Rome, Siena and Firenze

After 4 nights in Rome and 2 nights in Siena, it's official. I am thoroughly over Pizza. I can't even think about Pizza. I have eaten many varieties of Margarita pizza ... but no Pineapple *sorry Jen*. I have even had a pizza slice that is 3 handspands long! I can think kindly about pasta... but I am longing for some chips. Actually, I did have a really lovely dinner last night in the hotel restaurant in Siena. As the sun went down, Tanya and I ate red meat. Beautifully cooked beef in garlic and olive oil.
I enjoyed Rome, but I think it is not my favourite city in the world. I am glad I went, but overall it is not probably somewhere I would love to return. Although, I didn't get to see the Sistine Chapel, so maybe I would come back for that someday. It would be good to see the artwork that Michaelangelo went blind creating... but I think that is actually the limit of the things that took my fancy in Rome. I loved the coffee though. After Germany it was such a nice change. Made a difference after drinking German gunge... almost tasted like a Lavazza from Lygon St!

I think come Tuesday morning we were both pleased to be catching a train to Siena. The lure of a smaller town and a trip into the Tuscan countryside was enough to excite us both. There were fields and fields of the most gorgeous sunflowers on the way and it brought such a smile to my face each time I looked out of the window. The countryside was as I would expect, but so brown after Germany where everything was so green.

Siena was absolutely picturesque. It's a city that has a wall around it - left over from all the ancient wars, and inside the city are buildings that look like they come straight from a fairytale. Quaint little shops, cobbled laneways and buildings with shutters on them. The hotel we were staying in was just beautiful. We were lucky to get to stay anywhere at all in Siena, but thanks to some forward planning by T we got to stay in a lovely double private room with a beautiful bathroom and a shuttered window overlooking a church and street. I felt like such a princess in a fairytale opening up the shutters and looking out at the day.

While we were in Siena, their Palio festival http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palio_di_Siena
was held. It is a medieval contest between districts of Siena which culminates in a horsrace around the town Piazza where the only rule is that the rider cant grab the reigns of another jockey. The crowd is huge and we went in for two trial runs. I am very glad that we went to watch two in their entirety, because come the big day -yesterday- we tried to go into the main Piazza il Campo, and we waited in the square for 3 hours or more, staked out a great spot at the front, and then when we were in the frontline for a swarm of thousands of thousands of people... and they started charging at us, we thought it was time to leave. It was exhillarating and dangerous and after giving ourselves a fright we were happy to have forced our way out relatively unscathed. But I realised my camera got stolen. Boo. I am pretty cranky about it, but most of my photos were backed up and at least we were ok.
Two nights later we have moved on today to Florence. Its a bigger city than Siena and looks a lot like Rome. But there is so much art and culture and history here... and I am excited. We also have somewhere lovely to stay here and it is a real treat to have a computer in our room.

Am missing you all at home. So excited to hear that Dan and Nella and Mia have found a place. Congrats!! and have been so grateful for all the messages. I love you all.

xoxox
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The Italian Flag.

The sculpture on top of the Shrine in Rome. Look familar? Its so similar to that on the top of the Brandenberg Gate!!

So... Buttercup directed me to the Colosseum. I was excited but suprised there were no tourists there. Until I realised that it was a little little version and not the Colosseum at all! Buttercup was ever so slightly sheepish...

But look how proud she is when we found the real Colosseum!!