STL DPB ON THE ROAD - IL CAMPO

Il Campo, the central plaza of Siena. It was paved with brick in 1347 and divided by marble strips to create a shell shape. The major buildings in the center-right are the Torre di Mangia and Palazzo Pubblico.            

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - SIENA SKYLINE

We visited the civic museum in the Palazzo Pubblico, whose courtyard was in yesterday's post. A couple of floors up there were windows looking southeast across the city to the valley below. The view gives some idea of how steep and high the climb is from the parking lots at the base. The church is the Basilica of San Clemente in Santa Maria dei Servi, https://tinyurl.com/mu9xm24 .  We had not heard of it until I did some research to identify it in this photo. The outside is plain but the interior is spectacular. We wish we had gotten there.              

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - THE HEART OF SIENA

The very center of the old city of Siena is the fan-shaped plaza known as Il Campo, or The Field (even though it is paved). It slopes downward from the curve of the fan to a center point at the Palazzo Pubblico and the famous Torre del Mangia. The palazzo contains the civic museum, which is worth a visit. The entrance courtyard is open to the sky, making for a dramatic view.         

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - VILLA SCACCIAPENSIERI

Our home away from home in the hills on the edge of Siena. The beautiful, musically Italian name means something like scatter your cares and thoughts. It is a 19th Century manor house turned into a boutique hotel. We stayed there perhaps 25 years ago. Fond memories brought us back.

We spent six nights there, going into the city and taking day trips around Tuscany. The staff, all of whom spoke excellent English, could not have been more helpful and friendly. The restaurant is a wow. The value for Americans was very good because of the current favorable exchange rate (1€ = US$1.06). If you find yourself going to Siena you should check it out.                

STL DPB LOOKING BACK - YOU CAN ALMOST SMELL THE INCENSE

Home now, a day late. The flight from London to Chicago was way behind schedule and, until you have flown on an A380, you have no idea how very long it takes to get 460 passengers' luggage onto the carousel.  Spent the night at an airport hotel and arrived home yesterday.

We will have to look at pictures of Italy for a bit, not too much of a hardship. This is a view from the nave of the Siena Duomo looking toward the altar seen in Friday's post. I get a sense of the enormity, solemnity and overstated grandeur of the place.              

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - BAROCOCO

The nave of the Siena Duomo. I know something about Western art history but I'm no expert. Something here is sliding between the baroque and rococo but I couldn't define where the line falls. In any event, the visual effects are overwhelming. The church construction was begun in the 13th and 14th Centuries, and it is mind-boggling to consider the architectural and engineering skill. The decoration developed over the following centuries. It is impossible for even an interested tourist to take it all in.

As mentioned, lots of flying today. May get some photo editing done on the long London - Chicago segment but I don't know when I'll get my next post up.           

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - THE HEAVENS

Last day of leg wearying, joint aching tourism. We do okay walking around on vacation but Tuscany is full of settled mini-mountains, built that way, I suppose, for defensive purposes. 10,500 step day yesterday, which may be a modern personal record. What the health app on my phone does not record without consulting the altimeter is the hill climbing, many days 300 - 400 feet / 90 - 120 meters. We've had enough.

On our final day here we visited the Siena Duomo, which is an architectural and artistic spectacle. The central dome over the nave invites visitors with a supple enough neck to contemplate heaven. I got the shot because my camera has an articulating LED screen.

Drive back to Bologna today and spend the night at an airport hotel. Tomorrow it's BLQ - LHR - ORD - STL, 11 hours of flying and 5 hours of airport transfers, gods of the air willing. We are ready to go home.       

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - THE TALE OF THE POOPED OUT TOURIST

Okay, admit it. We are old. Pretty healthy but not in top physical condition. We did well enough in Bologna, which is flat, but Siena is all hills. 10,000 steps today, up and down, a lot for me, and my legs feel like putty. Not quite like this when we got back to the hotel (he is obviously young and strong, but maybe having a bad day) but it's got us thinking about maybe river cruises for future travel.

This was found in the Museo Civico on Il Campo, the central public space of Siena. We could not find anything to explain it. I'd share some of my naproxen with him. We plan an easier day today, driving toward Montepulciano and Orvieto. Might buy some wine.          

STL DPB ON THE ROAD - TUSCAN LANDSCAPE

Two hour drive today from Bologna to Siena, braving the speed demons of the autostrada. We are staying in a place we were perhaps 20 years ago in an 18th Century mansion, the Villa Sacciapensiere, on the hills north of the city. This is the view just before sunset from one of the terraces. Day trips around Tuscany for the next several days.