It was time to leave the lovely hillsides of Tuscany, but we had one more stop to make before arriving back in Florence. Siena (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siena) sits atop a hilltop with an ancient wall visible on the walk up into the main part of town.
The Duomo which seems to sit at the very top of the hill, is clearly visible in the distance giving us a landmark to head towards. We made our way up into the main square which is lined with restaurants, stores and a tower you can climb if you need a little extra exercise. We continued our way on up to the plaza in front of the Duomo. A large group of nuns were touring the sites along with their tour guide. It was the largest group we had seen since coming to Italy.
Back down the hill we found a restaurant to featured fresh seafood and other specialties from Naples. I had a braised rabbit that was absolutely wonderful. We also shared what had become one of our standard salads, a caprese(tomatoes and mozzarella with fresh basil). I'm really going to miss the beautiful produce we've had on this trip.
We boarded our bus for the drive back into Florence to the Milu Hotel. We had a few minutes before heading to an apartment that overlooked the river on one side and Sante Croce church on the other. All the major sites of the city could be viewed from this vantage point. Our hosts were a prominent Florentine family that knew one of our Italian tour guides and they asked us to join them for cocktails and hors d'oeurves.
We were treated to some genuine Italian hospitality, starting with special Procescco to toast the evening and moving into wine and eventually a liquor to finish out the evening. The food turned into our dinner. The prosciutto wrapped melon, caprese salad, panzenella salad, pate, and thinly sliced veal with tuna sauce complimented the evening well. To make sure we didn't leave hungry, pasta with a fresh tomato sauce was served too. Overtaken by the evening, we soon found ourselves singing songs (including a rendition of Oklahoma) together. Our host was persuaded to sing an opera chorus. It was a special surprise capping a memorable trip.
We had one last gelato before retiring for the evening.
Tomorrow: Last class and good-byes
The Duomo which seems to sit at the very top of the hill, is clearly visible in the distance giving us a landmark to head towards. We made our way up into the main square which is lined with restaurants, stores and a tower you can climb if you need a little extra exercise. We continued our way on up to the plaza in front of the Duomo. A large group of nuns were touring the sites along with their tour guide. It was the largest group we had seen since coming to Italy.
Back down the hill we found a restaurant to featured fresh seafood and other specialties from Naples. I had a braised rabbit that was absolutely wonderful. We also shared what had become one of our standard salads, a caprese(tomatoes and mozzarella with fresh basil). I'm really going to miss the beautiful produce we've had on this trip.
We boarded our bus for the drive back into Florence to the Milu Hotel. We had a few minutes before heading to an apartment that overlooked the river on one side and Sante Croce church on the other. All the major sites of the city could be viewed from this vantage point. Our hosts were a prominent Florentine family that knew one of our Italian tour guides and they asked us to join them for cocktails and hors d'oeurves.
We were treated to some genuine Italian hospitality, starting with special Procescco to toast the evening and moving into wine and eventually a liquor to finish out the evening. The food turned into our dinner. The prosciutto wrapped melon, caprese salad, panzenella salad, pate, and thinly sliced veal with tuna sauce complimented the evening well. To make sure we didn't leave hungry, pasta with a fresh tomato sauce was served too. Overtaken by the evening, we soon found ourselves singing songs (including a rendition of Oklahoma) together. Our host was persuaded to sing an opera chorus. It was a special surprise capping a memorable trip.
We had one last gelato before retiring for the evening.
Tomorrow: Last class and good-byes
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