Italy Trip: Siena

Blue skies and cathedrals. That about sums up almost every day of our Italy trip. This day the sky and church were in Siena.

Noah was avoiding family pictures, but we got him into this one somehow.

 
Sienna took a blurry one of us with my phone.

And one more of the tower because I love the black and white stripes so much.

 Coming into Piazza del Campo.

 We didn't go inside any of these buildings but we sure enjoyed the heck out of the outside. Adam's mom requested at least one photo in the square of Sienna and her daddy. Adam was a missionary in this square 15 years ago! He said this is where he really caught hold of the Italian language, and because of that, he learned to pronounce the c's as h's, which is the Tuscan dialect. When he was transferred to other areas he had to unlearn that because he sounded like a boy from the country. He remembers meeting only locals in this square. Nowadays, the place is overrun by tourists and you'd be hard pressed to find a local.

Sienna's name choice didn't necessarily come from Siena, Italy. I had liked the name for awhile, having heard it a few times growing up. When it was on our list, I'm sure Adam's love for this town played a part in his affection for the name. She loves knowing that there are four Siennas: herself, the color, the crayon and now a city! She really liked this visit and all the attention we showed her. What a little sweetie.

And by the five millionth shot, Noah had run into the picture. Hey guys, remember me?

And finally, John and Krista. We spent maybe an hour sitting on the piazza. It's the perfect place for settin'. It's clam shaped and slanted toward Palazzo Pubblico (that orange/brown building) and you pretty much want to stay there as long as possible. 

Adam and I took turns having foot races down the ramp and back with the kids. They were going a bit nutty and needed something to do. They also entertained themselves taking pictures of each other with my phone. 

Krista and I bought some of the regional specialty cookies, ricciarelli, and passed them around. They were sooooooo good. Soft almond cookies sprinkled with powdered sugar. I must find a recipe and make them ASAP! We all talked about them the rest of the trip. As the kids neared explosion, we sprung for gelato. #asyoudo

 
Then we all separated so the kids didn't strangle each other and took walks wherever we wanted. Sienna and I found some quaint back streets.

 I bought the kids these dumb little fuzzy keychains. Sienna named hers Fly Flufferton (I think with the help of John) and Noah named his Hedgehog Ware (I think all on his own). These two crack me up! They were good sports going from town to town and square to square, but having something to hold made it a even more bearable.

 And down we go to the cars. That's a wrap, Siena!

Italy Trip: San Gimignano

All hail the delightful, ancient, crumbling, brown town of San Gimignano! What a great place to stop for four nights to "rest." Hahahah. Rest! We wished. These pictures cover the span of that stay, but for two of those days we did day trips to Siena and Florence, so stay tuned for those.

 

 We stayed in a farm house 10 minutes outside of the town square called Agritourismo Raccianello. Agritourismo means it's a working farm for tourists; in the summer time they do wine tasting and cooking classes and activities, but we came too soon for all that. We didn't mind. Having the place all to ourselves was perfect.

 Adam rented bikes for himself, John and Krista. They went on a 15-miler the first day.

 Adam went alone the next few days on much longer rides, his longest being a 70-miler to and from Siena.

 It was wonderful to let the kids run free on the property.

Haha, or play games on my phone...

 We basked in the amazing sunlight.

 Ketchup potato chips for a snack. Our dinners were always late and it was an adjustment at first, but not much complaining about going out to restaurants and staying up past bedtime from these two. #livingthelife

 During the daytime, San Gimignano's square - Piazza della Cisterna - was bustling with tourists but by nightfall they'd all gone, and we had the place to ourselves. It was sooooooo nice to eat dinner at quiet restaurants, sometimes even outside on the patio.

Gelateria Dondoli is known for having won the Gelato World Cup at one point, so we enjoyed that perk. Too bad by then I was hitting the wall with my gelato intake and by the time we left I couldn't even eat it anymore. #italyproblems

 Krista and I went shopping one afternoon in SG. This was a shop full of beautiful wooden things.

  Krista found the shoes of her dreams, black oxfords. A classic shoe! A beautiful choice.

The man gave her "sexy socks" to try them on with and I documented it, as you see here. 

The shoes of my dreams were on clearance and not in my size. Sad times.

 

 A simple picnic under the pergola was a welcome change from restaurant food. The weather could not have been more perfect on this trip. I didn't take it for granted because I knew what was waiting back in Luxembourg (rain and chill).

 THE LIFE. #sg4ever

Italy Trip: Pisa

The next morning, we left Manarola, took the train back to La Spezia, fetched our cars and luggage, and headed to Pisa. It's another place we considered leaving off the agenda, but how often do you get to go to Italy? We figured we'd see it all on this trip!

We were all really happy we made the stop. Pisa was a really nice town and the area around the leaning tower was beautiful, too, so we really enjoyed it. All except the stop at Burger King. That was all-around the wrong choice.

Moving on.

My first look at the tower!


My kids were so confused. "When is it going to fall over?" It's the million dollar question.

 I read that it took 200 years to construct and three architects worked on it. Right after the first part was built, it was already leaning. The remaining two architects tried to correct the leaning by angling the remaining levels and belfry backward. The latest efforts to correct the lean enough to keep it stable (but lean enough to keep it a tourist attraction) were made in the 1990s, when workers removed 60 tons of soil to sink to allow it to sink back into place by six inches. Architects say it should remain stable for the next 200 years.

Adam and Noah leaning back into it.

 The kids wanted no part of this family picture. They are hiding behind us.

There we go!

John coached us along ... we thought he was serious.

 
Adam and John (looking small in the background), showing us how it's done.

 They're proud of themselves.

 City wall, great lawns. Adam, John and Krista spent some good chill time in the shade on the lawns while the kids and I did hand stand contests and cartwheels and played tag. Noah was grumpy because it was hot, but he can always rally if someone chases and tickles him (his favorite).

 This area is called the Field of Miracles.

 Military men guarding the entrance.

 The cathedral? I think?

Great afternoon spent at Pisa.
Here we come Tuscany!