Looking down on the road the bus took to bring us to Panzano.
The next day we were bussed to the town of Panzano-in-Chianti, where we stopped at a famous butcher shop, the proprietor has either a television show or written books. Inside the shop, where no photos were allowed, wine and hors d’oeuvres were being served.
From there the road led us up and out of town by vineyards and olive groves. At one point I could’ve sworn that the road was all up and no down, but we reached a crest where you could look down on the town of Volpaia where the restaurant, Ristorante La Bottega, was located and the proprietor, a lady by the name of Carla, was preparing our lunch.
Gianni and Angelica warned us that this would be a very large meal and to pace ourselves. As usual, there was an abundance of wine, as the bruschetta arrived as appetizer. The first course brought dishes of penne with pomodoro and a fabulous handmade spinach stuffed ravioli. The main course was saltimbocca and a tasty chicken cacciatore-like dish. For dessert I had panna cotta with wild berries, although the chocolate cake looked fabulous also. The sky opened up with a passing thunderstorm before dessert arrived and most of the folks fled inside. We were under an umbrella that made such a move an option, so some of us remained seated outside.
Looking down on the road the bus took to bring us to Panzano.
Hillside covered in vineyards.
Heading up the road out of Panzano.
A thistle along the side of the road.
Jonathan checking his camera.
Blue sky and clouds while the road kept going up-and-up-and-up.
Farmhouse amid the vineyards.
Looking down a row and across the countryside.
The sign indicates these are Chianti grapes planted in 2001.
That way to Volpaia (and lunch).
Pausing at the crossroads.
Maybe there were some down hill stretches after all - Angelica, Claire, and Glenn.
Volpaia - it was the only hill town we walked down to enter.
Another attempt at a poppy picture.
A wildflower with a similar flowering pattern to lace-cap hydrangea.
Walking into Volpaia.
The town crest of Volpaia on a ceramic pot.
Claire and Glenn.
The view of the countryside from our table at lunch.
Ana and Carla, the proprietor of the restaurant.
Dessert was panna cotta with berries.
Ana taking coffee after the thunderstorm had passed.
From Volpaia, we bused back to the hotel where we changed for the evening trip into Siena. The bus ride took a little under an hour to the town where we were met by a city guide, a distinguished Italian lady by the name Donatella. She led us through town to vistas where one could get snapshots avoiding the construction cranes that dotted the skyline. The most striking building in town is the cathedral with its black and white stripes. The original design was to create the largest cathedral in Europe, but the Black Death intervened. When they resumed construction, they found that some of the existing walls were incapable of supporting weight, so they abandoned those parts and converted what was originally going to be the transcepts into the main nave and apse of the church.
We went inside where we could use our cameras without flashes, where the black and white marble stripes continued. The floor was an amazing array of marble inlays of scenes from the Bible and other stories. Perhaps the greatest treasure in the cathedral is the frescos in the Piccolomini Library which must be the best kept in the world. The colors were bright and vibrant compared to those in the main nave of the church which were still well preserved, but the colors were much more subdued.
A corner of the battlements of Siena.
The tower of the town hall.
Donatella, the city docent, describing the panorama of the city.
I think (because I didn't write it down) that this is one of the founders of the banking industry in Siena.
A gothic arch with stained glass windows.
This lamp is used in particular festivals, or is characteristic of the district of the city (or both).
An alleyway with arches.
A church - this was the vantage point for the picture of the tower a few shots previous.
A view of the archway to the cathedral square.
A fresco over the entrance to a shop.
The archway to the square of the cathedral. Originally, it would've the a door to the cathedral itself.
Other walls show the extent of the original plans for the cathedral.
Looking back at the archway to the cathedral plaza.
Front of the cathedral.
The pink marble framing the door.
Inside the cathedral.
The ceiling of the nave.
Intricate marble patterns on the floor.
One of the remarkable marquetry works of the cathedral floor.
Stained glass depiction of the Last Supper.
Some of the best maintained Renaissance frescos in the world.
More frescos (a little out of focus).
The Piazza del Campo of Siena.
Looking through the alley to the piazza.
The view of the Piazza del Campo from where Jonathan and I had dinner.
Guillermo, Marisa, Pocho, Maria, Ana, and Juan.
We ended up in the Piazza del Campo,where the Palio horse races are run, and let loose to find dinner. After such a huge lunch, Jonathan had a bowl of soup and I had proscuitto and melon. I also ordered spaghetti carbonara but barely ate a quarter of it. Meeting at the fountain in the square, we returned to the bus for the ride back to the hotel.