The roomies and I decided to stay in tonight. We had a long day of traveling and site-seeing in Sienna and San Gimignano (minus Meaghan :( because the trip filled up super fast). We had to meet at the train station, a 20 minute walk from our apartment, at 8:00am. Luckily, we found the only breakfast sandwiches available in Florence at a McDonald's in the train station. As I guiltily devoured a days worth of calories in minutes, I gazed out of the window on a bus of 40 other students going to Sienna, a beautiful medieval city full of character and stories. Many of these stories we heard from Marcello, a professor at Palazzo Rucellai and our tour guide for the day. He is not only a good laugh, but a wealth of knowledge.
Our first stop was Sanctuary of Santa Caterina, or St. Catherine, who is known as a feminist of her time as she openly talked about war and peace (unheard of at that time and for centuries after). We didn't stay long, but we did see the finger and head of St.Catherine herself, which is on display.Can you imagine having your finger, your head, or any other part of your body displayed in a cathedral named after you and still standing centuries later? That's what I was thinking of as I gazed at the remains of Catherine. After we visited the Cathedral of Sienna. Wow! Each inch of the cathedral was covered either in gold, carved sculptures, vibrant paintings, or black and white marble. I will post a few pictures because I know that my words cannot do it justice.
We also visited the Piazza Del Campo. This town square is actually more of a semi-circle shape divided into nine sections of brick laying to represent the nine people who designed the piazza and ruled Sienna in the medieval times. For lunch, we stopped at a restaurant on the main road. Trying to be adventurous, I ordered the veal with mushrooms while others at the table ordered pizza, tortellini, and chicken. When I got my platter, it looked like it had been eaten and spit out. I daringly dug in and found myself trying to decide if I liked it or not. As others at the table tried not to look at my dish for fear of losing their appetite, I decided that maybe a good pasta or pizza might not be so bad next time. After lunch, I went for a no-brainer: gelato! I got a huge cone dipped in chocolate with coffee, chocolate, and stracciatella. Yum!
We boarded the bus and journeyed 45 minutes back towards Florence, stopping at San Gimignano on the way. San Gimignano is small and quiet and when we arrived it seemed almost like a ghost town. Many shops were closed and people were seen here and there, but it was nice because I felt like we were taking a glimpse into their lives, not a stroll through a city centered around tourism. No, this place was definitely not centered around tourism. Our group was yelled at by a pharmacy owner, carrying on that he didn't want us standing outside of his store (which is how Marcello translated it, anyway). Trust me, we weren't the one scaring people away. Then again, we have just as many (if not more) crazy people in America, so don't worry San Gimignano, I'm not writing you off just yet. We reached a point at the end of the main street that overlooked the countryside which offered a great photo-op. What I found most interesting about this town was the town hall, the cathedral, and the loggia (an open space for formal ceremonies). They were all right next to each other (talk about separation between church and state). In Florence, and in Sienna, the town hall (usually owned or built by wealthy families that ruled the city) and the Cathedral (grand, elaborate odes to the Roman Catholic religion) are very separated from one another. Before coming to Italy, I thought that they were all connected, but San Gimignano was the first time I'd seen the closeness I was expecting.
After getting in from a long and VERY cold day, we vegged for a while. My roommate Meaghan and I watched Letters to Juliet, a romantic chick flick that takes place in Verona, Italy. The movie was about a 65 year-old woman looking for her long lost love, while her grandson falls in love along the way. As they travel all over Italy to find Lorenzo, they stop in Sienna. I found myself saying "That looks so familiar!" But was most excited when I saw the Cathedral of Sienna (there's no mistaking it). I excitedly yelped "Hey, I've been there!" Which got me to thinking, all of these places I am visiting and photographing (praying I will later remember what the hell that building actually is) are places that I will be able to explain, and connect with so many people for the rest of my life. I also found myself missing my "Lorenzo" back home in the States, but that's a completely different post that I won't get into now.
On the line-up tomorrow? Laundry, grocery shopping, and homework. Ugh. Well, I must get some much needed rest. Ciao!
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