European vacations

A sun-filled sky greeted us in the morning and we set off for Siena, taking only 40 minutes to get there from our Castello di Gargonza (See “Day Tips From Castello Di Gargonza” at http://www.epinions.com/content_23620128388) and find the free underground parking at the train station. We had to walk a few blocks up the hill to get inside the walls of old town Siena, but the exercise was good.

People competed with motorcycles and cars on the narrow cobblestone streets and before long we came to an opening where we saw a huge piazza, Il Campo, with the Town Hall and Torre (tower)del Mangia next to it. It was a great photo opportunity!

by Dick Adler

Tuscany is the tableful of middle-aged, middleclass Brit bikers at a little trattoria in Radda, chortling loudly over their designer pizzas. Umbria is the slightly weird restaurant on the road from Izzalini to Todi, where the neighbors gather to fuss over increasingly rare bambini and the Addams Family-style servers casually plop down plates of homemade ravioli stuffed with local truffles.

The "Borghese Gardens", named for the 16th century Roman family, covers almost 1/3 of the northern part of Rome. It is more like an enormous natural park, than a garden…. plan on taking something to eat and drink; it is a great place for a romantic picnic, offering great views of the "Eternal City" below.

The famous Borghese Gallery is located at the entrance to the gardens….. here you can see some of the greatest works of art - paintings and sculpture from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Bernini’s exquisite statues of David, Apollo and Daphne, and Venus are here, as well as many other very famous works of art…. check out the following sites for more info:

Tuscany is the land of the ecstatic dawns with the endless vineyards on one side and Florence on the other. It is the place where you would like to spend your live, not just rush on vacation for three days through its streets. Too bad that one needs to work to earn some money and travel to Florence, but here I give you some tips of how to make the most of your visit to the Tuscany and live like a “Toscano”.

I lived in Gaeta, Italy for 3 years. I was in middle school during that time, and I remember taking a weekend field trip to Florence (known as Firenze to Italians). But I was young, so I only really remember the beauty of the city. However, in March 2000 I went back to Italy as a member of the University of Southern Mississippi Wind Ensemble. We played concerts in various cities throughout the country. We were lucky enough to stay in Florence for a couple of days. Ten years later, it was just as beautiful as I remembered! I fell in love with Florence on this trip.

Toscana?

Had you asked me about the spellbinding charm of my mother’s homeland, until recently I would have blown it off as overrated and instead would have recommended the much more affordable pleasure paradise of the Adriatic Riviera. I still love party-town Rimini for the cheap local seafood and never ending hedonism, but after visiting the area in ernest, now I know what mom was talking about when she waxed poetic about her childhood in Toscana.

I lived in Florence for three months this summer studying Italian. The school I signed up with, Leonardo da Vinci, put me in an apartment less than 20 feet from Piazza del Duomo, on Via San Lorenzo. This is arguably the best location in the city, as it’s near the main shopping areas, museums, and local markets.

I could see the bell tower on the piazza from my window, and walked by the area every day. The sheer size of the cathedral and its monumental facade impresses everyone that walks by. If you are only passing by Florence, you have to visit the Piazza del Duomo!

History and Architecture

In 1260, during a battle with nearby rival Florence, Siena decided to dedicate its city to the Virgin Mary. The citizens of Siena viewed the Virgin as a protectress and dedicated their cathedral to her. The Siena Duomo was thus built through the combined efforts of numerous groups of Sienese citizens. Each citizen was expected to contribute both time and money to help build the cathedral. The exterior skeleton of the Siena cathedral was structurally complete by the late 1260s. The facade of the cathedral is decorated in a northern Gothic style and was designed by Giovanni Pisano.

San Gimignano, or sometimes known as the Manhattan of Italy, is renowned for its towers from the 14th Century. What makes it unusual is this not-often seen outcrop of ‘medieval skyscrapers’ among the expanse of undulating hills of Tuscany. Of the original 72 towers, about 14 remain, the highest of which is about 160 feet high. The height of the towers signified the importance of your family in San Gimignano. The town’s leading citizens were the Guelph, Ardinghelli, Ghibelline and Salvucci families. You can take short walks within the city walls and climb up to various vantage points where a good view of the Tuscan countryside can be enjoyed.

While trying to select towns for our Tuscan vacation, Siena kept coming up as a top contender. I now see why..it is a well preserved city with a vibrant history. Siena turned out to be much larger than I anticipated. We made the mistake of driving into the medieval core of the city while trying to find our hotel- I don’t recommend this! We found ourselves getting yelled at by locals and police alike. We finally parked in the outer area of the town (near the sports field) and walked to our hotel. The main square is amazing, and shaped like a sea shell. This is the main area of life in Siena, you will see tons of people hanging out in this area at night. The tangle of alleys in Siena makes you feel like you are back in the 1400’s. We had a fabulous dinner near the outskirts of the core at Osteria Nonna Gina. There we were seated with two doctors from Canada in town for a conference- what lovely company. Siena is divided into districts for its famous Palio- a race run 2x a year for the purpose of winning bragging rights. Even if the horse bucks its jockey, the district will still win if the horse passes the finish line. I would recommend Siena as one of the larger towns on your itinerary.