We took some seriously wonderful side trips from Florence. We decided to hit San Gimignano and Siena in one day. It was ambitious, but utterly breathtaking. You know those typical images you see of Tuscany? Those were taken exactly where we were... I'm just sure of it.
All the towers in San Gim were pretty great. Rick Steve (the 6th member of our travel team) taught us that there was a Montague/Capulet thing in town and they feuded it out from their towers. I like to think they said, "oh yeah? you think that tower's great? well check this one out. ha! mine's bigger!" But it may not have happened quite like that. Sadly the plague of 1348 killed the town and it was essentially frozen in time.
Siena was a highlight. What a beautiful and interesting town. It has so much pride and character. The city is divided into 17 neighborhoods and they each have a crest and a flag. They're super rad... I want one. Twice a year, in July and August, there is a citywide horse race called Palio that pits the neighborhoods against each other. The winner of the bareback horse race gets the honor of throwing a party for the city and year-long bragging rights. Il Campo, where the horses race, is massive. You've seen it in the latest 007, "Quantum of Solace," but I recommend a visit in person.
We visited a lot of churches in Italy, duh, but Siena has my favorite. A black and white striped exterior and marble inlaid floors. Perfection. Apparently, they never finished the church (damn plague). But what they finished, they finished in style. Enjoy.
