Eric's favorite Italy town - Siena

Siena * Il Campo * Civic tower climb * Civic Museum * Il duomo * Santa Maria Museum (Old hospital) * San Dominica Church

4.0 miles walking

We had a nice afternoon visit to Siena today, a city about 1:15 minutes from Volterra.  Gratefully there were very clear signs to the Soccer stadium where we easily found a parking spot (always the first adventure when arriving at a new city).  Siena is Eric's favorite city and I'd have to agree it's very charming.  The streets wind and twist and at one point today while wandering we literally walked in a circle.  There are so many hills in the "hill town" that the church didn't fit on the hill and they had to put the baptistery underneath to support it.

The Duomo (church) is black and white striped inside and out.  It has beautiful floor panels with inlaid red and yellow marble, a product of Siena.  Inside we saw the apostle Paul sculpted by Micehlangelo and John the Baptist by Donatello.  It's fun to see art all over Italy by these famous artists.

There were two highlights for the kids today - First, climbing the Bell tower which was tight and steep.  It gave us all a bit of vertigo, especially looking down the center shaft when we were at the top.  The roof line views of Siena are beautiful (although not as beautiful as Florence).  The second highlight was creepy - visiting San Dominica church which houses the head and finger of Saint Catherine.  The patron Saint of Siena.  Charlie had to go back for a second look before leaving - creepy.

The kids voted no pasta for dinner tonight - lucky for us the grocery story near us had a nice deli, so we bought a roasted chicken and roasted potatoes and then I made a fresh caprese salad with awesome tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil!  Yum.  Italy is the best country to feed a family - I don't know what we are going to do in France.  I only know how to make crepes.

Santa Maria Museum - basement floor

SIena Duomo

Vies from the Bell Tower - Civic Center

Lunching on the Campo

Tuscan countryside

Aaah - the Beach!

Volterra*Beach (Marina di Bibbona)

Today was our take it easy and relax day.  Eric made French toast with strawberries, Nutella, and powdered sugar for toppings and then we were off to the beach.  We found a little town called Marina di Bibbona just south of Cecina.  The beaches were sandy with no crowds and we got a parking spot 100m from the beach (look - I'm starting to measure things in meters now).  The weather was perfect, overcast with a nice breeze so we were able to sit on the beach and read our books and we didn't cook.  The kids played in the ocean and built sand castles.  We played frisbee (which we lost in the sea) and Rook (I am ashamed to admit that my 2 youngest children did not know how to play).

Upon our return to our Villa we decided to all jump in the freezing pool just to get rinsed off before showering inside.  Brrrrr.  I should add here that we had no problem with hot water even thought all 6 of us showered one right after the other.  Here they have hot water boilers that instantly produce hot water on demand.  I guess one positive for living in small places.

We are still trying to figure out all the road signs in Italy.  It's like they hired someone from IKEA to make signs that should be universal because they are pictures and no words, but we have yet to figure several of them out.  Thank heavens we have a GPS to get us around; we are blindly following her around to these tiny places (yes, the GPS is a "she" the kids have named her Mother Catherine after all the Nuns we saw in Rome).

After a hodgepodge meal of crochette (mashed potatoes formed into a ball and rolled in bread crumbs then baked or fried), left over meat from our restaurant dinner, cucumbers, peppers, 3 types of cheese and apples we watch Sneakers with Robert Redford.  None of the kids had seen it.  Good thing we put all these movies on our iPads.

Emma, Charlie, Sydney

Volterra and Pisa

Volterra * Pisa

15,329 steps

We spent the morning exploring the hill town of Volterra, an important Etruscan town that pre-dates the Romans by several hundred years.  Our little Villa is about a 15 minute car ride down the hill from Volterra along a twisty country road.  We gave ourselves a walking tour of the city that included many interesting stops, from an ancient Etruscan arch (many experts believe the Romans got their idea of the keystone from the Etruscans), old towers, brass torch holders, the more modern civic building (reminded me of Florence) and church with baptistery.  Like Siena and Florence, the church takes a back seat to the civic building which dominates the town square.  

The highlight was our visit to an alabaster workshop, where we talked with the sculptors about the beauty of alabaster in this region, and an artist who does water color etchings.  She did an entire demonstration for us that the kids really enjoyed.

After our lunch of prosciutto sandwiches (which we have had almost every day since arriving - LOVE prosciutto and gratefully so do the kids) - we headed off to Pisa to climb the leaning tower.  The tower looks great!  I guess it was recently restored and secured (actually raised 6") and it is probably in better shape than it's ever been.  (The tower sits 15' off of center).  It was a bit freaky climbing the 700 stair ascent and feeling the weight of gravity pull you in different directions as you headed around the bell tower.  At the top you can actually exit for a panoramic view of the city; gratefully it's all fenced off so there is no fear of falling, although it still gave Eric vertigo and Charlie complained that he was holding his hand too tightly.

Tonight the kids enjoyed a post dinner swim in the very cold swimming pool that sits on our Villa property.  It's a beautiful pool with a view, but it needs to be about 20* warmer to be enjoyable.  The weather was perfect today!  Overcast, cool breeze, light rain in the afternoon.  I hope it stays like this until after Florence!

View of our Villa from the street

Charlie and Sydney

On top of the tower of Pisa

Inside the Civic building in Volterra

Civic Building Volterra

Alabaster workshop

Italian hot chocolate