Tuscany's Siena

Watching movies like "Under the Tuscan Sun," "Gladiator," and hundreds of others made Tuscany a place I have been dreaming of for years. Breathtaking views of rolling hills covered in vineyards and quaint tile roofed villas... We had 2 days to explore this amazing countryside, and one day was spent in the historic old town of Siena, home of the Palio horse race. 

 First views of Siena from the ruins of an old stadium. 

Clock tower in "Il Campo," the main square in Siena. This is where the end of the Palio occurs, like the Champs Elysees of the Tour de France. The square reminded me of A Knight's Tale, with its unforgettable medieval style. I could almost see armor, smell the sweat, and hear the words, "It's called a laaaance. Helllooooo."

Siena's beautiful Duomo!

Siena's famous fruitcake, panforte. Nuts, honey, and candied fruit... Try it fresh on the street!

After returning from our Tuscan adventure, we decided to try a sit down Italian restaurant, something our budget allows only on special occasions.

Apertivo (appetizer) plate of salami, ham, cheese, honey, and don't forget chicken liver on toast!! Yum yum... Or not. But we  gave it a shot! After finding out we weren't too fond of liver, our waitress took our plate away and exclaimed, "You don't understand!!" No, I don't understand why you would ever think that some brown mushy chicken insides sounds good on perfectly good toast!

Aside from that dinner was delish. Harmon got gnocchi with saffron and I got some kind of very thick noodle (cini??) in some delicious tomato bacon sauce. Mmmmm!