Under the Tuscan Clouds: Part Tre

New Year's Day: Siena

On January 1st we awoke not only to a New Year, but to a sunshiny day!  Taking advantage of the lighting Kevin got some great shots of our villa.  Behold Villa Agostino in all its glory...

It's the building on the left

Our fishbowl living room

The fireplace 

The terrace

Mya sunning herself on the terrace

Not wanting to let the sunny day go to waste we decided to ditch the puppy in Brenna and explore the ancient city of Siena.  Similar to Volterra, Siena also sits among the Tuscan hills and is lined by imposing medieval walls, and although the city is much bigger than Volterra it is not any less alluring. While in Siena we wandered the cobblestone streets, people watched in Piazza del Campo, discovered the divine beauty of the cathedral's museum complex, and ate to our hearts content at two enchanting restaurants....

City Walk

One of the Portas leading into the city

Piazza del Campo

As we descended down an alleyway leading to the Piazza del Campo, we were astonished by the vastness that lay before us.  Unique to other European main squares the open space isn't actually square, but rounded in a shell-like shape.  The piazza is lined by outdoor cafes, the town hall (Palazzo Pubblico) with its bell tower (Torre del Mangia), and the Fonte Gaia "Fountain of Joy".  Fun fact: twice a year on July 2nd and August 16th, the Piazza transforms into a horse racing track.  The event is called Palio di Siena, and consists of 10 jockeys riding bareback around the track three times, with many being thrown off their horse in this 90 second race.

Palazzo Pubblico (the town hall) and its bell tower, Torre del Mangia

Fonte Gaia

Lunch at Antica Osteria da Divo

My favorite meal of the trip was lunch at Antica Osteria da Divo.  We dined in their ancient grotto, dating back to Etruscan times (~700 B.C.),  and could not stop gazing at the the interior walls carved from tufa stone.  It was so cool.  And the food, my God the food...they had both a black and white truffle menu.  Damn it was good.  Check out the photos...

The grotto

Our meal: white truffle risotto for me, lamb for Kev, and of course a bottle of Chianti.

One of the many vaulted nooks 

 Complesso Museale del Duomo (Museum Complex of the Cathedral)

Unlike Florence, we were able to ditch Mya at home, allowing us to do the touristy thing and visit the Complessso Museale del Duomo.  We were able to see the Baptistery of San Giovanni, the crypt (no pictures allowed...Kevin got scolded by the elderly security guard just for holding up his iPhone), the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (museum of the work of the cathedral), and the cathedral itself.

Baptistery of San Giovanni

The Cathedral

 Dinner at La Taverna di San Giuseppe

We capped off our New Year's Day with another great meal, this time at La Taverna di San Giuseppe; a yummy end to a great day.  Look out for the next installment of Under the Tuscan Clouds: Part Quattro, when we take an authentic Tuscan cooking class.