Day 16 - Siena

Lazy morning at Porciglia. Breakfast, swim, read.....laze.

In the afternoon we head out to the beautiful walled city of Siena. Parking is a bit of a challenge but eventually we succeed and decide to walk to the main square, Piazza del Campo.

There is excitement in the air because the the famous Palio horse race , which pits the numerous contrades (districts) against each other, is happening on Thursday. The bare- back horse race is steeped in tradition and is taken very seriously by its residents.  Piazza del Campo hosts this medieval style race the twice a year. At around 5pm a huge parade marches through town displaying all the contrades in full regalia. Ryan and I watch the "shell" team while the other, lazier family members stay away from the crowds.

We then walk the ancient streets Siena to the cathedral. The Duomo is something to see, inside and out! All of us were impressed with the 12c  architecture and workmanship that surrounded us. After the catherdral we went to the Museo dell Opera Metropolitana where the original artwork from the Duomo is housed. At the end of the exhibit you have the option to climb 146 steps up a windy tower to see the most incredible view of Siena and the surrounding areas. Some of us handled the 30 minute wait better than others.

Exhausted, after a great day we head home to where we are warmly greeted by our chef Elena. she prepared us an amazing penne ricotta tomato basil salad with delicious baked thyme chicken. Yummy!