A classic Tuscany scene of olive trees with a tiny village in the background!! Yesterday, Wednesday, October 12, we ventured to Siena, a drive of approximately 40 miles to Siena. Going we took a winding, twisting road (Sarah is a great driver!) which provided many opportunities to see such scenes as the one above. And she was content to follow this for awhile - she wasn't the one holding up traffic!

Upon arriving in Seina, the challenge of finding a parking spot was faced. Sarah preserved landing us within reasonable walking distance of the train station which has a connecting shopping center which has an immense escalator & moving ramp system to take you up the hillside. Then we had a short walk to one of the gates into the walled area of Siena.

We kept on walking and walking, finally arriving at the Duomo! We sat on the steps in the sun as it was just a tad chilly to eat our sandwich and miniature cheesecake that we had purchased along the way

Sorry, I still haven't mastered taking inside photos.

This blurry shot shows close-up of blue striped design

This is just one of the 56 floor tiles! With a rope barricade included...

We then proceeded to walk to the Piazza del Campo:

Then we wandered through the narrow streets looking at the people, architecture, store fronts, etc. with the end result being finding the car! Unfortunately by this time my knee was hurting rather badly so Sarah left me outside the train station to retrieve the car by herself - she made much faster time without me!! She did pick me up and we headed home via the autostrada making good time. The scenery was a bit less spectacular but still noteworthy. Once home we settled in with rests (well, I put my knee up with ice-Sarah was very solicitous!), dinner of scrambled eggs, bread & olives, then early to bed!  It is so nice knowing where our beds are every night!! Here is artwork as we arrived and left through the gate in Siena - approximately 5 hours: