Day Trip to Siena

Today we took a day trip to Siena.  Siena is about an hour drive from Florence.  We didn't have any specific directions, but we used the road signs and Rick Steve's book.  He was able to tell us where the parking lots were in Siena and how to get there.  We parked near the stadium in Siena, which was pretty close to the center.

Our first sight of the city, Siena

We walked throughout the city of Siena.  We saw Basilica di San Domenico.  Kathleen, mom, and I got kicked out of the church because we were wearing sleeveless shirts and dresses.  When you go into the churches in Italy, your shoulders must be covered.  While Charlie walked through the church, we waited outside for him.

The city of Siena was absolutely beautiful.  The views of the mountains and hillsides were to die for.  As we walked through the city, we did some shopping of leather.  I bought a nice brown leather wallet and keychain.  We wandered through the city of Siena.  We were able to see a few churches, Piazzo del Campo, and Duomo.

me, Kathleen, Charlie in the Piazzo del Campo

We had lunch at a little restaurant that looked over the beautiful mountainsides.  We all got pizzas.  Afterwards we headed back in the direction of the car.  When we walked back, we had to walk up steep streets.  It was like we were in San Francisco!

So what... I needed a little mini break!  Look how steep the road is!

After our day trip to Siena, we headed back to Florence for the afternoon and evening.  Let's just say the ride back was a little treacherous.  We made it to the city of Florence with no problem.  The problem was driving back to the hotel without going into any restricted areas.  Well, we went through one restricted area because the GPS told us to.  Then we were stopped by the police because the GPS was taking us into a pedestrian only zone.  The police gave us a map, and they showed us where to go.  However, we missed the major turn to get us to where we were supposed to go.  We drove around in circles for a bit until we were able to find a landmark -- Piazzale Michelangelo.  We made it there and got to see an amazing view of the city.

After getting back in the car, we were able to find ourselves along the river where I knew I could get us back to the hotel with no problem.  As we approached our hotel, we were stopped by the police again.  They cleared us to keep driving after we told them where we were going.  Once we made it to the hotel, all hell broke loose.

There was a car in front of me, and the driver was waiting for the people from the hotel garage to come pick up the car (just like me).  Only one little problem... a taxi pulled up behind us and needed to get by.  The car in front of me was able to pull up close to a vendor in front of the hotel.  I couldn't drive anywhere because there was nowhere for me to go.  I didn't know where I was supposed to go!  There was no room to park on the side of the street, so finally after some honking and Italian words someone from the hotel came down and directed to me to pull up into traffic, so the taxi driver could get by.  Once he passed, I backed down into the same place I was before.  Next thing I know, ANOTHER taxi shows up!  At this point I am livid.  We have been waiting for the guy from the garage to pick up the car.  So again, I was directed into traffic to let the car pass, and then I had to back down again.  I prayed that a third taxi would not come.  Lucky for me, no other taxi came.  Why didn't I just drive around the block?  Well, there are traffic restrictions near the center of town and Ponte Vecchio.  Where is the hotel?  At the foot of the Ponte Vecchio.  I could have driven a little bit, but I could not guarantee that I would make it back to the hotel again.

After a long aggravating wait, the guy from the garage finally showed up to take the car.  It was an extremely stressful thirty minutes.  Needless to say, don't ever drive a car into Florence.  There are too many restrictions on where to drive!

Tonight we are headed to a Trattoria for dinner near the hotel.  It is our last night in Florence, and we will have an early start tomorrow morning.  I am really excited about tomorrow because I get to see the Boccaccini's again!!  We are spending the day with them, and then we will head to the Amalfi Coast to spend a few days there.

A little something to go away with... With all the driving I have been doing in Italy, let me give you a little taste of my Italian driving!

I like to pass cars to freak out my mom.

Just think of what the family has to look forward to tomorrow when driving the Amalfi Coast :)