The chaos started early when we were unable to find the bus station. I managed to find the only person in Italy who didn't speak English, but we were able to communicate enough that I found out where to catch the bus. Unfortunately, our delay in finding the station meant that we missed the direct bus and had to take the pokey bus instead, a two-hour semi-scenic tour of a Tuscan highway.
We arrived in town and made our way to the main square, which, twice per year, features a no-holds-barred horse race around the edges. Each of the villages of the city enters a horse (with a rider) in the race, and the winning village gets bragging rights. Mattresses are placed around the most difficult corners, though they don't prevent ferocious wipe-outs.
We were't in town for the horse race, so we were allowed to walk freely in an around the square. We grabbed lunch at one of the many surrounding cafes and enjoyed the people watching before making our way to the town's duomo (church). Our first stop was the museum, which offered fabulous views of the town.
As we left the museum, the skies opened up. Our hotel's only occasionally helpful weather forecast had promised no rain, so we had no umbrella. We ran for the church and spent over an hour inside as we waited for the rain to calm down.
The church featured many floor carvings, including the following skull. Skull jewelry was also very popular and was featured prominently in the windows of many jewelry stores.
After the rain, we did some shopping in town, picking up some panforte, a specialty dessert of the region, and (natch) some some gelato. I snapped this pic, one of my favs from the trip, as we were wandering around town. (Ok, we were lost and looking for the main square.)
After some more meandering and shopping, we decided that we had had our fill of Siena. Did we love it? No, I don't think so, but we enjoyed it, and I'd go back, especially if we can buy more of their sexy pasta:
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