Day 16: San Quirico d'Orcia
A few words about the guest house where we are staying ....the Casa Camaldoli. It is just down the street from the main hotel and very nicely decorated but less luxurious than the Palazzo del Capitano. The rooms are good sized, bathrooms are fine with good water pressure and plenty of hot water and it is quiet--save for the San Quirico d'Orcia church bells. The roof terrace is a real plus and it is great to have the whole place to ourselves. And we get to take advantage of the hotel facilities (beautiful garden) and breakfast.......
Our Siena trip is delayed a bit due to oversleeping by part of the group but we get on the road by 10:30 am and arrive at the parking lot in Siena by 11:30. We park in the Campo lot which is about a 15 minute walk (partly uphill) to the main piazza in Siena. We are heading to the weekly market which I remember--only when we arrive at the empty Piazza Mercato in the "centro"--is actually held on top of the town near the Fortezza. The climb to the Fortezza is less strenuous than I had remembered and we hit the market (which is very, very big) while it is still in full swing.
But the group is less interested in shopping and browsing and more interested in finding the food section to have lunch.
The food area is at the far end of the market and, while not large, provides us with a chance to sample five different porchetta sandwiches, a roast chicken, some fried vegetables and some melons. The consensus is that the porchetta from the Grosseto truck is the best
and everyone enjoys the roast chicken as well. After a round of coffee, we want to go the big wine library inside the Fortezza and have a glass of wine while sitting on their terrace. Unfortunately, they have changed things around and the terrace is now closed to the public. But we take advantage of the bathroom facilities and sample a few glasses of wine from Molise, Piemonte and Tuscany before resuming our tour of Siena.
Back down to the center, our first stop is the Duomo, one of the largest and most elaborate in Italy. The facade is very distinctive with its striped stones, its intricate carvings and frescoes and the big rose window at the top.
The interior space is overwhelming....the entire floor is covered with illustrations of bible stories, the vast space is supported by sturdy columns and there are statues, frescoes and paintings everywhere--it is hard to figure out where to look first.
I was taken by this sort of whimsical detail from one of the floor panels.
My favorite part of the Siena Duomo is the Piccolomini Library with its wonderful, bright frescoes by Pinturicchio.....they look as if they were just finished last year.
Some of the group head for the top of "facciatone", a large freestanding wall which was supposed to be the back wall of the biggest duomo in Italy but was left incomplete when they ran out of money. Now there is a great view from the top.....but the rest of us opt for some refreshment at one of the many bars that ring the Campo.
After something to drink, four of us are ready to climb the Torre di Mangia which towers about the Campo and Siena.
Rain is threatening by now and we are told that if it rains, we can't climb but we start anyway. It is over 300 feet up (about 400 steps) inside the bell tower...but it is not too tight or claustrophobic. The view from the top is great but just as we get there, it begins to rain pretty hard and it is cold and windy. We take shelter as best we can until it lets up and we get to enjoy the views.
Back down on the ground, the group gathers to go back to San Quirico d'Orcia (after a gelato stop) but just before we get to the garage, it begins to pour again. We take shelter to wait it out but after about ten minutes--when it appears to be letting up--we make a run for it...and the heavens open up again. Everyone is pretty well soaked by the time we get to the garage and we head back immediately. (The rain stops just as we get to the garage....we needed to wait for five more minutes.)
Seth and I set out to find someplace to eat tonight......Il Tinaio is full again....and we take a nice walk around the new town. We discover a couple of informal places and also a nice small hotel with a pool. We decide to eat at another one of the newer places in the "centro storico". The place is called "La Piccheria" and, in addition to being casual and friendly, the food is very good....especially the "pici alla briciole"--thick spaghetti with a sauce of breadcrumbs, oil and garlic. The waitress is very friendly and enjoys joking with Seth. We also drink a very good Rosso di Montalcino. A very successful meal.....
After dinner, a few of the group head for the Bar Centrale for some more "foosball" but most of us head back to the hotel.
Tomorrow is a free day....no activities are scheduled.
Our Siena trip is delayed a bit due to oversleeping by part of the group but we get on the road by 10:30 am and arrive at the parking lot in Siena by 11:30. We park in the Campo lot which is about a 15 minute walk (partly uphill) to the main piazza in Siena. We are heading to the weekly market which I remember--only when we arrive at the empty Piazza Mercato in the "centro"--is actually held on top of the town near the Fortezza. The climb to the Fortezza is less strenuous than I had remembered and we hit the market (which is very, very big) while it is still in full swing.
But the group is less interested in shopping and browsing and more interested in finding the food section to have lunch.
The food area is at the far end of the market and, while not large, provides us with a chance to sample five different porchetta sandwiches, a roast chicken, some fried vegetables and some melons. The consensus is that the porchetta from the Grosseto truck is the best
and everyone enjoys the roast chicken as well. After a round of coffee, we want to go the big wine library inside the Fortezza and have a glass of wine while sitting on their terrace. Unfortunately, they have changed things around and the terrace is now closed to the public. But we take advantage of the bathroom facilities and sample a few glasses of wine from Molise, Piemonte and Tuscany before resuming our tour of Siena.
Back down to the center, our first stop is the Duomo, one of the largest and most elaborate in Italy. The facade is very distinctive with its striped stones, its intricate carvings and frescoes and the big rose window at the top.
The interior space is overwhelming....the entire floor is covered with illustrations of bible stories, the vast space is supported by sturdy columns and there are statues, frescoes and paintings everywhere--it is hard to figure out where to look first.
I was taken by this sort of whimsical detail from one of the floor panels.
My favorite part of the Siena Duomo is the Piccolomini Library with its wonderful, bright frescoes by Pinturicchio.....they look as if they were just finished last year.
Some of the group head for the top of "facciatone", a large freestanding wall which was supposed to be the back wall of the biggest duomo in Italy but was left incomplete when they ran out of money. Now there is a great view from the top.....but the rest of us opt for some refreshment at one of the many bars that ring the Campo.
After something to drink, four of us are ready to climb the Torre di Mangia which towers about the Campo and Siena.
Rain is threatening by now and we are told that if it rains, we can't climb but we start anyway. It is over 300 feet up (about 400 steps) inside the bell tower...but it is not too tight or claustrophobic. The view from the top is great but just as we get there, it begins to rain pretty hard and it is cold and windy. We take shelter as best we can until it lets up and we get to enjoy the views.
Back down on the ground, the group gathers to go back to San Quirico d'Orcia (after a gelato stop) but just before we get to the garage, it begins to pour again. We take shelter to wait it out but after about ten minutes--when it appears to be letting up--we make a run for it...and the heavens open up again. Everyone is pretty well soaked by the time we get to the garage and we head back immediately. (The rain stops just as we get to the garage....we needed to wait for five more minutes.)
Seth and I set out to find someplace to eat tonight......Il Tinaio is full again....and we take a nice walk around the new town. We discover a couple of informal places and also a nice small hotel with a pool. We decide to eat at another one of the newer places in the "centro storico". The place is called "La Piccheria" and, in addition to being casual and friendly, the food is very good....especially the "pici alla briciole"--thick spaghetti with a sauce of breadcrumbs, oil and garlic. The waitress is very friendly and enjoys joking with Seth. We also drink a very good Rosso di Montalcino. A very successful meal.....
After dinner, a few of the group head for the Bar Centrale for some more "foosball" but most of us head back to the hotel.
Tomorrow is a free day....no activities are scheduled.
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