DAY 7

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Tuscany here we come! Visions of this landscape have been the scenes of many books I've read. The Etruscan Museum was the first stop of the day. This civilization began in the 5th century and they had a very harmonious life until the Romans showed up. Our local guide, Roberto was hilarious and loved sharing his knowledge. Great local guides are a highlight of a Rick Steves tour.

 

Have you heard of the 'slow food' movement? In Italy it is similar to what we would call 'farm to table'. We visited the Agriturismo la Pietriccia and learned about eating fresh, local food. Then we all were given aprons and hats and had a cooking lesson! Sue and I cut tomatoes for salsa :)

 

Our home for the next two nights was the lovely Hotel Belvedere, perched high in the hills of Tuscany with gorgeous flowers everywhere. After a light dinner at the hotel we had time to soak in the view of rolling hills and vineyards while watching the sun set. 

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DAY 8

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I first heard about Siena and the Palio horse race from a Rick Steves show. It was thrilling to stand where riders on a bareback horse, twice a year, would race three times around the town center and spur the entire city into excitement. Our local guide, Anna, was very passionate about Siena and her contrada (neighborhood).

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The Duomo di Siena was built in the 13th century and is filled with paintings and lavishly decorated sheet music. Cristina took us inside and we all walked our own pace to absorb the grandeur.  I was hungry after that and craving pasta. We found a little cafe with the best ravioli! It had sage, fennel and pecorino cheese. With a glass of chanti, it was a perfect meal.

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Siena is definitely a hill town, and we were ready to explore more steep walkways, when we were deluged with rain.  It was decided that the best thing to do was eat gelato under a store awning and wait it out.