Blogs from Siena, Tuscany, Italy, Europe - page 18

On our way to Siena we stopped off in a small town called Overto which was positioned high on top of a cliff top. There was a beautiful church there made out of green and white marble. We had a small snack and a walk around the cute little town. I was surprised to see a Lord of the Rings plate in one of the shops. Got back on the bus on our way to Siena, I love driving through Italy with all the beautiful sun flowers and undulating fields. Looking around could both see why Siena may be called Siena, all the buildings are the colour of burnt Siena. There are lovely streets which are enchanting and still have Medieval markings all over the walls, we think some were there to hold up torches along ... read more

Sienassa mieli lepää, jopa festareiden keskellä! Kun astuimme Toscanan maaperälle ilmastoidusta junasta juuri keskipäivän tienoilla oli Bergamossa kokemamme kuumuus naurettavaa.. Olo oli kuin rätillä hanan alla. Sienan rautatieasema ei ole lähelläkää keskustaa vaan joku 3km sielt, mutta samalla todella lähellä hostelliamme.. Välissä oli kuitenkin yksi maailman kuuluista "toscanalaisista kukkuloista", joten kävely ei helteellä tullut kuuloonkaan. (kts. Video kukkulasta ja paikallisist pääskytansseista..) harhailimme aseman vieressä olevassa ostoskeskuksessa rinkkoinemme ja juuri kun luulimme lähtevämme keskustaan bussilla aseman edestä saimmekin tietää sen olevan tulossa keskustasta.... Nooh takas ostariin ja sen kellariin, josta lähtee bussit keskustan suuntaan. Puuh. Löysimme hostellimme vaivattomasti sillä se oli hyvin lähellä Porta Camolliaa, vanhan Sienan historiallista poh... read more

In Carrera we toured two marble mines, one open pit and one below ground, with an old mining museum and a couple of shops that sold marble fashioned into beautiful objects including two pedestals I would have loved to take home with me. The price was very reasonable if only we didn't have to pay for shipping and duty! The marble from these mines has influenced construction and culture of the region since Roman times. Many of the cathedrals and monuments are built with the white-grey marble, including the statue of David that we hope to see in Florence. We drove on to Lucca, found a hotel there and spent the following day walking around the old town with an audio guide. I had never heard of the place before but it is certainly worth a ... read more

Since we saw what we wanted to in Florence, we decided to use our last day there to take a day trip. Neil and Amy headed to Pisa, while I decided to see if I could get to both Siena and San Gimignano in a day. It was a day of transportation challenges. The first thing Neil and Amy encountered was a rail strike. Since service was severely reduced, they had to wait hours for a train to Pisa that wasn't canceled, and when one did show up, it was jam packed with other people who had also been waiting around for hours. I took the bus. Not because I was trying to avoid the rail strike we were only vaguely aware of, but because there is no rail line to San Gimignano. I had it ... read more

May is a lovely time to visit Italy,the sun is shining and the spring flowers coming out. Umbertide didnt prove a pleasant place. There was a medieval heart to the small town although this wasnt easy to find. The town had been obliterated by bombs during the 2nd World War. We sat over breakfast thinking about what we wanted to do during the week. Places to see and things to do were divided into what was important and urgent, what was important but not urgent and the rest which feel into the not urgent and not important. The last things would be visited the second week. Siena was our first destination and was our most urgent and most important destination. Parking was easy below the town but it left us a long walk uphill to the ... read more