The Piazza del Campo in Siena
Today we arrived in Livorno and were picked up by our driver and guide Ileana, arranged by Rome Connections for us. Ileana is an art historian so her knowledge of the area and its sights was excellent.
Our first stop after approximately a two hour drive was Siena. Siena is famous for, among other things, the Palio, an exciting horse race done in the center of the city in the main square (which is actually an oval). Siena is divided into 17 neighborhoods or contrades and these each field a horse and rider. Because there are so many, they actually run two races – one in July with 10 and a second a few weeks later with the other 7 and 3 picked somehow to ride again. The outside roadway of the square is covered with sand several inches deep just for the race and the center of the square is packed with people as are the balconies and windows of the surrounding buildings. It must be a very exciting event to see.
After visiting the Piazza del Campo our next stop in Siena was the cathedral, Santa Maria Assunta. The church was constructed in the 13th century and the exterior includes some of the black and white marble stripes seen in other cathedrals such as the one in Orvieto. The truly remarkable thing about this cathedral are the magnificent mosaic floors. They were created between the 14th and 16th centuries and consist of 56 panels in different sizes covering the entire floor of the Duomo. They represent scenes from the Old Testament and are covered most of the year so they can’t be viewed. We were very lucky to see them uncovered and in their full glory.
Il Duomo - Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta
Two of the magnificent mosaic floor panels
Our next stop was a winery in San Gimignano, Tenuta Torciano. It’s located in a very pastoral setting a few minutes outside the city. We had a wonderful lunch complemented with several lovely wines produced by the winery. They also produce a wonderful balsamic vinegar and some lovely olive oil, one of them flavored with black truffles. We had a delightful time and bought some wine, oil and vinegar which will be shipped to us. I think most of our fellow travelers did likewise.
Finally we visited San Gimignano. This small medieval hill town is famous for its towers which can be seen from miles outside the town. At one time there were more than 70 towers but now only about 14 remain. The town is an exquisite walled city with splendid medieval buildings. Some are former towers which were cut down and converted into houses with the additional bricks being used to construct other buildings. After we walked the main street which passes through the entire town it was time to head back to the ship. We could see that one could easily make a trip just to San Gimignano and have lots to see and do in a day tour.
On our way back to Livorno we had a few raindrops but our day ashore was wonderful with great weather.
San Gimignano
1 comment:
I am so impressed by your travel blog. As a travel journalist/consultant it is easy to see you have the talent to do the same. I have some clients aboard your cruise and just love your reflections of your excursions and your photos. Thank you so much.
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