Siena for Ian's Birthday!

Ian's birthday was Friday (he turned 26!), so we decided to celebrate with a mini trip to Siena. What a breath of fresh air! Not that we don't love Florence, but it was nice to get out of the bustling city and explore a smaller town in Tuscany for the weekend. Siena is a beautiful, mysterious medieval city located just south of Firenze. And, as seems to be the trend with smaller Tuscan towns, the city is set on steep hills that wind all around the town and main city center, called Piazza del Campo.


Piazza del Campo is simply marvelous! I think it is the biggest piazza we have seen on the trip thus far, and one of the most beautiful (my pictures don't do it justice!). During the summer, the piazza hosts Italy's most famous horse race: the Palio di Siena. Apparently, hundreds, if not thousands, of people show up for the event. I can't even imagine cramming that many people into the piazza...it's big, but not that big! The piazza is lined with popular cafes and bars. While a few of them offer indoor seating, most people seem to sit on the outside patios (under heat lamps, of course!). I was a bit too cold to sit outside, and it rained steadily all day Saturday...not ideal for outdoor dining. But I can see how lovely it would be to spend a summer's day sitting at a cafe in the piazza, sipping a glass of wine, and watching the city stroll by through the square.

I was really hoping to do a wine tasting in the Tuscan countryside for Ian's birthday, but I don't think many wineries off winter tastings. I did, however, locate Enoteca Italiana, a wine shop and tasting room established and run by the Italian government to help educate the public about Italian wines. Enoteca offers 1800 wines! And their "wine cellar" is a wine lover's dream. We stopped by Friday afternoon to sample a few wines. It was completely relaxing and warm, and we were able to sample some delicious wines.

Saturday we spent the majority of the day touring around and seeing the sights of Siena. We purchased the OPA SI Pass, which granted us access to the major landmarks and museums in Siena. Our first stop was the Duomo, a completely magical and breathtaking Gothic cathedral. The facade is beautiful, but the inside of the church is truly magnificent. I was speechless when we first stepped foot inside. The art and architecture is simply...amazing. The detail, the color, the splendor of the whole interior...I'm at a loss for words. While I love the Duomo here in Florence, Siena's Duomo is now my reigning favorite. Neither Ian nor I wanted to leave, but it was incredibly cold in the church, and eventually our frozen hands and noses won out.

Next stop was the Museo dell'Opera and the Panorama for a view of the city. The museum was interesting and showcased artwork and pieces from the cathedral, but I can only look at so many pictures of Jesus and the Atonement before they all start looking the same. My favorite part of the museum was the little passageway that led to the Panorama. After a steep climb up a spiraling staircase to the tip top of the building, we were rewarded with a 360 degree panoramic view of Siena and the surrounding countryside. Unlike the bell tower in Florence, there was no cage holding us in at the top of the Panorama, and I have a [small] fear of heights. But the view was lovely!


We enjoyed an espresso and a warm-up at the famous Cafe Nannini (Ian also enjoyed a mini bomboloni, a delightful, cream-filled Italian doughnut). And after warming up and drying out our socks and shoes back at the hotel, we ventured out for dinner, which turned out to be quite a task. We did a bit of research online trying to find a good, budget-friendly ristorante for dinner. We found one just outside of the main city that seemed to fit the bill. After walking down a very step hill for about 20 minutes, we arrived at the ristorante only to discover that it was closed for "holiday" until February 4th. Sigh. So, we trekked back up the steep hill to another restaurant we found earlier in the day. However, once inside, we were told that we had to have a reservation to eat there. Double sigh. When I'm hungry (as I usually am at 7:30pm...very late for me to eat dinner, but very early by Italian standards) I start feeling desperate for food and tend to make irrational decisions. Luckily, Ian has more control over his appetite and was able to steer me back on course.

We decided to return to the restaurant (Ristorante San Desiderio) where we ate lunch on Friday and try out their dinner menu. We had an enjoyable lunch, and the waitstaff was incredibly nice. The dinner, I must say, was simply delicioso! First, we enjoyed a small aperitif of Prosecco and lite little puff pastries. For il primo, Ian had pappardelle pasta topped with a wild boar and juniper berry ragu and I had a tagliatelle with butternut squash, sausage, and walnuts. Then, for il segundo, we shared a sea bass plate with a side of green beans. The waiter brought out an entire sea bass fish encrusted in salt and proceeded to prepare the fish for us at the table stripping off the salt crust and lifting out the fillets from the skeleton of the fish. He told us, "try it first with nothing" meaning don't douse it in lemon juice or oil before having a taste. The fish just melted in my mouth. It was truly the best fish fillet I have ever had, and the entire culinary experience was completely wonderful!


We thoroughly enjoyed Siena and have decided to take mini excursions (one-to-two day trips) each week during the rest of our stay in Florence (only five more weeks!). There is so much to see and it's so easy to travel from town to town. Our plan, for now, is to visit: Pisa, Lucca, Cinque Terre, San Gimignano, and Volterra. The Tuscan countryside awaits!