Tuscany Adventures -- Siena

 We got to the Frankfurt airport for our flight to Siena four hours early, which I was skeptical of--let me sleep--but it turned out to be an excellent idea, as the security line was literally hundreds of people long. Luckily, an airline attendant saw Elowen, plucked us out of line, and escorted us to the front of security. "Thank God for having a toddler on vacation"--a thing no one usually says, but one that holds true in Europe. 

Unfortunately, our flight got delayed and delayed more--and I learned that it gets cancelled about half the time--and then when we finally boarded, we sat on the tarmac for well over an hour, since apparently the truck crew that pulls the planes was between shifts. Elowen was a champ though and didn't cry at all; she was asleep as soon as we finally took off. 

Even in winter, flying over Tuscany is so beautiful--the patchwork of green and cedar trees and palazzi with smoking chimneys below looked like something out of a movie (and I guess is in a lot of movies!). At the airport, we waited for what seemed like a long time for the shuttle to the rental car, so Taylor called the office to see where it was--which was apparently VERY offensive to the driver. When he finally showed up, he asked Taylor very angrily why he called, and then snapped the doors shut on him as Taylor loaded the stroller (a level of pettiness that made me laugh).  But we soon had our rental car and were zipping the 40 kilometers to Siena and the Four Points, a Marriott about 10 minutes outside of the old walled city. 

Since it was fairly late when we arrived, we decided just to eat dinner and start anew the next day; we ended up at Piazza del Campo, the main public square in Siena. It started out as a marketplace even before the 13th century and eventually became the sprawling and majestic square you see today, lined with cafes under the palazzi that used to house wealthy and influential families. In fact, the square is one of the reasons UNESCO recognizes Siena as an ideal example of a medieval city (I stole that fact from a website). 

It's also built in nine sections all facing the Palazzo Publico, representing the nine governors of the city, and also meant to represent the folds in the Virgin Mary's cloak. 

And finally, one of the most famous sites to see now in the square is the Palio, a horse race where 10 riders compete to represent their "contrade," or section of the city. Each contrade has its own emblem, color, and animal, and it's fun to try to spot them as you wander around the old streets--we ended up finding a unicorn, a sheep, a rooster, and a wolf. 

For dinner, we decided to eat on the square to watch the light show reflected on the buildings and chose Cafe Manganelli. I had a delicious burrata salad with prosciutto and also cacio e pepe pici, which is a thick spaghetti noodle characteristic of the area. Elowen had ricotta and spinach ravioli, and she attacked the bread and noodles with gusto. 

Symbols of the contrade 

The next day was a road trip day, with stops planned in Pienza, Montalcino, and Montepulciano!