Italian Adventures: Siena and Perugia

This past weekend we had an excursion to Siena and Perugia. Saturday, we visited Siena. We started with a walking tour. We visited the Basilica of San Domenico which houses two relics of Saint Catherine who was from Siena. We also walked past the house where Saint Catherine lived. We saw medieval aqueducts then we took a series of escalators up to the Duomo. We looked at the facade and saw the ruins of the extension that was stopped because of the plague. Then we went to Piazza del Campo where we ended our tour. We had pizza for lunch and then some delicious gelato. We sat in Piazza del Campo for awhile and enjoyed the sun. Then we walked around the side streets a bit before heading back to the Piazza to meet up with everyone else and head back to the buses. Next we went to Terme Querciolaia a spa with thermal baths. We spent a few hours relaxing in the indoor and outdoor thermal baths. Then we headed to our hotel where we had a delicious meal.

Siena

Medieval Aqueducts

Siena Duomo

Piazza del Campo

Sunday, we went to Perugia. There we had another walking tour. The Etruscans inhabited the area of Perugia, so there are some Etruscan arches still visible around the city. It is also a medieval town and there are several small alleys. We saw some nice views of the countryside of Umbria. Our tour ended in the main square and then we headed to Perugina to buy some chocolate (Perugia is known for its chocolate). Then we had lunch outside in the main street, and after that we went quickly through the National Gallery of Art before heading back to the buses. Next we went to a wine tasting at Castello di Verrazzano. We tried three red wines and a dessert wine. We also had lots of food - cheese, meats, bread, salad, biscotti, and more. The castle was in a gorgeous location with lovely views of Tuscany. After the wine tasting, we headed back to Florence. When we arrived the sun was setting over the Arno which was really pretty.