Siena

Our first stop after Rome was Siena. Getting there was a bit of a fiasco. We bought train tickets from Rome to Siena, but didn't know much about trains in Italy at the time and didn't realize we'd have any transfers. So, we were apparently supposed to take a train halfway to Florence and then transfer to another. But we didn't know we were supposed to get off before Florence, so we accidentally took it all the way there and then to our surprise instead of going to Siena it just turned around and started going back the exact same way it came. Bewildered, we asked one of the ticket checkers on the train and he laughed and said we were actually supposed to get off in Florence. So we hurriedly got our luggage to jump out, but the doors closed and the train started off again. We had to then wait until the next stop, get off at that one, and go BACK to Florence, and then transfer. We ended up getting on the slow "regional" train that took a very long route to Florence, stopping at every tiny little town in between, and made a ten-minute journey into an hour and a half one. Finally we made it back to Florence, and right when we got off the train we hear this voice on the loudspeaker saying that the train to Siena leaves in 5 minutes on a track waaay far away. So then we're just sprinting through the station, luggage and all, dodging the other slower travelers, and luckily we made it on the train right before it left. After that it was a nice easy trip to Siena...but basically, a 3 hour journey became a 7-8 hour one....lame!

Anyway, here's the road near our hotel:


Mom had accidently booked the room for August instead of July, but luckily we were still able to get a great room! It had lots of dark wood trim, fluffy white beds, and an amazing view:
A sketch I did from our room's terrace.. the yellowish color is because I drew it on the back of an old spiral-bound notebook, having no other drawing surface on hand at the time

While wandering at night, we happened upon this giant square...Piazza del Campo! It is HUGE and is surrounded by a bunch of restaurants and bars. It faces Siena's giant clock tower.

I went on a run the next morning and ended up going through the Piazza...several times, actually, as I got a bit lost near the end! Anyway, this is what it looks like in the day (picture not taken by me)

Here's Siena's Duomo:I love this style of church! The black and white stripes are so dramatic, and the facades are so incredibly detailed. This one was not as huge as the Florence duomo, or as ornate as the Orvieto one, but the interior definitely made up for it:
This Duomo was definitely one of my favorites so far. There was so much to look at! Giant columns, stained glass, works by Bernini and Dontatello, and ornate scenes of colored marble on the floors. There was also an amazing "library," in which illuminated songbooks were on display in a never-restored but still brilliantly colored room. The frescoes were still ridiculously bright, but my favorite part was all the gold and ink and calligraphy in the songbooks. There were lots of tiny, detailed illustrations in the illuminated letters and I loved looking at them and thinking that this was exactly the sort of thing that I liked drawing, except they were done centuries ago. Pretty cool! Here is the library room:
Robby as the classy tourist, next to a giant leg and a boar head, with the remains of a giant sandwich and a glass of wine (actually, I drank the wine, as he thought it was gross, but still) Anyway, the sandwiches were 7 euro (yeah...way overpriced!) and quite tasty.
Here's the clock tower.. Mom and Robby were going to climb it on our last day but the line was too long to make it back in time to catch the train. Apparently it offers a fantastic view of Siena and the valley.
While I was waiting for Mom and Robby to get back from the tower so we could catch the train, I sat under a tree outside St. Dominico's basilica and worked on my paper. On a bench nearby was a kente-clad African guy in his mid-30s. Soon an older Italian guy sat nearby, and the two of them introduced themselves and struck up a conversation; I guess English was their common language. The African guy was in Italy because his school in Nigeria sent him here, and the Italian guy had lived here his whole life. Apparently they were checking out girls or something because the African guy says "I love looking at women but would NEVER get married to one!" The Italian guy agrees, saying "Yes, they are all nice and pretty at first, but then they get all bossy and you can't have that." African guy: "Yeah, when a girl starts getting bossy, either show her who is in charge or get rid of her." They continue in this vein for a while, and then the African guy asks the Italian guy if he's ever been married. He sighs and admits that he is now, actually. "How long?" Italian guy replies, "22 years...waayyyy too long!" and proceeds to complain about his wife for a bit. Then they talk about the stupidity of women and marriage in general, until this tired-looking middle aged lady walks up. The Italian guy springs up and kisses her, showering her with compliments and telling her how much he loves her. Then they walk off together, hand in hand, and the African guy is just sitting there by himself again. Anyway I thought it was kind of amusing.. :)

Then, caught a train to Cinque Terre via Pisa!