Siena, Day 8

On any map, Rome and Siena look like they could be 10 minutes away from each other. Not quite so. I was warned that getting around in Italy is not an easy task and I should have listened more carefully. First, there was a crowded train ride to Chiusi, then a nauseating bus trip to the station located outside of Siena. This meant that we had to drag all of our heavy suitcases down a hill (I know, I know, I should have packed lighter) and walk 20 minutes in over 30 degree weather to reach the car rental place, remembering the no-complaining-about-the-sun pact that I had made with my man days earlier. Only we had to wait there, on the busy highway street, in front of a huge, loud, ugly construction site for two hours until it reopened after their "lunch break". Everything in Italy shuts down in the afternoon, even car rental places. Keys in hand, we finally make it to the maze that is Siena to hunt for a bank and a grocery store in a town that has banned cars from its center. When you are tired, hungry and just a little bit lost, walking seems like a ridiculously inefficient mode of transportation. All in all, I wanted to go back to Rome immediately. We finally got everything we needed and made it here...

...and I changed my mind entirely. The hunger, heat and frustration of a rough day of travel were far behind me.

Our agriturismo is just the opposite of Rome. It is remote, spacious, has unlimited hot water and, if vineyards, gardens and quiet, shady patios were not enough, it also has a...

...goat! I love her. Obviously, I'm not much of a country girl but I did not know that goats were so cute and friendly. Tina wags her little tail when we arrive, leans in for a neck rub and makes the sweetest happy sounds when you scratch her behind the ears. Then she thanks you by giving you kisses on the hand, just like a puppy. I want a goat. Friends, take note, I'm adding goat to my Christmas list.

As it turns out, once the blood sugar level gets back to normal and the suitcases are no longer an issue, Siena is actually a really nice town to explore.

I'm fascinated by the way people live in medieval cities that date back more than 400 BC. It is one thing to visit a city and its monuments or read about its history. It is quite another to witness how those buildings are being used today. Siena, for example, is now a University town, which isn't particularly obvious during the day but if you happen to be strolling around at night, especially on a Friday, you will encounter hundreds of 18 year olds drinking and gossiping on the piazza that was used for sporting events well over a thousand years ago.

While Siena at night is lively in certain places, it is so calm and deserted in other areas that it borders on eerie. You really do feel like a horseman and chariot could speed by on their way to battle an enemy.

It is said that "travel is glamorous only in retrospect" (Paul Theroux). While I absolutely agree with this quote and felt anything but glamorous when putting up with 20 hour flights, crowded trains and smelly buses, walking around Siena at night, gelato in hand, I was perfectly aware of how amazing that experience was.

Italy countdown, day 8

pizza:4

pasta:5

gelato:6