Yesterday, our school so graciously offered a free day trip for students to visit the Tuscan countryside cities of Siena and San Gimignano. Since we weren't traveling this weekend we quickly jumped on the rare opportunity for something "free" (because it seems as nothing over here is, not even tap water...) and boarded the bus to explore two new towns.
Siena.
Siena is built among three hills, and sits just about 2 hours outside of Florence. Because it was a Roman city built simply for administrative purposes, there is much history and architecture that reflects that of the Roman Empire. Not to mention, due to the hilly landscape, it's killer on your buns ;)
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| View of all of Siena |
We visited St. Domenic's Basilica upon on arrival. It was built starting in 1226 in traditional Gothic style, and it was completed in 1465. It is the home of the relic of St. Catherine, who is the patron saint of Italy, and although her body lies to rest in Rome, the pope promised her hometown that they could have her head to preserve and keep in the church. We weren't able to take pictures inside, but trust me when I say consider yourself lucky you don't have to go to mass to look at an ancient decorated skull each week...
Next we visited the Duomo, which rivals the one in Florence in its beauty and detail of architecture. It was built by Giovanni Pisano in the 1200s, but does not look a day over 10 years old (kinda..). The Duomo still reflects its original beauty, especially the Piccolomini library which contains original frescos that are over 500 years old. The colors are still vibrant as ever, proving the genius behind the painters of this time.
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| The beautiful Duomo in Siena |
Piccolomini Library
San Gimignano.
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| The adorable streets of San Gimigna |
In the afternoon we visited San Gimignano, a beautiful Tuscan village that overlooks the Elsa Valley, giving us some of the prettiest views of the infamous Tuscan hills (despite the cloudy day...). We spent the afternoon wandering around the quaint city streets browsing in and out of stores. Before we headed home, though, we made sure to take a coffee/gelato break to make sure we would have enough sugar to put us right into a coma for the bus ride home.
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| Everyone was taking selfies with the hills in the background. Didn't quite fit the hills, but hey! |
Ciao, for now!
M
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