From Assisi, we traveled into Tuscany and the beautiful hill town of Siena.  We had visited Siena before in 1997 while traveling through Europe with our good friends, Bill and Ginger, and knew we had to return with our aunts.

700 years ago, Siena was a major military power in Italy--but then, in 1550, her neighbor, Florence, beat her up good, forever relegating her to the status of backwater town.  This has helped preserve her so, as walking through the city takes you back in time.

This is the facade of one of our favorite churches, Siena's Cathedral, or Duomo.  Wonderfully large and impressive, inside you find work by Michelangelo, Bernini, and Donatello.  Inside and out it is striped with black and white marble (seen better in photos below) giving it a most distinctive appearance.

Maureen and Doreen do a bit of relaxing in the Piccolomini Library in the Duomo, while Kelly apreciates the beautiful, and large, ancient pages of music scores.

While walking through a back-street of Siena on our first day, we quite innocently, and with considerable disbelief, noticed someone we knew sitting at a street-side table.  It was Mark Kaufman (whose wife, Chris, was inside the restaurant at the time), who was on holiday.  As friends from Atlanta (Mark is a partner at Rich's law firm), it was great to see them and a wonderful surprise.  We later arranged to meet again in the Chianti hills of Italy for dinner and much fun.

One evening we climbed to the top of the 300 foot tall City Tower for incredible views over the Tuscan landscape and to take in the multi-hued sunset you see here.

The view from our hotel room, taking in the Duomo at night.  It is a captivating site, floodlit and sitting at the apex of a hill.

Budget travel is not always easy.  Just ask this guy. 

On our first day in Siena, it was time to do some laundry, so to the self-service laundromat we went.  Well, one of the machines was out of order and ate the equivalent of $5usd (ten thousand lira).  As the place was truly self service, with no attendant in site, we rang the number posted on the wall, politely asking for a refund.  The guy who answered --Lorenzo--was pleasant, and said it would not be a problem--just come by the store at 8:00am the next morning when an attendant (as it turns out, this guy) would be there for a refund.  Five bucks may not seem like much, and not worth the hassle of getting up early and walking across town, but we definitely wanted it.  So we arose and made the trip back to the laundromat, only to have this guy, who spoke no English, refuse our request for a refund (we spoke and understood enough Italian to communicate).  In fact, he was kinda mean, essentially saying it was our fault, waving his finger in our faces, and raising his voice.  So we raised our voices as well, forcefully shouting "Dieci mille returno" (return ten thousand lira).  At one point, in an effort to shake him up and turn the tide of the negotiations, Rich took this picture of him.  Finally, we grew tired of the stalemate and told him we were calling Lorenzo (the boss, whose number we had called the prior day) and taking care of our problem with Lorenzo directly.  As we turned to head toward the phones we were acting rather psychotically--lunacy seemed to have taken hold.  This glimpse of madness was enough, as our friend begrudgingly turned over the money that was rightfully ours, hurling many an Italian expletive in our direction while so doing.  So how do we feel about yelling at someone's Grandfather?  Not great, and it was not the way we prefer to start most morning's, but the money was ours--as we say, budget travel ain't always easy.  

Another view of the Duomo and its black and white marble.

This is the City Tower, seen down a typical Sienese street, which we climbed for the great view of Tuscany and the sunset seen above.  Wondering the streets of Siena is a real joy, as they are so distinctive and character full--preserve beautifully and giving a real glimpse into medieval Italy.

Siena is also home to one of the best public space in all the world--Il Campo, a huge, clam shaped public square, which fans out from City Hall and the City Tower, gradually rising.  It is an amazing place to loiter, day or night, enjoying the people watching and the elegant views.  Here, Kelly, Doreen and Maureen enjoy the magic of Siena on Il Campo, as sunset approaches.

Next stop in Tuscany: the cultural city of Florence.

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