Personal Post: Day 5: Florence-Siena

Merry Christmas!

Our second day in Florence was supposed to begin at the top of Duomo, but it was closed for Christmas and won't reopen to tourists until we leave this city. I suppose that will save me some wear and tear on my knees.

When we bought our Florence bus tickets this morning at the corner deli, the man at the cash register yelled at us because we weren't fluent in Italian. He said that when we visit a foreign country, we should know some basic vocabulary in the language of that place. He is right to a certain degree, but still, he didn't have to say it so blatantly! I know enough of the Romance languages to know that's what he said, but ironic enough, if I didn't, we wouldn't have known what he said in the first place. And even if I knew some Italian vocabulary and/or phrases, it doesn't mean I can communicate effectively in it. Even in Spanish, which I'm much more comfortable with, I probably can't communicate fluently with a native speaker.

During the morning, we revisited some sights that we had seen the previous evening, including the Uffizi, the Piazza della Signoria, and the Ponte Vecchio. I was still not completely impressed with them. I supposed when it comes to the sights of Italy, I have these images in my head, and it just hasn't really lived up to them. I like Florence more than Venice, but I still didn't feel like I was in this picture perfect place that I had created in my mind.

Without too many sights left to see, especially on Christmas Day, we decided to go to Siena. We knew that the tower in the city center was not opened, but we thought we could visit the city anyway. I have read many recommendations for Siena, but I had also received a personal recommendation for San Gimignano instead of Siena. Finally, we decided to stick to Siena, just because it's more popular. It was actually a good idea in hindsight because San Gimignano isn't exactly on the train line.

The train ride took an hour and a half. We got to see parts of Tuscany on the way, and I wasn't impressed (yet again). It was much more developed and commercialized than I had envisioned. There were modern buildings everywhere, and graffiti adorned the façade of these buildings. I even saw Chevrolet and Kia car dealerships!

After getting off the train in Siena, we got lost. It turns out that the city center is about a half-hour walk from the train station, but there were no signs for it. There were other daytrippers who didn't know where to go after getting off the train, so we just followed one another. Except no one really knew where they were going. We eventually found it, and I completely fell in love with the city. It just completely hit the spot. When I think of the classic picture of Italy, I see cobblestoned streets, narrow walkways, tall and antique buildings. Those were exactly what Siena had to offer. I can't imagine San Gimignano being that much better than Siena.

Along the way to Il Campo, the center of Siena, we saw all these stores and restaurants closed for the holidays. Finally, we entered the first restaurant that was opened because we were so hungry at this time. We enjoyed a nice little Italian meal, and we were ready to tackle more of Siena.

We arrived in Il Campo not long after. It's a plaza encircled by short buildings on all sides. The late afternoon sun was hitting the Siena Tower, giving it a golden hue. The tower would be visible from all corners of Siena if it wasn't for all the buildings shielding the narrow walkways. The contrast between the golden tower and the deep blue sky was beautiful. Unfortunately, the tower was closed, but I'm sure it would have offered a lovely view of the Tuscan countryside.

Behind the Siena Tower is the Jewish ghetto, which is on somewhat hilly grounds. There weren't any tourists in this area, so it gave us a piece of serenity. The apartments that were standing some fifty feet off the ground were close to one another. People still live there now. They hang their clothes outside as a sign of life within the buildings.

Like many other cities in Italy, Siena has its own Duomo. It's made of green and white marble of grand scale, which is rather impressive. We always wonder how people from centuries ago were able to carry marbles (and other heavy stones) across long distances to build these amazing structures.

As we were leaving toward the train station, there were many people in the streets, waking toward the center of the city. Where were they going? We had no idea. They were likely to be Sienans, but we weren't sure of that either. The only explanation we had was an evening Christmas mass.

Back in Florence, we returned to our hotel and went to bed early, in order to prepare for another trip out of Florence and into the Tuscan countryside.