Siena, Pienza, and Montepulciano

 

Siena

Charlie worked remote the entire week we stayed in Tuscany.  However, the time change (Italy being 6 hours ahead) gave us time to explore in the mornings before we had to return the farm stay for Charlie to work around 2pm.  One of those mornings, we ventured about 1 hour and 10 minutes south to Siena.  It was worth it!  Siena is a stunning medieval city seemingly frozen in time.  It is considered a UNESCO world heritage site.  I truly wish we had the entire day to explore, but alas we crammed in what we could.  I was fascinated by the narrow alley ways/streets leading to the Piazza del Campo.

The Piazza del Campo and Torre del Mangia.  It is possible to visit the Torre del Mangia and climb to the top.  However it was not open the day that we visited. The Piazza is a large oval open space in the center of the city. The site was originally a marketplace established before the 13th century.  Since the 1600s a horse race has been held here in the city center.  It is still held twice a year today.

The Siena Cathedral is truly gorgeous.  It was built during the 1200s.  The black and white striped marble pattern is so unique and beautiful.  We purchased tickets on site to enter the cathedral.  The cost was minimal and certainly worth it.  I also have to give a shout out to my classically educated kids!  My older two were able to read a good portion of the Latin engraved on the walls. 

Pienza

We visited the town of Pienza on our drive from Tuscany to the Rome airport where we returned our rental vehicle.  No one wants to have a car in Rome! Pienza is a beautiful town, but what stood out to me the most were the views of the val d' orcia from the town.

Pienza is a renaissance village built/designed by Pope Pius II in the 1400s.  Walking underneath the arched gateways of these old villages never gets old and neither does strolling down the beautiful streets.

We went to the less ornate but still beautiful cathedral

We viewed the Gladiator filming spot just outside of the village.  Imagine Maximus' home village and him riding on his horse to check on his family when you look at these pics.  This scenery also appears at the end of the movie when he walks through the wheat field after he has died and gone to heaven.  He looks up and sees his wife and son.

Montepulciano

After visiting Pienza, we made a quick stop in Montepulciano. Montepulciano is a medieval and renaissance hilltop village.  It was filled with beautiful streets, beautiful valley views, and a beautiful cathedral just like Pienza.