Tuesday
A truly unbelievable start to the day. The program went something like this:
8:37 Bus from Lerici to La Spezia station arriving around 9:15 to get the 10:07 train to Pisa. Change trains at Pisa with a 30 min gap to get the train to Empoli with a 5 min gap to get another train to Siena. The time between connections became progressively shorter and with it all being on Italian trains, the odds were stacked against us, but, as it turned out, it worked a treat and all connections were achieved. We were even able to get into our hotel room a couple of hours early! Truly remarkable.
So it was goodbye to the very dolce vita pace of Lerici and hello to tour guide hell in Siena. While the Piazza del Campo is very large and easily accommodates the crowds, the narrow streets to and from are like being in Rome at the Trevi fountain. Umbrellas, plastic flowers on telescopic sticks and flags everywhere. But we braved the streets and went for an explore, tourist office for a map, bus station for a time table, supermarket for bananas, just the normal first priority stops. However, along the way we found a few good ristoranti with surprisingly low prices so we will do alright tonight I think.
Our hotel is amazing. It has the plainest front, just a flat wall with shuttered windows, but inside is something else again. It is a very old villa in the historic part of Siena called Palazzo Ravizza, all marble and vaulted ceilings and a garden terrace with uninterrupted views to the Tuscan hills on the horizion. So no matter what the crowds throw at us, we will have a slice of old Italy to come home to each night. Molto bene indeed!!!
And now it's time to think about how we are going to get to our next location, Bucine. We know its a bus so all we have to do is find out where it leaves from, what time and buy the tickets. Sounds straightforward enough; but wait, this is Italy.
The Internet says there are three buses leaving from the main bus interchange here where there is even an information office. Yes there is a 12:20 bus, leaves from the interchange which is good because the other option was the train station at the bottom of the hill. Tickets bought we went back to the hotel feel ing pretty good that this job was out of the way.
Later that night, Jean checked the tickets only to find that we had been given tickets to Badia Agnano and the bus number did not accord with our info from the net. So looks like we have a return trip tomorrow.
Wednesday
Up and off to the bus station. Get to the window and thankfully it's a different girl. Yes, the bus leaves from the Piazza, yes it goes at 12:20, yes these are the correct tickets. But hang on I ask, Badio Agnano is well south of Bucine is it just one bus all the way. No, you have to change at Badio A. What time does that bus leave I ask, I don't know is the reply, it's a different company! So there we would have been, in the middle of Tuscany, suitcase in each hand, miles from where we wanted to be, under the Tuscan Sun. So, our Internet info tells us the bus we need leaves from the train station, so off we set again, down the hill to the station where there is a tourist info office. They don't seem to have the answers and tell us to go to the bus office. The guy there tells us the bus doesn't run on Saturday, so that stuffs that,, but ever the resourceful traveller, Jean works out that the bus to Bucine is due in in 40 mins or so. So we wait for it and talk to the driver who swears blind that it runs on Saturday, just like the Internet and the timetable on the bus stop pole says it does, so back to the ticket office and buy two tickets.
It remains to be seen who is right.
By the time we got back to the hotel it was 2:00 so a quick freshen up and it's of to explore.
It is 505 steps to the top of the bell tower in the Piazza, a cursory walk through the Duomo and its 5:30 and time for a search for a suitable restaurant for dinner.
There is really not enough words to describe the magnificence of the work that has gone into the Duomo. It is really quite breathtaking. We bought a three day pass so we will explore it in greater detail on Friday.
Thursday
Another beautiful Tuscan day, and so it's off to San Gimignano for the day. Bus found and boarded and off we go.
S. Gimignano is a 2nd Century Etruscan town perched on top of a hill, and is a most fascinating place to visit. We bought some bread, cheese, prosciutto and olives and found a seat under a tree, high on a hill and had lunch. What a great way to spend the day.
On arrival back in Siena, walking back from the bus, we were immediately confronted by the hordes of waving flags and umbrellas that are tour groups, all blocking the road as they struggle to get their headsets to work. At that critical time, and going in the same direction as us, came Carlo the concreter in his little tray truck, clearly anxious to get home. As he revved his engine and blew his horn, the crowd pressed against the walls and into the nearest doorway to let him through. Seizing the opportunity, I grabbed Jean and walked behind the truck, feeling much like a tow truck chasing an ambulance. Walking at a good pace we quickly passed much of the crowd and at the start it was just Jean and I. However, glancing over my shoulder I felt it resembled the scene in Love Actually when the guy goes to meet his Portuguese girlfriend to ask her to marry him. As he starts out it is just the father and sister behind him as he walks down the street. By the time he gets there the whole neighbourhood is in train. Well, that's what it felt like, a truly hilarious scene with everyone chattering away and surging and stopping as the truck worked its way down the street. Fortunately we peeled off to the right just before he parked, leaving a crowd standing behind him!!
Sightseeing done, we are back at the hotel, out in the terrace garden enjoying an ice cold beer in the afternoon sun. We are really starting to fit into the Italian way of eating and drinking all day long.