Day #257 - Siena & Chianti, Italy

Central Square - Siena

Sunshine after some snow in Siena

320-foot bell tower

Wine country - Chianti

Friday, November 26th

Today we took a day trip out of Florence. We took the train down to the town of Siena - located about 25 miles south. We walked into the main city center after departing the train. This was a couple miles and took us 20-30 minutes. The day was really cold. It actually started snowing a little when we arrived at the city square.

Siena is an interesting town in the heart of Tuscany. A long winding road leads to the Piazza del Campo. The Plaza is divided into nine marble-trimmed strips, which represent the city's ancient Government of Nine - and are also said to imitate the folds in the cloak of the Virgin Mary. On 1 side of the square is the Palazzo Publico - with its 320-foot bell tower. This is the second highest in Italy. The Plaza is also the location for a twice-yearly bareback horse race known as the Palio. It entails a 90 second, 3 lap tour of the plaza. Supposedly - this is a huge draw and very difficult to get tickets.

We left Siena and took the train up the road to Chianti. Chianti is one of the most well-known wine regions in all of Italy - stretching between Florence and Siena. It was getting to be mid-afternoon by this time. Due to the season - sunset is a little before 5pm. We left the train station and started a trek up to the castle in town which overlooks the vineyards below. The path we chose to walk was a bit dangerous - as it was 1-lane each way - with no shoulder. We trudged through, but weren't overly comfortable. We ended up seeing some interesting sites - but decided to call it a day before actually reaching the castle. We hailed a taxi to take us back to Siena.

We took the train from Siena back into Florence. We had a nice dinner around the corner from our hotel and called it a day. Tomorrow we head to Pisa - to see some kind of a tower that leans to 1 side.

Wanted to acknowledge my high school football team today - the Valle Warriors. They just won the state championship - 22-21 (went for 2 points in overtime to win the game). Outstanding accomplishment. This is the 10th state championship in school history - which ties us for the most championships all-time in Missouri high school football. I was lucky enough to be apart of 3 of these championships when I was in high school (sophomore-senior). Something that will always stay with you. Congratulations fellas!!!!!