Sunday, our final day in Italy, we visited Siena, an hour away by bus from Florence, and home to one of the most beautiful cathedrals, a pretty gothic quarter, and just outside the city, the rolling vineyards of Tuscany.
We took a tram to the bus station. We were going to take a 7:45 bus, but flixbus booted us off, which was a blessing…we walked 10 min to the tram then rode 30 min to take the 9 am bus on the first day of daylight savings time here in Italy.
On arrival we walked to the old town, about 40 min ( mostly flat if you don’t count all the escalators up necessary to reach the street).
We walked through massive old walls till we reached the city, wand we ed around, then through a museum to the panoramic view on 2 levels. The second level was reached via a narrow tight spiral staircase. I was dizzy by the time we reached the top but the views of the Duomo, city and field beyond was worth it!
We had a 2:30 entry into the church, and since it was a very cold, breezy day, so we found a cafe for lunch, and lingered. I had a bad cold which peaked yesterday, so just rested while the others ate.
The church’s exterior was beautiful with a Gothic facade and a Romanesque marble white and black striped exterior. The lower facade, structural layout, and striped stonework are Romanesque, while the upper facade, pointed arches, and intricate exterior sculptures are French Gothic style. The interior was striking and beautiful. Some of the greatest sculptors of all time, including Michelangelo, Bernini, Pisano and Donatello worked for the Siena Cathedral. The painted floors had just been uncovered for Easter week, the pillars were black and white striped marble, the organs grand and elegant, and there were many sculptures around the ceiling and throughout the interior.
The floor mural depicting the “massacre of the innocents” (Mathew 2.16-18) was striking, terrifying and sad. Below is just one part of it (a massive tour group entered just as I was finishing viewing it).
We were finished around 3pm (we entered at 2:20) and tried to get a 4pm bus but it was full, even though 4 spots showed up on the website ( which kept refusing payment… flixbus has a poor website). So we hung out at the mall across the street, visited the large grocery store, and took the 6 pm bus back.
We all had 6:30 am flights this morning so it was a 3 am wake up, the taxi arrived on time, and we are all on flights to our next destinations. It was a nice trip to Italy!
Among the things I will remember:
- Phoenician steps in Capri ( over 1000)
- Google Maps giving directions (20 minutes, mostly flat with “some” stairs.. and then there being 20 flights of stairs right off the bat)
- The size of Pompei, the sadness of the dead, the impressive massive villas, plumbing, organization.
- Train travel, lack of big bag storage thereon, and how easy it was in general (and to allow enough time to transfer with luggage…or even without…5 min is never enough time!
- The beauty of Venice and Burano, the water buses, canals, picturesque vistas at every turn, the leaning tower of Burano
- History everywhere in Rome and massive amounts of walking
- Endless religious paintings and sculptures in every museum, mostly of the Virgin Mary and Jesus as a child or the Annunciation; also many many Roman gods.
- Focaccia..especially in Cinque Terre (Liguria); Naples pizzas
- Italy uses 3 prong plugs mostly.. note to self…European plugs were hit and miss.
- Endless leather shops in Rome and Florence
- Our tour of Doges Palace in Venice.. in Italian (oops).
- Cinque Terre hiking…narrow trails, beautiful views.
- Lots of stairs, 10s of thousands of steps every day
- Crowds even in the “off season” especially in Florence and Rome (no offseason I think there).
- The kindness and helpfulness of the Italian people
- The number of Americans..especially in Rome and Florence
- Siena…not so crowded as Florence but equally lovely