08-MAR-2007
We spent a week in Siena, a medieval city in the hills of Tuscany. Greg had been there 20 years earlier and had been taken with the beautiful city and the countryside. His memory, although not what it was before zorbing, highlighted a small fountain that he was determined to find again.
08-MAR-2007
One of the great things about Siena is that it is a living city. It’s not as overrun with tourists as some other Tuscan cities, particularly before high season.
03-MAR-2007
The cathedral is one of the city's treasures The photo shows details inside the dome.
07-MAR-2007
Siena’s streets are narrow and winding
07-MAR-2007
Another significant sight is the massive “campo”. The sloping, shell-shaped piazza is the venue for two summer horse races. You can see a small portion of the track where the café tables are placed.
03-MAR-2007
The races have been contested for hundreds of years among the city’s 17 districts. Each area has its own name, flag and colours. Race day includes banner and band displays where the districts also try to outdo each other. We came across the “Noble Ram” district in an early practice.
04-MAR-2007
A day later, we walked through the Imperial Giraffe district where they were having what was probably their kickoff party.
08-MAR-2007
Even our accommodation was organized like the city. Each apartment had the name of a district, its flag and even the matching key chain. Our’s was the “Captain of the Waves".
08-MAR-2007
On our last day, we found the fountain that had stayed in Greg’s memeory over the years. It turned out to be the fountain of the "Captain of the Waves".