Tuesday, October 18 - The Crayola City

We eventually left the smooth sailing of the Autostrada and slowly eased back into normal traffic.  Although the traffic was never as hectic as in Rome, we were still thankful for the GPS. 

Siena is an ancient city that does not permit normal automobile traffic within its original walls.  (You need a special permit to enter.)  For this reason, we had reservations at the Hotel Porta Romano (http://www.hotelportaromana.com/index_en.php) which is about a fifteen-minute walk from the city center.  We pulled through a non-descript gate and parked in the hotel lot.  As we unpacked, we had our first WOW moment of the day.  This is what we saw when we turned around
:

It was like a painting.  An absolutely incredible view of the Tuscan countryside!  Kevin & Helen actually had this view from their room.   While we didn't have a view, our room wasn't too shabby.

We unpacked, rested a bit, and decided to start exploring.

The walk to the city center was a gradual ascent, but nothing too taxing.  The walls of the old city were impressive.

I found out afterwards that the world's oldest surviving bank is in Siena:  Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, S.p.A. was founded in 1472. 

Passing through the gate, we entered the old city, which looks like something planned by Disney.  (Which I realize is sort of a back-handed compliment.)

Like Rome, the streets are not in a grid pattern, but are a tangled web of streets, alleys and passages.  As we approached the actual city center, we came across this sight.

Naturally, we had to check it out.  And immediately came across our second WOW of the day.



This was Il Campo, Siena's main square.  It's a large open space covered with nine sections of herringbone-patterned brick.

The tower that we first spied was the bell tower for the Palazzo Pubblico, a former palace that now serves as the Siena's City Hall.  

Il Campo is in the shape of a shell, gentling sloping down to the bottom of the "shell", the Palazzo Pubblico. This is the site of the world famous Palio, two races held each year on July 2 and August 16.  Ten horses and jockeys (riding bareback), representing ten of the seventeen wards in the city, compete.  A thick layer of dirt is laid down and the jockeys ride the circle of the Palio three times.  Apparently the whole thing is over in less than 90 seconds.  The winner gets bragging rights for the next year.

There were no races when we were there, so we milled around a bit, along with a few hundred other folks.

By now, it was time for dinner, since we hadn't had anything since out stop at the Autogrill.  After consulting our Rick Steves' guidebook (really, truly, don't leave home without it), we decided to try Trattoria La Torre, a cozy family-run restaurant just off Il Campo. 

What a find!  The father (an older gentleman who didn't speak English) was our waiter;  his wife did the cooking right in front of us in the open-kitchen. 

Later on, they were joined by a younger man.  (A son?)

Our dinner was fantastic.  Through serendipity, Helen discovered that her camera had a "food" setting.  As you can see, we feasted on gnocchi,

 ravioli,

fish, 

beefsteak,

and, of course, selected desserts.

A great meal to end a great day.  In restrospect, probably the best meal of our trip.

We then retraced our steps back to the Hotel Porta Romano to recharge our batteries for the next day of sightseeing in Siena.

Oh, and about the title for this entry?

Apparently this is the color of the buildings surrounding Il Palio.