I started the weekend by catching a train on Thursday night to visit my friend Emily (from college youth group) who's studying abroad in Florence. Emily was the BEST hostess, and I'm so glad I was able to visit her and see so much of the beautiful Florence! After dropping my stuff off at her apartment Thursday night, we set out to see some of the city at night. We were busy chatting and catching up when we rounded a corner and BAM, got a glimpse of this guy:
The Duomo!
Roaming around Florence.
Next up was lunch - waffles & gelato, of course! Whoever came up with that idea is a genius. We wandered through the city and, even in the rain, everything was so charming. Emily had discovered an amazing spot on the top of the mountainside a few weeks ago with her roomies, so we took a bus for a half an hour straight up the mountainside and were dropped off in a tiny town. She led the way up a very tiny (and VERTICAL) cobblestone street, and we climbed up until we reached the top and were blown away by the view of Florence and Tuscany. It felt like we were standing on top of the world. We could see every direction for miles, the busy city in the middle, and the rolling lush landscapes of the countryside all around. The best part was that there wasn't a tourist in site, so Emily had literally discovered her own secret spot!
Even in the rain, this place was incredible.
Enjoying our amazing view of Tuscany!
(In case you were curious what gelato on a waffle looked like.)
I then took a train further south to meet my friends from Torino in Siena! I met Molly, Becca, and Amy at our Bed & Breakfast on Saturday morning and threw my stuff in the room before we headed out to explore the medieval city. Siena is an amazing and very hill-y city that makes you feel like you're either back in the 1700's, or in a movie with gladiators. I LOVED it. Our first stop was the Opera Museum where we saw some pretty paintings that looked very famous (given that people were oohing and ahhing over them), but my favorite part was climbing the (almost deathly) six story winding staircase in the castle wall to see the view of the city from the roof. (I haven't mentioned it yet, but this entire weekend was full of rain, rain, wind, and LOTS of rain.) Luckily no one blew off the roof at the top, but it was a close call. The sun decided to come out for a few minutes so we were treated to some nice views and even a rainbow! Win.
Panoramic view on the Duomo Nuovo.
We then ventured to the Crypt beneath the Cathedral (fully frescoed underground rooms that had remained hidden for seven centuries!), the Baptistery, and finally, the Cathedral of Siena, which was a total masterpiece. I've seen more churches in the last few months than I have in my entire life, and the Cathedral in Siena blew them all out of the water. My favorite thing to do in each church we venture into (and the current count is between 30 and 200, I lost track) is to marvel at the intricate details like the stained glass, marble, and sculptures, and to say a small prayer for something I'm thinking about. The churches in Italy are some of the most spiritual places I've ever been to in my life and I'm feeling so blessed to get to experience such holy places.
The Cathedral of Siena!
Wandering the streets!
Siena is most famous for their Palio di Siena, aka their annual horse races around Piazza del Campo. There are 17 communities (called Contrade) that compete, and the city is decked out in flags from each of the the contrades. The crazy thing is that the small track around Piazza del Campo is NOT even ground, and even with added dirt, there are sudden steep points and rough corners, so it's really dangerous for the horses. But that makes it all the more entertaining for them, and I can't imagine how packed the city is during that time! This is Piazza del Campo:
Imagine horses running around that at full speed!
On Sunday, we decided to head to Montalcino for their annual "Festival of the Thrush" that Molly had heard about. Unfortunately, the only bus leaving from Siena to Montalcino was at 7am, so I had a very early morning round two. The hour-and-fifteen minute bus ride through the weaving Tuscan roads was an adventure in itself. We drove for miles along the lush green hillsides, past vineyards, horses and the occasional farmhouse or villa. We finally arrived in Montalcino before most of the town had even woken up, but preparations for the festival were already under way as people in 18th century costumes ran between houses getting ready and drummers practiced in their courtyards. We were immediately shocked by how FREEZING cold it was, and the wind chill factor was about 700. First stop was to the top of the town where we ducked into a tiny cafe for breakfast. We immediately met the coolest retired couple traveling through Italy and spent almost an hour talking to them. We were so drawn to how well-traveled and ambitious they were, full of great advice and great stories. They were renting a small cottage out of town, and had spent a month driving all over Italy exploring castles and small villages. Out of all the advice they gave us, from the best places to see in London to where to stay in Switzerland, they mentioned that saving 10% of their income every year was the key to their success. (We decided afterwards that they must have been doctors or something because half a dozen cruises a year and excursions abroad aren't the norm. I wish.)
Second cafe stop.. best hot chocolate in town!
Montalcino is made up of four districts: Borghetto (red & white), Pianello (white & blue), Ruga (yellow & blue), and Travaglio (red & yellow). This festival was their once-a-year rivalry showdown where they hold an archery competition and show off their community pride. The rivalry between communities this weekend was a BIG DEAL, and each community showcased their own flag, colors, shirts, and special food dishes & wines for sale. There were also chants and cheers and lots of competition between the routy young people leading up to the parade and archery competition.
Amy, Molly, Becca
Dancing!
At the end of the procession, there were huge tents set up where each community sold unique foods and their prized wines. By now it was close to noon, so we enjoyed trying some home-cooked food and watching the increasing drunkenness of all the townspeople + tourists. Molly, Becca, Amy and I had to keep running into cafes to keep warm (and totalled about 4 hot chocolates that day.) The parade finally began at 3pm, and it was so much fun to see the decked out costumes, music and dancing that progressed through the streets of the town. By now hundreds of people had arrived in the town and followed the end of the parade to the archery fields where the best archers from each of the four communities competed!
So decked out!
We didn't actually get to see the archery competition because we didn't want to pay for a ticket, but by now we had been there for 8 hours and were complete exhausted. We found a warm restaurant and were able to regain consciousness from the freezing cold. We still had a few more hours, til 6:30pm, before the one lone bus going back to Siena would pick us up. So, we spent the time venturing between stores, until we had literally been up every street, in every store, and almost every cafe, in the entire town of Molticino. We also wandered down some roads until we had an amazing view of Tuscany below!
When it finally hit 5ish, the sun was beginning to set and we were too coffee-d out for another cafe, so we walked up to the huge castle on the hill and into the cute Enoteca built into it. I wasn't really paying attention but somehow Molly sweet talked the bartender into letting us go to the rooftop terrace without having to pay for a ticket, (since they were about to close anyway.) This bartender turned out to be so sweet, and led us to the very top of the fortress himself (up pitch black staircases), to a beautiful view of the city illuminated at night. At the top, the wind was so strong I had to grip onto the stone walls for dear life, but the view was definitely worth it.
View from the fortress.
We made it home to Siena in one piece and passed out from exhaustion. One of the most fun days of my life! Unfortunately, I faced early morning #3 on Sunday when I woke up at 4am and called a cab to the train station for my six-hour + three-stop train ride home (Becca, Molly and Amy got to stay another day since they don't have class Mondays.) With little time to spare, I made it to Italian class by 2:30 and had to stay at school until 6 for my Operations class until 8:30. Needless to say, I was a tinsy bit tired and am currently in denial about the fact that I'm getting a really bad cold.
Sunrise at the train station, goooood morning.
Speaking of being cold it's time for my third tea of the night!
xo
