A WEEKEND IN SIENA

Montepulciano to Siena – Day 16 – Saturday

I met Linda in front of the school at 7:30 and we trooped off down the hill to the bus station.  The train station was packed with teenagers and bus after bus was arriving carrying more.  We never determined why Montepulciano was a magnet for teenagers that morning, but we were relieved to discover that they were not interested in taking the bus to Siena.

The bus ride to Siena from Montepulciano takes about an hour and a half.  We passed through Sinalunga at about the halfway point.  It rained heavily all the way there and was still pouring when we arrived.  We were aware that there were several stops in Siena, but were not aware that the one we wanted was the penultimate stop and not the terminus.  They threw us off the bus when it got to the train station.

We ducked inside to consult my map before heading off through the rain to find the center of town.  The train station is a mile or so distant from the center of Siena and we had to climb up the hill through the rain.

  

Piccolo Palio Hotel

Linda spotted my hotel, so we stopped there.  It was too early to check in, but I was able to tell them that I had arrived so that I didn’t need to worry about returning before the 6:00 deadline and we were able to shelter from the rain and use the restroom.  The Hotel Piccolo Palio is small, but the location was convenient to the train and bus stations and the room only cost me $60 for the night.  The hall carpet needed replacing, but my single room, though small, was clean and comfortable.  I have paid a lot more for a similar room in England and Holland.

From the hotel, we splashed up the hill to the bus station where we should have disembarked and then on into the historic center of the city.  We stopped in an elegant pastry shop and had cappuccinos and a pastry for Linda.  As usual, Fiorella had fed me before I left, so I was able to refuse the delectable concoctions in the pastry case, although I almost succumbed to a cannoli.  Linda had spent time in Siena previously and really wanted to see the Duomo again, so we forged on after warming ourselves over coffee.

Contrada Symbol

We took a side trip to Il Campo on the way to the Duomo.  Il Campo is a huge plaza constructed in a bowl.  It is basically semicircular.  The city hall and its tall tower sit at the bottom.  The rest of the circumference is ringed with cafes and shops.  At the top, is the famous Fountain of Joy.  The original fountain has weathered badly.  Today, it has been replaced with a copy of the original.  The brick pavement of the plaza is made from the local clay.  The color of this plaza gave rise to the color “burnt siena.”  Il Campo is the site of a famouse horse race, Il Palio, which takes place on July 2^nd and August 16^th each year.  The city of Siena is divided into 17 neighborhoods or “contrade.”  In Siena, nothing is more important than your contrada.  The 17 neighborhoods draw lots to determine which ten will compete in the race.  (There is only room for ten horses to race safely.)  The races are the most important events in the Sienese calendar.  The pre- and post-race celebrations and parades go on for days.  Each contrada has its own flag and symbol.  Scarves bearing these designs are on sale at every souvenir shop and the flags line the streets.  Symbols are found at all major intersections where contrade meet.

Linda with Leonardo

Linda had been asked to pay a visit to a friend of a friend who owns a ceramic shop.  As soon as we walked into Il Campo, she spotted his shop on the right.  The gentleman’s name is Leonardo and he operates three ceramic stores in Siena.  He was very happy to see us.  His store was crowded with lovely and expensive ceramics.  He and Linda chatted about their mutual friend and Leonardo gave me advice on where to find an adaptor for my camera charger.  He was very hospitable and gave us some postcards and pens.  Linda bought a couple of small bowls.  Always aware of my need to heft my heavy bag into train overheads, I settled for a pretty wine cork that will make a nice gift.

We finally arrived at the Piazza Duomo, but accidentally ducked into the nearest ticket office, which happened to be the Santa Maria della Scala Museum.  A friendly greeter explained to us that it was the first day of Culture Week in Italy and the museum was free that day.  We decided to take advantage of the opportunity to visit.  The museum occupies a former charity hospital and orphanage that cascades down the side of a steep hill for several levels.  The hospital had many patrons and was sumptuously decorated with frescoes and sculpture.  The original Fountain of Joy is displayed in one of the basements.  There is also a large collection of Etruscan artifacts and the building itself is worth visiting for the art on the walls and ceilings.  It is hard to imagine the huge, richly decorated halls packed with beds for sick people, but it was used as a hospital until the 1980s.

There was a lot to see at the museum and we worked up an appetite.  It was still raining when we exited, so we ducked into the nearest pizzeria to share a carafe of red wine and eat pizza.  There are no tiny pizzas in Italy.  The crust is thin and the toppings minimal, but an individual pizza is about 12”.  I decided to see what a pepperoni pizza would be like in Italy.  It was very good.  The pepperoni was much leaner than that found in America and very flavorful.  The pizza was piping hot and not coated with a layer of grease.  We took our time over the meal and tried to warm up and dry out.

The Duomo in Siena

After lunch, we finally made it to the Duomo.  Like the Duomo in Orvieto, the Duomo in Siena is black and white striped.  The outside is not as ornate as the Duomo in Oriveto, but the inside is much more so.  The Duomo dates back to 1215 and was constructed on the highest point of the hill on which Siena is built.  The church is larger than the hill, so it sits atop a complex of other church buildings that form an artificial platform.  During the 14^th century Siena’s rival, Florence, built a larger cathedral and the Sienese decided to build an even larger one, transforming the current nave into the transept of the propsed cathedral.  They built one wall, but were stymied by the lack of flat terrain on which to build the rest.  Soon after, the plague carried off a third of the city’s residents and the project was abandoned.

Duomo Floor

The floor of the Duomo is fancifully inlaid with depictions of biblical scenes in different colors of marble.  Today, most of these are covered over to protect them from wear, but some were visible.  There is a seemingly coffered dome above the transept crossing which, while lovely, is actually a painted illusion.  The heads of 172 popes look down on the congregation from the ceiling of the nave.  While much of the art from the cathedral has been moved to the Duomo Museum, there is still a Michelangelo statue of St. Paul, an exceptional bronze Donatello statue of St. John the Baptist and a heavenly baroque chapel designed by Bernini.  Also interesting is the Piccolomini Library with its well preserved frescoed ceiling and collection of 15^th century illuminated music scores.

Strange Arch in the Crypt

Linda and I also visited the crypts, but they were actually just basement storage rooms, not burial chambers.  The most interesting thing about them was the structure supporting the cathedral and the sometimes confusing architecture that made me wonder if the plans had not been changed during construction.

The remains of St. Clement

Linda had a bus to catch back to Montepulciano, so she left after the crypts, but I also visited the Baptistry (an interesting chapel supporting the rear of the cathedral and containing a baptismal font decorated with bronze panels by Donatello and other well-known artists) and the Duomo Museum.  The Duomo Museum houses much of the original art from the Duomo.  The gothic sculptures on the exterior of the cathedral have weathered badly and have been replaced by copies.  The originals reside in the museum.  The original rose window is also in the museum where it is possible to observe it from close range.  The museum winds up a tower and each floor is more interesting than the last.  One floor contains reliquaries, the most interesting of which displays the bones of St. Clement in a glass coffer, arranged artistically and decorated with silk flowers and gold braid.  Sixty narrow steps take you up to the roof of the cathedral where there is a panoramic view of Siena and the cathedral dome.  It was still pouring and was very wet and windy up there.  I took some pictures, but elected not to climb the last set of steps to the top of the tower.

View from Duomo Roof

Il Campo

CIty Hall

City Tower

Even though it continued to rain, I took a turn around Il Campo and visited the courtyard of the City Hall.  I was a little tired of museums, so elected to pass on the Civic Museum.  The tall City Tower was closed due to the rain, so I was saved from climbing its 300 stairs and also from paying the 8 Euro entrance fee.  I finished my circuit of the plaza and then splashed my way to a fancy grocery store we had seen on the way into town. After my big pizza lunch, I didn’t need much for dinner.  I bought a split of Chianti, some cookies and a pear.  Customers had to weigh the produce and print out a ticket to present to the cashier.  Each bin of produce was assigned a number.  I placed the pear on the scale and pushed a button with the corresponding number and the printer spit out a sticker.  The grocery store was arranged in the shape of a “C” with the entrance at one end and the cashier and exit at the other.  It was a mistake to think I could peruse the entire store before making my choice.  I had to battle my way upstream to get my precious bottle of Chianti.

The rain still had not abated, so I decided to retire to my hotel for the evening.  I checked in and spent the evening eating my pear, drinking Chianti and watching the Poseidon Adventure in Italian on the TV.

Siena to Montepulciano – Day 17 – Sunday

Hotel Room in Siena

Sunday morning I slept in for the first time since I have been in Italy and awakened to silence.  No rain was splattering on the Piazza del Sale.   I didn’t have a lot left to see in Siena and my train did not leave until 2:00, so I was able to proceed at a leisurely pace.  There was a marathon being run in Siena that morning, so I took a seat in Piazza Gramsci and watched the runners go by while I enjoyed a cappuccino and a cheese Danish.  I also bought a salami and cheese panino for my lunch.  Almost all Italian fast food restaurants and cafes operate on the honor system.  You get your food, find a table and eat it and only pay when you are ready to leave.  This makes for chaos at the counter where people may also be standing while drinking their espresso.

Soccer Stadium in Siena

Church of San Domenico

I walked across town to the Church of San Domenico.  I took the scenic route around the soccer stadium and past a Medici fortress.  These features were not mentioned in my guidebook, but the massive fortress was interesting and the modern stadium was in stark contrast to the medieval city above it.  San Domenico is a huge, plain, 13^th century brick church.  It is imposing from the outside, but rather institutional looking inside except for some exceptional and probably modern stained glass windows depicting the works of St. Catherine.  They remind me of the windows in the cathedral at Fatima, which also depict the works of women, and may have been executed by the same modern artist.  There is also a chapel dedicated to St. Catherine who helped to convince the pope to return from Avignon to Rome.  Her actual head is displayed on the altar.

St. Catherine

Much less barbaric is the Sanctuary of St. Catherine below the church at the bottom of a steep ravine.  St. Catherine lived here during the 14^th century and you can visit her cell.  Pilgrims have visited the site since the 15^th century and her once simple home has been embellished with a complex of airy and beautifully decorated chapels landscaped with geraniums and azaleas.  It was a steep climb back up out of the ravine to Il Campo, but I wanted to see the University.  My teacher, Costanza, studied there.  From what I could see, the University occupies a number of rather plain brick buildings that have no doubt stood there for centuries.

Having seen all I wanted to see of Siena, I set out to walk back to the train station.  Fortunately, it was mostly downhill.  I got to the train station early and waited for about an hour.  For the first time, an Italian person asked me for directions.  I guess I am starting to fit in.

The train ride to Montepulciano Stazione took about an hour.  The train travels through the bottom of a valley and the scenery is flatter and not as pretty as the Montepulciano area, but still nice and green at this time of year.  There had been a few sprinkles while I was wandering around Siena, but the weather started to improve and the sky was partially clear by the time I arrived at Montepulciano Stazione.

I walked back up the mountain to the city of Montepulciano (on top like every other city around here) from the station, a distance of about 11 km.  It was cool and pleasant for walking.  The scenery is fantastic.  I don’t think I would have wanted to climb any further uphill, but I made it OK.  Linda happened to be looking out her window as I trudged up the last steep bit and she said I didn’t look too bedraggled.  I took my time and stopped often to take photos.  I will let the photos tell the story of my walking adventure.

A new student, Marita from Finland, had joined our household while I was gone.  I cleaned up, rested a bit and we walked down to Il Sasso for the biweekly reception for new students.  While I am the only one who was here last week, there are several who have been to the school before.  This is a very different group from the last one.  The last group was all American and German.  This group is mostly Scandinavian.  There are only three Americans and one of us is actually from Argentina.  She has confirmed my belief that Argentinians speak Spanish with an Italian accent.  She doesn’t really speak any more Italian than I do, but she sounds like a native.  I came home to a wonderful dinner of gnocchi and a veal chop.  It was good to be back.  This is a warm, welcoming place and I was tired.

LIFE IS TOO SHORT NOT TO ENJOY TUSCANY

Montepulciano – Day 14 – Thursday

Thursday is market day in Montepulciano.  The market is held in a parking lot near the bus station outside the walls.  It is no different from a swap meet anywhere in America with the exception of the fruits, vegetables and the catering truck selling delectable roast pig.  I went to the market in search of a cheap backpack to use for weekend trips, since on Sundays the only way to get home is to walk 11K from the train station.

My mouth was watering for a porchetta panino, but my friend, Linda, is leaving soon and there was a restaurant she wanted to try.  I have two more Thursdays in Montepulciano.  I’ll be back for that panino.  We tried to stop at the tourist office to buy our bus tickets to Siena, but they were closed for lunch.  We scaled the hill to the cantina that Linda wanted to try and discovered that it only served wine.  We were in the mood for something a bit more substantial, so we walked to the other end of the city and had lunch at Gattavecchi. 

Bruschetta Fantasia at Gattavechhi

Gattavecchi produces lovely wines, including a fine Vino Nobile, and has several tasting rooms about town.  This one is the largest and has a nice restaurant with outside seating looking out over the walls.  The view appears to have been carefully designed by a landscape architect.  While not exactly cheap, the prices are excellent considering the quality of the food and 4 Euros for a glass of Vino Nobile is a good deal anywhere.  Linda had taken a cooking class from the chef, Lilian, and she and her sister visited our table and brought us a complimentary taste of piping hot pasta al forno.  The pasta was appreciated, since we ate our first course outdoors, but got chased inside when the weather turned foul.  We started our meal with a bruschetta fantasy and a glass of wine.  There were four or five kinds of bruschetta served on an attactive wooden plate with small servings of a bread soup in wine glasses.  Linda also had some pici, but I had to save room for my dinner.  It was a truly Italian lunch and took about three hours.  We both commented that life is just too short not to spend part of it in Tuscany.

After lunch, we walked back down to the tourist office to buy our bus tickets to Siena for Saturday.  Then we browsed a bit in the shops on the way back up the hill.  It’s a steep hill, so it’s good to have somewhere to stop on the way up.  I came home and did some homework and surfed the internet until dinner when Fiorella made me shells with eggplant and pork loin.  Fiorella has taken up putting fruit in the salad after I put some strawberries on mine one night.  She likes it and jokes about using my recipe.  Like any wonderful cook, she is always on the lookout for new ideas.

Montepulciano – Day 15 Friday

Street Sweeper in Montepulciano

Each morning, on the way to school, I pass the street sweeper.  Between the pigeons and the cigarette smokers, the street really does need sweeping every day.  The street sweeper here is really ingenious, but also hazardous for pedestrians.  It has an articulated arm that allows the brush to reach all the way to the steps of each building on the crooked streets.  Pedestrians have to dodge it because there are no sidewalks here.  

Friday was a sad day because all the other students were leaving.  We all went out to lunch together at Trattoria Cagnano.  I am living above this restaurant, but had never been there before.  The food was pretty good.  I had a marvelous risotto with sausage and saffron and my friend Savannah and I shared an order of lamb chops.  I had heard that the lamb chops were very good.  I wasn’t too impressed.  They were the same tiny lamb chops that we got in Turkey (actual LAMB chops, not sheep chops) but were kind of dry and tasteless.  They could have used some garlic and pepper or a bit of mint sauce.  It was still a nice lunch.  We lingered and drank wine and coffee.  In Italy, no one drinks cappuccino after noon, so most of us had a macchiato instead.  There isn’t much difference between the two at Starbucks, but a macchiato here fits into an espresso cup.

Linda with Her Teachers Sara, Costanza and Roberta

I had intended to come home and take a nap, but ended up spending the afternoon online researching train schedules and such for the rest of my trip.  I had not intended to each much for dinner, but Fiorella made pasta al pesto and strips of steak sautéed with arugula.  I had to eat some.  Then, of course, I had to eat salad.  Fiorella and I hung out after dinner, drinking wine and watching TV.  It was very relaxing.  I knew that I had to get up early to meet Linda at 7:30 for our trip to Siena, so I packed my backpack before I went to bed.  I packed as little as possible because I knew that I would have to carry it back up the mountain from the train station.  Walking from the train station to Montepulciano is about the equivalent of climbing from Hwy 280 to the top of Skyline.  It’s a hike.

If it sounds to you like all I did last week was eat, you’re correct.  I hope it will not rain so much next week so that I can take more walks.  There are still places where I would like to go on foot.  Maybe Napa will be this beautiful after another five centuries of being cultivated by people who appreciate beauty.

A CASA A MONTEPULCIANO

Montepulciano – Day 12 – Tuesday

This is a slow week at Il Sasso (my school) because of the holidays.  There are only two of us left in my class.  This means that we get only three hours of lessons per day, but we are forced to speak constantly during those three hours.  Since I elected not to take the cooking class this afternoon, I had lots of time to do my laundry.

After class, my fellow student, Linda, and I went out for lunch.  I had a lovely bruschetta with mystery meats and cheeses that were delightful and a glass of Montepulciano rosso.  There was a break in the weather and we enjoyed basking in the pale sunshine.  We had a friendly waiter who enjoyed us enjoying the food.

Linda had a private lesson after lunch and I returned home to do some much needed laundry.  Fiorella offered me the use of her washing machine.  She has a little low ceilinged laundry room on the mezzanine level.  European washing machines are small.  I couldn’t get all my clothes in, so I washed the colors in the machine and did the whites by hand.  Fiorella doesn’t have a dryer.  They are not common here.  By the time the wash was done, it has clouded up and looked like rain, so a clothesline wouldn’t have helped even if there were one.  I hung all my clothes on a drying rack and hoped for the best.

Dinner was tagliatelle with cheese, garlic and tiny little zucchini.  We also had oven baked chicken and salad, with cheese and apple cake for dessert.  We have some form of unlabeled Montepulciano rosso with every meal.  Fiorella takes her jug and gets it filled somewhere.  The wine has really grown on me.  Fiorella and I had a long conversation about different kinds of food.  Italians aren’t too big on ethnic food, but you do see kebabs and Chinese food quite often.  I have seen McDonalds and Burger King advertised on the TV, although I haven’t actually seen any restaurants.  I had some rather mediocre Indian food in Milan, but I couldn’t resist.  Here in Tuscany, I don’t see any reason to eat anything that isn’t local.

I am so humbled by the food here.  I alternate between wanting to run home and try to prepare some of the fabulous dishes I have tasted here and thinking that my cooking is so inferior I should just throw in the dish towel.  People just don’t eat junk here.  Cheese is made by hand.  Vegetables are fresh,  tomatoes ripe.  They truck them in from Sicily at this time of year.  The meat is really amazing.  The beef is tender and has flavor.  Even boneless, skinless chicken tastes good here.  I’m sure virtuous foodies die and go to Tuscany.

Montepulciano – Day 13 – Wednesday

This is a boring week for blogging.  There is not much happening in the way of excursions and I had enough adventure over the weekend to last me for several days, so I didn’t feel like setting out on my own.  The weather was ugly today.  It rained all day and there was thunder and hail this afternoon.  We were supposed to take a hike in the countryside this afternoon, but it was cancelled.  I stayed home and watched the hailstones bounce off the ancient tile roof across the street.

Fiorella had invited me for lunch, so I came straight home from school and we had a relaxing lunch of bruschetta with red, ripe cherry tomatoes, herbs and olive oil and some prosciutto.  I studied for a while, but ended up napping for a couple of hours.  The phone rang and awakened me and I swear I had been dreaming in Italian.  I guess that’s a good sign.

Since there isn’t much going on, this seems like a good time to describe my lodgings.  I am renting a room in a flat from a single woman named Fiorella.  The building dates back to the renaissance, but the inside has been renovated.  The layout is a little bit strange.  There is a door at street level and then a flight of stairs up to a mezzanine.  On the mezzanine level there are storage closets and a cavelike laundry room, which also contains the furnace and water heater.

There is another half flight of stairs from the mezzanine to the landing on the main floor with a pair of double stained glass doors at the top.  From the landing, there is another half flight of stairs that goes up to a small storeroom.  Through the double doors is the living/dining room.  There is a small couch, but it is occupied by the dog.  The people hang out at the dining room table.  Fiorella sets the table with a cloth whenever we eat, but the rest of the time the table is used as a workspace.

The kitchen is large and modern, although very Tuscan in appearance.  There is lots of brick and a brick oven.  There is another big table in the center of the kitchen.  Counters are not as popular here as they are in the U.S., although they are gaining in popularity.  To the right of the living area are Fiorella’s bedroom and bath.  Behind the living area, there is another set of stained glass doors which lead to a small sitting room with a bath of it.  Behind that are the two bedrooms that Fiorella rents.  There have just been the two of us here, but another woman is coming on Sunday.

The two bedrooms are identical.  Each has a twin bed with a down comforter and a white cotton bedspread.  Each has a desk from IKEA, a nightstand, an armoire and a couple of chairs.  There are windows opening onto the street, although the street is so narrow that one has to risk one’s neck to lean out far enough to see the ground.  There is very little light, which is my only real complaint.  The overhead light helps a bit after dark, but doesn’t help at all during the day because it can’t be more than a 40 watt bulb.  There are tiny little lamps on the desk and nightstands, but they are so short that it is hard to read by them.  The buildings here are so close together that the windows don’t let in a lot of light, either.  It’s hard to read, but the rooms have high ceilings and are painted white, so they aren’t oppressive.  Best of all, there are good old fashioned, cast iron, steam heat radiators.  The heat feels quite luxurious and you can warm your towels or pajamas on them, also.

The bathroom is a little bit eccentric.  The room is spacious, but all the plumbing is crammed in one corner.  The shower is under a stairway and raised up about 18" to accommodate the plumbing.  This makes for a low ceiling.  The toilet is actually IN the shower.  I thought I'd seem every possible plumbing combination in my travels,  but this is a new one.  There is a grate that I can take out while showering so that I can replace it afterwards and not have to step on the wet floor.

There is also a sweet old dog who lives here.  His name is Chiriho (sp?)  He is part cocker spaniel and part some sort of hunting dog.  He looks like he could be part Irish setter.  He is medium sized and has wavy reddish fur, beautiful ears and a stripe down the center of his nose.  We are fast friends.  The last couple of days he has tried to come to school with me.  He lies at my feet and begs for cheese.  He is almost as good as having a cat.

 Tonight’s dinner may have been the best one yet.  Fiorella made dumplings from ricotta and sage, sprinkled them with pecorino and baked them in the oven.  She served them with thin pan seared chicken cutlets and three kinds of salad.  Fiorella and I both agree that vegetables are best served raw.  I had never had raw anise before, but I enjoyed it a lot.  I can just imagine it with blood orange infused olive oil.  I will have to send a bottle to Fiorella when I get home.  The anise in my neighborhood may be in trouble.  Luckily, no one else seems interested in eating it.  Dessert was red, ripe strawberries and a bit of assorted cheese.