Today we left at 8:30 to catch the bus to Siena. After a brisk walk across town we arrived at the bus terminal and boarded, many students elected to nap for the 1.5 hours it takes to drive south into the Tuscan hills. Once there we went to the Palazzo Pubblico and cathedral Santa Maria dell’ Assunta. We looked at some magnificent frescos by Lorenzetti, the Duccio alterpiece (no pictures allowed) and the Piccolomini Library, some of which predate the renaissance yet nicely illustrate its origins. After that we scaled the façade of the cathedral and overlooked the Siena valley. At lunchtime we had a chance to sample the Sienese food and some of us tried a city specific cookie that is filled with almond paste and covered with powdered sugar. Mmmmmm. We took a double deck bus home and had the thrill of seeing just how close the Italians get to one another in rush hour; bikes, Vespas, pedestrians, cars, and trucks all millimeters from each other zigging and zagging on narrow city streets with parked cars and double parked vehicles. Everyone seems to have the right of way at the same time or expects all the other people to yield.
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