Siena and Rome Day 1

Wednesday, May 02, 2007 1600
Good afternoon. Luke and I are on the road home from a complicated trip to Siena. We woke, ate breakfast and left the hotel before 8.30. It was going to be another rainy day today; we brought our rain coats and lunch with. We left on the road to Siena, wound our way down the mountain from Volterra where I start to get car sick as Luke feels bad when an Italian is riding his bumper so he drives as fast as he can to feel like a local. And, after breakfast I can’t handle that.

We make it to the town with no trouble at all but when we look for parking at city center we find one large lot “Chuiso” or closed. It was also market day which didn’t help free up parking spots. We drove around for literally an hour hoping to get lucky and have a person who was walking to their car stop right in front of us so we can get their spot. Oh course no luck. Luke is getting stressed out because there are NO spaces. You see locals drinking coffee in a café with their car parked on the sidewalk with the hazards on. We see an occasional open spot but are we allowed to park there? Are the surrounding Italians parked there illegally? Luke and I did not know nor did we want to return to find a ticket or a boot on the car. I was ready to give up and just return to Volterra or stop at a winery on the way. We decided we should check Rick’s advice. Rick suggested us to park at the train station and take the city bus to the center. Which we eventually did. The car park underneath the train station was the easiest to find. We parked the car, went up the stairs, walked into the train terminal and bought our bus tickets. I asked the lady where to get on the bus to the center and she told me. We got on the bus, validated our tickets, and rode to the closest drop off from the center. We had to walk about six blocks towards the center (we basically followed everybody else), and then we looked off to our left and saw the Il Campo. From what Rick Steves says it is the “THE” square of Italy. So it was nice to check it out. When you come onto the square you notice that it is quite “slanty”. The square consists of a few different levels, and the middle kind of sinks in and slopes towards the bottom end near the City Hall. Many people could go out onto this slope part and sit down. There were more restaurants in this general area than the whole city of Volterra. Lisa and I decided to see what Rick said about the square, so we went and sat down to read about it. Lisa proceeded to read what Rick wrote, and I proceeded to look around the square. Well, for people that don’t know, every year the 17 districts of Siena pick one horse rider to represent their own district in a horse race. It is called the Palio. Well, they run the race in the town square, the Il Campo. The square isn’t really square, but more of a seashell shape, and since it is on different levels, the outside “track” isn’t level. So the race is a race around the track three times on horses, and everybody watching crowds into the center of the square and watches/cheers. They end up padding the walls of the outside of the track with mattresses because the horses are running so fast that the riders don’t bother slowing down their horses, they just keep running them and hope they hold on. This is a really big deal in Siena. It would be like if the Daytona 500 was raced in Byron or Kanawha, and only locals could compete. I really don’t know how to explain it really. But that is the Palio in a nutshell. So Lisa and I read about the square’s history and what everything is in the square. It is one of the few major squares in Italy (if not the only) that doesn’t have some sort of “church” theme/presence to it. Siena wanted to get away from the church, so in defiance; they built the square around the city hall. Once Lisa and I decided that we should get going to do other things, we went to the local TI and asked about which bus to take back to the train station. The lady gave us a map of Siena, circled where we needed to be, and told us which bus to take. Great, that was all we needed so we took off to the Duomo. It seems like every city in Italy has some sort of “main” church that they cram a bunch of stuff into trying to attract people to go and see it. It even looks good on the outside. So Lisa and I decided to get to the Duomo, and take a tour.

In the Duomo (cost was 3€ a person) there was of course religious elements abound. Some of the highlights was a sculpture by Michelangelo, a bronze sculptor from Donatello, some very intact frescoes from the 1500’s about a local Sienese guy, and a lot of Mary things. Mary was the mother of Jesus of course, but in Siena, she plays a more important role. She is believed to be the one that won Siena a war between them and Florence back in the day when they were outnumbered. The Sienese proclaimed the victory in her name and after the war, Siena had 80 good years of art and good luck. So Mary plays a big role in the local culture. The Duomo was a nice little stop off to see some really good art. Of course, when we go to these places, we hit the highlights. If you wanted to, you could spend all day in the church looking for iconography, digging through all the history of every piece of art in the building, or just walk around and read Rick Steves. We ended up doing just that. We then decided to get out of there and figure out the next point of our adventure. It looked like it was going to be the Duomo Museum. Now here is another way for churches to raise money. They end up gutting the church and putting all the good stuff into the church museum, and then you have to pay for that. So we ended up paying for the museum tour, which surprisingly Rick covers in his book. It also offered striking views of Siena and the landscape outside of town. But you had to walk up a few flights of spiral staircases to get to them. No problem.

In the Museum, we got to see another Donatello, the original apostle sculptures that hung outside the church, the original stained glass windows above the altar, and the original altar piece. All in all, it was nice to see. Of course, after going up the steps, the view probably matches what was inside. The viewpoint actually was a chunk of the church that was going to be built. For some reason, it never got built, and just turned up being a separate structure of the church. After we left the museum, we were going to go and hit the Palio movie offered at the local movie theater. Every hour on the half, they offered a 20 minute show about the Palio in English. Well, Lisa and I were a little late getting there, and they had closed the theater. So we didn’t have any other choice then but to go home. Well, the real reason I wanted to get home was because the traffic the last few days has been horrible, and I just wanted a nice gentle and relaxing trip back to Volterra. So Lisa and I descended upon the place where the TI lady told us to go. We then tried to decipher which line we would take to get back to the station. We really didn’t argue about it, but we finally agreed upon one line. The total amount of time that we waited was about 20 minutes, and if I had my way, we would have walked the distance, because it was that close. Lesson learned. We got back to the station, and we couldn’t figure out where we had come out from, so we wandered around the train station looking for the staircase that led us up. Finally an old man stopped us and asked in Italian if we wanted Centro, and we said no, we wanted to know where to get down to the parking garage was. He showed us and it is amongst overgrown grass and built up terraces, so it was almost impossible to see if you walked by it. So we went downstairs, I found the place you had to pay (for the whole time we were there, it was 2€, the cheapest parking ever!), and we both jumped in the car to exit. We get to the gate where you pay, and the screen on the ticket thing says invalid ticket, and it wouldn’t take anymore tickets, but the gates weren’t up. So I hit the info button, which actually called the attendant on duty, and I say “Buon Giorno, parla inglese?” I got no response from the guy, but the lift did go up, so Lisa and I figured that he didn’t speak English, and to save time, just let us pass. Easy enough. So off we went back to Volterra. On the way out of Siena, we stopped at a McDonalds (call us dumb, but I still hadn’t had a real McDonalds experience in Italy). So we stopped there and Lisa and I both got a combo meal, hers was a big mac, and mine was a bacon double quarter pounder or something to that nature. The lady behind the counter was a little rude, but we managed to get everything we wanted without having to get out the translation book. We ate there and then proceeded home. The drive home was very picturesque, with being on top of hills and looking down seeing the nice countryside. After a few miscues from the TomTom, we ended up back at the hotel. It is now time to get packing, because on Thursday, we get on a train to Rome after we drop off the car in Florence. That should be interesting. Thanks for reading! ljf

8pm that night
Luke and I decided to go downtown one last time, if you can call it “downtown” in that small village. We wandered around up and down the streets with the eventual desire to get a slice of pizza from the place we have gotten it at before and some gelato. We walked by the archeological park and the Medici Fortress which is now a state prison. Went on a long walk past that. We saw lots of restaurants with empty tables. We saw a set of benches that we longed to sit upon when we were uptown previously, and we sat. We sat and drank our box white wine that was poured into our 1.5 L water bottle. The street was dark and empty of people because they were all eating dinner late as the Italians do. We enjoyed the quiet and the wine and the company. Walked toward the Hotel Porta Al Arco and said goodbye to the busy day tripper town and the quiet small town night.

Thursday, May 03, 2007
Today we left the hotel by 7.30 with the car and all our extremely heavy baggage. Our luggage is getting MORE full as we go along. We even have a “food bag” isn’t that awful. When we went to eastern Europe last year you didn’t want to be the one that had to carry the “food bag.” So needless to say it has negative connotations. The food bag was particularly heavy. We made it to Firenze or Florence at a leisurely pace. We had to get on the Autostrada for 10 or 15 km or so and the toll was 2 €. There was only a backup on the roundabout just before the Autostrada we were stopped for 15 min or so. Made it to the Florence airport where we were to drop off the rental car. We saw our €4.50 shuttle bus to the train station sitting idle so we walked briskly towards the bus and made it with some time to spare. Traffic in the city was pretty crazy, glad Luke wasn’t driving. I think the vespas are the worst mannered in Florence.

Anyway, we caught our train to Roma, Ate a snack on the train as we didn’t have breakfast. ( I was glad to skip breakfast so I don’t get queasy on the S curves on the way out of Volterra) I read my book, took a little nap. I woke up to Luke playing his video game on the laptop. Then we watched an episode of our TV on the laptop, watched the scenery go by. We had a bank of 4 seats to ourselves. You know how they face each other on trains. We commandeered them and were very comfortable with all our crap.

Arrived in Roma at 3 PM. We fought our way past people that had the “express taxi” that were trying to con us into their car. Who knows what they could have demanded or where they could have taken us to put us in an even worse situation. AHHH. So, we got a legit taxi. It took us to the edge of the Campo Di Fiori for €23. We found our apartment but had to wait for Gulia to get here which was like 30 min of standing at the door. We were early but the waiting still kind of sucked. We couldn’t remember which floor the apartment was on, but we soon found out it was the 4th. AHH. 5 flights up stairs up with 50 lbs of luggage and a food bag. I am glad we only have to do it once. You’d think we were training for the Tourist Olympics.

Our apartment is nice, but as I am sure all Roma apartments are small too. It is trendy and kind of unique. There is NO stove again and 2 burners, virtually no counter space, a private rooftop terrace, plenty of cookware and dishes etc. Luke and I got settled, turned on the AC that works, and washed our first load of clothes as all in our suitcase was pretty much dirty. Luke cooked some asparagus risotto and I made some toast in our toaster (that I have never been so happy to see) and we ate only starch for dinner. That’s just how we Minnesotans love it. We decided not to wait to hang up the spinning clothes but left on our first jaunt of the city.

We walked on a busy road that followed the Tiber, from that view it looked a lot like Florence and Parma (cities on the river). We walked and walked, kind of the round about way and saw Circus Maximus which basically now is a grass track park for people, litter, and dogs. The circus maximus was a Chariot racing arena, they had 12 races a day, the wooden bleachers would hold 250, 000 people. Rick Steves’ says that one collapsed and killed thousands. We walked again on the roundabout way to the Forum which is free but the last park entry was 15 min prior to when we arrived. So we were kind of bummed about that. We did get a cursory view through the fences. We walked around the huge forum some more and saw the Arch of Constantine that is right beside the Collosseo (the Coliseum) and saw the Palatine hill ruins too. We sat a moment pondered the ruins and the best way home. As we walked because we couldn’t find a bus to take us home we saw the huge Vittorio Emanualle Monument, the colossal white marble monument that was, regrettably under restoration. Why the H should they be restoring it, it was only built in like the last 100 years or less. We walked home, through some major traffic. Looked around the Campo di Fiori a bit, grabbed a pannini form this lively place for €4 each. Luke had a hotdog one with catsup and mustard (senape) and kraut. I had a frite (fritter- it looked like a chicken patty) with mayo and tomato). It sounded much more exotic in Italian. It was good and HOT, hit the spot. We ate the sandwiches as we pondered the band playing and the juveniles drinking vodka out of paper cups and passing the 750 ml bottle between the 4 of them. The Campo was a pretty rowdy, noisy place. We’re glad our apartment is on a side street so we can rest without trouble. There is an internet point a half block away. Our goal is to post as always. ljf

Friday, May 04, 2007
Good afternoon. Today Luke and I were a bit more organized with our whereabouts. We started the day with a rainy walk to the Capitoline Hill Museum and Nuovo Museum which is attached. We bought our Roma card here for €20 each that included 2 free museums (discounts on any further) and free bus/metro fare for 3 days. We saw the original she wolf suckling Romulus and Remus who came to be the founder of Rome. We actually saw their hut on Palatine hill excavations. It was thought that the brothers were myth but then it has become accepted to be more fact now since the excavations. We saw lots of busts of Roman leaders and republicans. We saw the Venus statue and a famous picture that is about 18 by 18 inches and looks like a painting or some such, in reality it is actually a mosaic with tiles so so tiny you have to get very close to tell. I really like that picture and I’d like to get a print if I could. We also saw lots of Roman decrees written in stone. One was basically don’t leave your trash out and no burying dead within the city. We saw the foundation of the Temple of Jupiter that the museum found during remodeling, and it turned into its own exhibit. We saw 2 huge statues of Constantine in pieces, a head here, a hand here, a sphere he was holding there. Kind of weird to see it separated and saved for that matter. Saw the famous “boy picking a thorn from his foot” statue. We saw some really great view of the forum, took some pictures too. We were annoyed by a very loud group of German middle aged tourists.
Next we went to the Mamertine Prison where Saints Peter and Paul were imprisoned. Supposedly a spring spouted from the column where Peter was chained. The srping allowed St. Pete to baptize and save the people imprisoned, he also baptized his guards who were even martyred. This opportunity was for donation only. We followed the exit past the gift shop where I bought an overlay book about the ancient sites in Roma. I paid €20 for it, I shouldn’t have but oh well.

We then entered in to the Roman Forum. I was very excited to see this. There were lots of ruins and collections of ruins making up old buildings, I was keen on the fact that they had pieces of stuff just laying around willy nilly. I found this collection of, some matched and some not, column pieces. They were just sitting behind a tree where there was a spare spot and out of the way. I was surprised that there wasn’t any visible graffiti, as there is graffiti EVERYWHERE you look. We saw the place where Caesar’s (hope I spelled that right) was burned after his murder. Then we walked on the Via Sacra the main Roman road. Saw the temple and statues of the Vestal Virgins who kept the flame burning. After I walked around and Luke narrated and after all the pictures were taken – we decided to head to the Colosseum.
We felt like VIPs as we passed through the line of people waiting. We got right in and looked around. I must say that I wasn’t awe inspired when I saw the interior. I guess is was like I’ve seen on TV and in pictures. It was hard to picture how the bleachers would have been positioned and the canopy would have been raised. I guess it was pretty cool to walk up the same stairs as millions of old Romans had. We sat a bit and absorbed as much sight and memory as we could about the Collosseum.
We then went back up to Palatine hill and saw some more ruins. On this hill was the Palace of centuries of emperors, in fact that is where we get our word palace from Palatine. There was barely the rough foundation left to get an idea of how the layout or size of the rooms went. I didn’t particularly enjoy this set of ruins. I don’t know if it was because I was “done” for the day and was ready to head home, or if it was because I was tired and hungry as it was 3pm, or because I needed a little stimulant caffé pick me up. Luke sped up the tour and we saw a view of the Circus Maximus that we saw yesterday. Saw a few more intact ruins but couldn’t get close, and headed for the exit. We decided to validate our Roma card 3 day Bus/ metro ticket. We took the metro the first line for 2 or 3 stops then the second line for 2 stops, ended up at someplace and that is where we could pick up the bus to take us pretty damn close to the apartment! With no two mile walk home! Yipee. We were very happy.
We stopped at the market as it was closed when we passed it yesterday. We found it a bit overpriced. We got some milk, but not the box milk, only in bottles, Parmigiano Reggiano and asiago, some chicken cutlets, pasta sauce, hot dogs and beer (two 3 packs of Peroni). Luke made Pasta Puttenesca, chicken, green salad with balsamic vinegar and oil and we had spicy Tralli cracker/bread. It was very good, the big salad especially hit the spot. I did dishes since Luke cooked.
Luke just tried out the bed in the loft. The ceiling up there is like 3 feet tall. The reason Luke was testing the bed is because the bed we slept in last night is a double bed which is not a problem but it has a headboard and a footboard. I am pretty sure that Full size beds are shorter than queen sized. So Luke could not fit straight in bed, he’d have to bend his knees and sleep on his side. Which would not be a problem either but the mattress though obviously new is SO very very very hard or firm. I have never felt anything like it. Concrete would have more give than this mattress. The thin mattress on the floor in the loft is exponentially more comfy for Luke. I don’t know if I want to sleep up there though. We’ll see.
Now we will try to post tonight. Tomorrow is a big day too. We’ll be able to use the bus/metro combo again and maybe this time we’ll pack a lunch so I/we don’t get crabby and we don’t have to buy an overpriced sandwich to split. Good night!