am trying to make the absolute most of it all ... read more

Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena October 9th 2009

Friday 9th October Sightseeing in Siena The big advantage by staying out in the countryside is that there are no traffic or people noises to awake you and so the body tends to carry on sleeping until it has enough.This morning that didn’t happen until nearly 8am meaning we had had about 10 hours sleep!!Ah,the Tuscan countryside!! The sky has an overcast look about it this morning although there are also gaps of blue with the sun coming through.The temperature is a little cooler than yesterday and it looks like there will be a change in the weather sometime today.Not having the internet is a pain as it is handy even just to check what the weather ahead is going to be. The plan today is to visit Siena and then San Gimignano on the way ... read more
Tower in the main square
Square where the horse races are held
Narrow streets are the order of the day in Siena

Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena September 24th 2009

Though it could barely be called a tour as we only went to ONE winery! (And sadly all we tasted was reds until I requested a white). Thea (a 19yr old from Melbourne who happened to be checking into my hostel at the same time as me) and I decided to do the Brunello Grand Tour for only 35 euro's. We spent the first part of the trip at the Montalchino winery where the owner Mario took a different woman on his arm for each part of the tour. (I was the last and the youngest! Lol) Personally I really didn't like the wine much (and neither did the two Irish friends sitting across from me and they LIKE red wine!) But the four of us had a grand old time writing little notes in our ... read more
Tuscany
Tuscany 2
Siena

Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena September 16th 2009

Hey everyone! I can't believe that I have been here for two weeks. I feel like it has been forever, yet at the same time I feel like I was just in America. Things here are still great. Food's great; people are great; sights are great. Tutti bene! It's all good! This past week has been non stop Italian boot camp. Everyday we have about five hours of Italian. My teacher is very very sweet. Her name is Fiora and is extremely patient and willing to explain things over and over again. It can be frustrating learning a new language, and at times it is overwhelming. We taking learning a language from birth for granted. There are so many aspects of a language that I just don’t think about. For me the most frustrating part is ... read more

Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena September 16th 2009

Day 514 Steps 24323 (7/9/09) We meandered into the Medieval old city, a maze of piazza's, cobblestone streets and alleyways, gourmet shops selling cheese, cured meats and Chianti wine. First stop was the Piazza del campo, home to the horse race that stops... well Tuscany. Ten horses (each representing their region), bareback, complete three laps of the piazza taking little over a minute, the only rule you mustn't pull on another horses reins but its fine if the horse finishes without its rider. Shattered to have missed the race by only a couple weeks we soaked up the piazza's atmosphere in the sun. We created our own gourmet picnic lunch complete with a tiny bottle of Chiani. After taking a look at the Happy fountain and extravagant Town Building, we made our way to the gothic ... read more
Frescos of the cathedral
Piazza del Campo
Siena Cathedral




Tot: 0.126s; Tpl: 0.006s; cc: 6; qc: 76; dbt: 0.0746s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.2mb