We were so in love with the extensive patio at our villa outside of Sienna that as I have already said, it was very difficult to inspire us out for dinner. The other reason why it was difficult to move us was because we got pretty darned good and assembling our own charcuterie.

But after a whole lot of deliberation, we found ourselves at Ristorante Acqua Borra which through the help of Google, I understand was once a thermal park.

The magnificent walls of the building had been beautifully restored and we were comfortably set near a large window. If it had been day time, we were quite sure that we could have seen our villa from there.

D ordered a scrumptious Vino Nobile to acknowledge a birthday that we had missed marking together at home. We hoped it would celebrate how very special person was to us and our delightful time together.

D and J3 shared a Florentine Steak that we had heard so much about back home. It was 2 1/2 fingers deep and arrived already sliced.

D2 was still on her quest for the perfect Carbonara,

As unusual as this dish looks, it was pretty good-marinated pork filet with caramelized onions and pear soaked in wine. It could have received higher marks in my book if the sauce had not been quite so salty (and I typically love salt)!

Deciding against dessert we made the short way home where rumours were floating around about a hot tub being fired up.

Kath’s quote: “You and me, we are more than friends. We are like a small travel gang!”-Unknown

Love never fails.

This was our view walking from the parkade into the old city of Sienna for another visit

and more quaint shots along the way to the Duomo.

There were times when I was speechless with the exquisite beauty everywhere you went.

Even the views of the shops were beautiful.

I had learned on a previous visit that the zebra stripes of the cathedral were actually layers of white and green marble.

Of course 2 dimensional photos like this, don’t come anywhere near the magnitude of the structure.

Da Vinci was only one of many sculptors commissioned to adorn the space.

These angels were a couple of my favourites.

At one point I climbed the stairs that provided this beautiful view of the city.

There has been a newly excavated section (in 1998) that we didn’t know about when we were there previously. The discoveries were amazing.

The ceiling of the library.

The most exquisite gallery shop I have ever seen.

We reconvened for lunch and in spite of some rain, sat under the enormous umbrellas at the restaurant called “Il Fontino”.

I can close my eyes and recall the taste of the succulent lasagna-heavy with cheese.

A flat of plants at a little grocery store en route to the parkade.

Sienna I will always remember you.

Kath’s quote: “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” ― St. Catherine of Siena  

Love never fails.

This ancient fountain in Sienna became a reminder for us of where we had come and where we were going.

I have an injured knee so I was fine to walk, but really tried to avoid backtracking our steps and going an alternate way. Even with 2 guys using GPS, old Sienna is confusing to navigate.

But we finally made it to our destination of the square.

We had seen a number of people that morning with crowns of laurel leaves, taking pictures in the square. Sienna has a large university community and it was graduation day!

We strolled around the periphery of the square seeking… lunch (what else)?

We seated ourselves on Il Fantino’s patio

but I caught a look inside (for future reference).

Our lunch was a hit (as they all seemed to be) but except for the fact that D2 had the Capresse Salad I can’t for the life of me remember who had what and uncharacteristically, I didn’t write it down. This is what happens when old people write blogs.

We spent more time in the vicinity of the square, where I came upon this exquisite turquoise onyx horse. I remembered what really made the Campo del Plaza special-twice a year, the square is the scene of the world’s most famous, if not most ancient horse race: Il Palio.

We made our way to the Duomo, the most splendid cathedral I have ever visited. We decided thought that we did not have enough time in the day to really soak up its splendour, so we made arrangements to return the next day.

D2 and I, arm in arm, finished our wander, soaking up the antiquity of the city. Knowing we were to spend the next day in the Cathedral, I think we did some shopping…oh yes WE DID DO SOME SHOPPING!

I purchased a beautiful leather bag and a piece of costume jewelry. I use at least one of them daily and love them as a reminder of that wonderful day.

Kath’s quote: “Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.”
– Muhammad Ali

Love never fails.

On this day we decided to drive into Sienna’s train station and take the train to Florence. D and I remembered Italian train service as a pleasant way to travel. With these 2 handsome guys as our escorts, we  were in good hands.

Our first order of business was finding a place to have lunch. D and I loved Giovani’s when we visited 4 years ago and the their pasta was just as memorable. It’s location right on the square in front of the Duomo was superb.

Directly in the foreground is the baptistery which was covered in scaffolding when we visited last. The combination of the buildings and the square itself is stunning and is one of the most visited places in all of Europe.

When D and I had visited Florence previously we missed seeing Michelangelo’s David at the Academie Gallery.

Other less famous pieces were still breathtaking.

And here was the “perfect man” himself. I had seen David when I was in my early twenties and visiting Europe for my first time. I could truly say that I didn’t appreciate the masterpiece the way I did on this visit.

Strolling back to the Duomo, we enjoyed the sun from a different angle of the cathedral.

Waiting in line to enter the Duomo, gave us an up close opportunity to admire the magnificent façade.

As splendid as the façade was, I was kind of underwhelmed by the interior.  The Duomo back in Sienna was far more splendid in my opinion.

While we were in the cathedral, the sun had sunk even further.

Just steps away, you could hire a carriage ride. The ancient and present day advertising struck me with its stark contrast.

We reconvened at Giovani’s again for a favourite Italian cocktail-apero spritzes. We made our way back to the train station and got onto a packed train. As we got closer and close to Sienna though the crowds thinned out.

The evening was another gorgeous one and we ordered salad and pizza to enjoy on our terrace.

Kath’s quote: “Sharing adventures means enjoying them 100% more.”-author unknown

Love never fails.

My impression of Pienza was an accessible place with inhabitants who loved the beauty which surrounded them and their own quests to make it even more so.

Flowers had been planted everywhere and inspired me to do the same next spring.

The retail stores were small and quaint with aromas of lavender or pungent cheeses depending upon where you stopped.

One of the reasons I longed to visit Pienza was because I knew that it had been one of the locations for the filming of Zeferelli’s Romeo and Juliet-one of my all time favourite movies. I scoured the sites for places familiar to me. No, these were selected for the balcony scene…..

But Tybalt did die in this square.

I did discover that this courtyard which posed as the one of the Capulet’s home.

I also stumbled upon this lovely church where I spent a few moments in prayer.

We stopped for a refreshing espresso as we made plans for the rest of the afternoon.

Soon though the arched doorways and gates

took us back to the village wall and our vehicle.

We were in the vicinity of Montepulciano so we stopped for a brief look on our way home. I stayed with the car as my knee prevented me from making another vertical climb.

Upon our arrival back at the Air BnB in Sienna, we were greeted by the most exquisite sunset.

D and I got going in the kitchen and we made a delectable pasta and salad.

Our first touring day was a perfect one and we were filled with gratitude for the privilege of travel.

Kath’s quote: “You can pack for every occasion, but a good friend will always be the best thing you could bring!” -unknown

Love never fails.